Viing Gut Zii Yah
by ZeldinaDreamermoon
Summary: Her big yellow eyes opened slowly. Those stupid two-legs had brought her and her young with them to this place so far away from their home. She wasn't pleased with them but would go along with it for now. There was a rustle in the bushes not to far away from her cage. "Well, well if it isn't a little Dovahkiin," she said. - Warning for Yaoi. If you don't like it then don't read.
1. Finder's Keepers - Book 1

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks. I'm simply an author who loves playing around in fictional worlds. I do not make money from this nor do I want to. I write these stories for myself and for others to brighten their day.

Warnings: Male/male relationship with sex. Male/female relationship non-explicit. Killing, gore, and some torture.

* * *

 **Book 1**

 **Finder's Keepers**

 _7th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Sundas_

Katla pulled her orcish greatsword out of a Forsworn's dismembered body. The sun was rising over the nearby mountains signalling the start of a new day. She wiped the blood from her blade before fastening it to her baldric. Amber eyes looked out over the camp. It was built upon platforms over the southernmost part of Karth River.

Over by a set of tents she could see Ra'shall.

He was a Khajiit that had joined her after a somewhat embarrassing failure – on his part. He had attempted to steal from her. Pick her pockets as a matter of fact. She hadn't been too thrilled about the whole thing, and being the hot-blooded Nord she was, the first thing she'd done was tackle the little creep to the ground. Then she had pulled her then rather massive iron battleaxe. The sneaky feline had tried to persuade her not to kill him. Like he'd thought that would actually work on her. She knew her way around honeyed words just fine.

She had been about to kill the little thief when a band of not so intelligent bandits had decided to show up. Figuring that the thief would be happy enough she let him live, Katla had turned her attention to the approaching thugs. The fight that had followed was short, but what she hadn't noticed while fighting was a man that snuck up behind her. She had, however, heard him as he'd let out a gurgling noise. Turning around she'd seen the Khajiit standing behind her with a dagger buried in the man's abdomen. "You willing to earn some coin helping me?" she'd asked the feline-man.

Teal eyes had studied her for a moment before he'd responded, "Beats getting my head chopped off."

In the beginning it had been a purely professional relationship, but as time went on, it had developed into friendship. Ra'shall had eventually decided to hang around because he'd felt like it not because he'd gotten paid. He'd even refused payment only a fortnight after joining up with her.

"Found anything interesting?" Katla asked the man as he came walking up the stone steps towards her.

"Not really. Forsworn never have much," Ra'shall answered as he held out a potion bottle to her. "It's a stamina draught. You have more use for it than I do," he said.

Katla accepted the bottle and pushed it down in a pouch she was wearing so she could access it past her Dwarven armour. "Hopefully Delphine and Esbern are waiting up ahead," she said. "Considering we took a detour they should have had plenty of time to get here."

"Without alerting the Forsworn?" Ra'shall said disbelievingly. "They might be good, but they're not that good."

Katla snorted. "O.K. so maybe we'll have to go slow in there and hope they catch up with us then," she said.

"What did they call this place anyway?" the feline asked.

"Karthspire I think," Katla answered. She looked up towards the mountain. There was a set of stairs leading up just a bit further. A cave entrance was located to the right. "This will be fun," the brunette woman said as she placed a hand against the cold stone of the entrance.

"Want to bet there are draugr in there," Ra'shall said.

"You know I never strike bets with you," Katla answered. "I'm not dumb. Even if you're wrong you still manage to come out on top somehow. I know how you work."

Ra'shall laughed as he entered the cave. He could see a faint torchlight some way in. _'Hn, there are probably more Forsworn in here,'_ he thought as he moved down into a crouch. He could hear Katla slow down behind him. She was probably taking her bow out. They'd worked together for some time now, and their general tactic for caves like this was for him to sneak up first and get around their enemies before she started firing arrows at them – drawing their attention. After that it was only a matter of practised ease that had heads rolling.

He slipped up a ramp and moved up behind one of the horn-adorned men. He could hear as an arrow came buzzing through the air taking out a woman in front of him. Quickly he reached up and sliced his knife across the man's throat. The female body fell down from the small bridge she'd been standing on before hitting the ground below. The outer guards of the cave seemed to wake up at the noise. They didn't live much longer. Another arrow and a few quick steps was all that was needed to end their lives.

"You loot and I'll go on ahead," Katla suggested as she walked up the ramp leading to the upper level of the small cave.

They tended to switch roles up while exploring just to make things more interesting. Since both of them were experienced fighters, it didn't make much of a difference anyway. They simply went about things differently.

Katla walked through a tunnel laid with wooden planks which indicated that the Forsworn had been there for some time. Lanterns were placed out to chase the darkness away. Roots and spider webs hung from the ceiling in tatters. Up ahead a faint light made the woman wonder if the cave didn't open up to the sky. It didn't look like any kind of fire light she'd ever seen. Walking onwards slowly, her suspicions were confirmed. There were even trees growing down there. Though, they were small and sickly looking with a gray almost translucent bark. They might have been juniper trees if they'd grown where there was more light. She scanned the area as she moved around. There seemed to be no one there.

There was an old broken staircase along the right wall of the crater. The brunette was moving up it when Ra'shall joined her. "They had a decent amount of coin in there," he said as they walked up to a platform with a set of three pillars at the end of it. Two bowls filled with coal had once upon a time lit the area up, but now they had long since burnt out. "It's a puzzle," the feline stated. "Do you think we should wait for the crazy old man? He probably knows how to get past this."

Katla moved forward. "There are three symbols here," she said. "If we assume all of them should show the same symbol we can just try it out. If that doesn't work then we can wait here for Esbern and Delphine." She reached out and turned the pillars around. Once all of them showed a set of what could be dragons with an arrow pointing down between them rumbling could be heard echoing through the canyon as a bridge lowered down beside them.

"That is so secure," Ra'shall said sarcastically. "All you need to get in is a bit of patience."

Katla rolled her eyes. "Hopefully there are better protections further in. I'd have to start wondering about the Dragonborns of old otherwise," she said.

Dragonborn. That had been a bit difficult to believe to begin with. Even after she'd first absorbed a dragon's soul. She didn't recommend it. It was quite unnerving to have the powers of an ancient dragon meld with your own soul. Though, the Greybeards had been easily convinced that she was one. Just take a look at the weird text and … she had no clue how she could understand that stuff. She obviously didn't understand the language very well, though, since Alduin had tried to speak to her in it, and she hadn't understood very much. She could shout in an imitation of what dragons could do, but she couldn't fully understand the language.

They moved over the bridge and into a tunnel that led up and to the right. Chances were that they would end up back in the canyon.

"Wait," Katla said as she grabbed onto Ra'shall's arm. The tunnel had led out in a small cave, but the floor was covered with pressure plates. "That's the same symbol as down on the pillars," she said as she pointed down on a plate in front of them. She looked up and scanned the room.

"There is a switch over there," Ra'shall said as he pointed towards the opposite wall. His eyes were much better at picking up details in the dark.

"I better go over in case this thing can tell if you're of dragon blood or not," the brunette said before she stepped out on the tiles. She moved slowly across the room. They had no reason to hurry, and she didn't want to know what happened if she took a wrong step. Reaching the opposite wall, she reached out, grabbed a small iron band on a chain, and pulled it.

More rumbling and sun light spread into the room from an opening in the cave wall.

Ra'shall, figuring that the floor would be safe to walk on now, made his way over to the opening and walked outside. They made their way over another bridge and through yet another tunnel filled with roots. Once back out in the sunlight for the third time, they could see into an obviously man made room. The carving of a head adorned the far wall, and strange symbols climbed the walls. The floor had once been covered in stone tiles but big areas had overtime been reclaimed by the general dirt of the cave.

"Here I think it would be better if we waited for Delphine and Esbern," Katla said. "While I believe I know how to get past this, I'd like to know what the old man has to say before attempting it."

Ra'shall nodded slowly. He had noticed a chest standing almost in the middle of the room on a raised dais. He walked forward and pulled the lid open. There was an assortment of things in there. Some were completely useless while others disappeared down into various pockets and pouches. An amethyst, some gold, a couple of lockpicks, he lifted a spell tome out of the chest. It belonged to the School of Restoration. _'Oh well why not,'_ he thought. He could always find a buyer that would pay good money for it. He lifted a pair of leather boots out of the chest and noticed a glint of silver. It was a ring adorned with a garnet. _'Now we're talking,'_ he thought. Rings were easy to carry and generally sold rather well. He smirked. It was enchanted. That just raised the value. He stood up from the chest after emptying it of everything that was easy to carry and/or paid well.

Katla had sat down some distance away and was seemingly studying the walls. Her amber eyes trailed the strange symbols as her hands cut pieces of an apple that made their way into her mouth. Ra'shall walked over to her and sat down. "See anything interesting?" he asked.

The brunette shrugged. "Most of it makes no sense what-so-ever," she said.

…

Thankfully the two didn't have to wait long before the echo of steps could be heard in the canyon outside.

Katla stood up as the footsteps came closer. She smiled softly as Delphine came walking inside. "Everything went well?" she asked the blond woman.

Delphine nodded. "As well as could be expected," she said. She raised an eyebrow as Esbern walked past her mumbling to himself. He stopped by a series of circles laid out in stone on the floor. "Ah… here is the blood seal," he said. "Another of the lost Akaviri arts. No doubt triggered by well … blood." He turned towards Katla. "Your blood Dragonborn," he said. "Look here. You see how the ancient Blades revered the…"

Ra'shall tilted his ears away from the man and tried to just shut him out. _'Baan Dar make him shut up,'_ he thought. He knew that the man was necessary for now, but couldn't he just get to the point? The scent of blood reached his sensitive nose suddenly. Katla had cut her hand over the seal in the floor. Little red droplets fell to the ground. Light spread from the circles as they started turning one at a time. The giant stone-head in front of the seal moved back before it was pulled up revealing a staircase.

The feline-man moved forward as he pulled a potion bottle out of a pouch. He held a hand out towards Katla after removing the cork from the bottle with a pop. He poured the clear liquid over the cut in her hand and watched as it healed leaving fair unblemished skin behind. "Thank you," the brunette said with a soft smile. He shrugged. "You can't wield a sword or handle a bow with a cut like that," he said.

Katla chuckled warmly. "Yeah, 'cause _that's_ the only reason you helped me," she said teasingly. "Let's get going." She bent down and picked up the steel Nordic gauntlets she'd taken off so she could offer blood to the seal. Strapping the gauntlet back on, she walked up the stairs to a pair of thick black iron doors. She reached out and pushed the doors open as she stepped through. Quickly she made her way up the stairs beyond the door, Ra'shall following closely behind her.

The stairs led up to a big hall. A great long-table was placed in the middle of the room. A grand staircase travelled into darkness. Light shone in through cracks in the ceiling.

Ra'shall moved up the grand staircase as Katla walked over to a big ornate wall twice as tall as her. It did not, however, reach the cave ceiling high above them. The feline knew that Katla would learn something important, but he couldn't care less. Oh, he care about her learning so she'd be alright… but the knowledge wouldn't help him any. He walked up the steps of the stair silently until he'd made it to the top of the wall that Esbern and Katla were studying. His teal eyes narrowed as he saw a strange lump of something unknown lying on the ground in the shadows of a stone arch. He moved forward slowly. His sharp ears picked up on the gentle sound of breathing. Whatever that lump was, it was alive. Pulling a dagger out of his belt, he reached out towards the figure and moved it carefully.

He froze. It was a human. _'Probably a Breton by the look of it.'_ He could hear Delphine and Katla speaking in the background. He wondered if he shouldn't call down to them, but he didn't want to wake the young human up. Messy dark hair covered the boy's head. His pale skin was dirty where it had touched the floor. He was wearing some sort of strange black cloak. Next to the boy lay a golden scroll with green stones adorning its cover. Ra'shall reached out to grab the scroll, but he couldn't seem to reach it. Something was keeping him from picking it up. "Who are you?" he wondered out loud. "How did you get in here?"

He shifted the boy to lie on his back before his quick fingers searched through whatever pockets the kid had. As he did so, he noticed just how thin the boy was. He could feel ribs. It wasn't the first time he came across a child who hadn't gotten enough to eat. Both he and Katla highly disliked that the youth had to suffer for grown-ups' mistakes.

He placed out the items he'd picked from the boy on the floor. A piece of parchment, some kind of candy by the smell of it, a strange silver coin and a piece of wood. Nothing that helped him identify the boy. He stood up slowly and looked down from the wall. Katla wasn't down there. Chances were that she was on her way up to him so he opted to stay put.

.

Katla muttered grumpily as she made her way up the grand staircase. They'd travelled all this way only for her to learn that she had to travel back to High Hrothgar.

"Did you learn anything interesting," Ra'shall asked her as she came walking up to him.

"Apparently they used a Shout to defeat Alduin all those years ago," the brunette answered. "Unfortunately we don't know which Shout." She made a disgusted face. "So now we have to go see the Greybeards and ask them if they know anything about it," she said. She didn't seem too enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Ra'shall shook his head incredulously. "Back and forth, back and forth. It's a good thing we don't have a time limit," he said. Then his head turned towards the boy. He doubted Katla could see the Breton where he lay. It was probably too dark for her. "I found something else though," he said as he walked over to the boy. He reached down and lifted the kid up carefully. "Or rather someone…" he said as he walked back out in the light.

"By Kyne what is a child doing here," the brunette breathed. She reached out and placed a hand against the boy's cheek carefully. He was cold. "Poor thing is freezing," she said. "We should find somewhere to rest and warm him up."

Ra'shall nodded slowly. They had been travelling since long before sunrise. They could do with a warm meal and some rest. "There is cold air coming from up there so I'm guessing those doors lead outside," he said as he turned towards the general darkness he'd picked up the boy in. "The path over there seems to lead back down to the main floor, but there is a corridor going that way I haven't checked in yet," he said as he turned back the way Katla had come from.

The brunette nodded. She walked up in front of the Khajiit so she was the one to walk first just in case there was something sinister hiding in the darkness. They had travelled through way too many tombs filled with undead for her not to be on the alert.

A smile spread over her lips as they found what must have been the living quarters of the temple. There was a wooden table and some chairs in the middle of the room, but best of all there were beds and a fireplace.

"You think they are still usable after all these years. I don't want to place him down only to have the thing break beneath him," Ra'shall said quietly.

Katla moved up to the bed closest to the fireplace and sat down on top of it. She bounced a bit and then she looked up at the feline with a cheeky smile. "What do you think? Will it hold?" she asked.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes at her before ordering her off the bed so he could place the boy down.

Katla moved over to the fireplace and pulled out a scroll from her small bag. One never knew when fire could be crucial to survival, and the scrolls were far easier to work with than flint and steel. She opened the scroll and activated its magic before tossing it on the dry wood in the fireplace. Standing up once more, she started removing the straps that kept her weapons and then her armour in place. She wanted out of the heavy thing as soon as possible. "Will you help me lift this off so I don't wake him up, please," she asked Ra'shall.

The feline moved up to her and grabbed the backplate so they could lift the armour off her. They placed it down on the floor next to her weapons carefully.

"That's better thank you," Katla said. Taking her gauntlets off, she moved back in front of the fire. She looked over to the boy. "How could he possibly have ended up in the temple?" she asked softly. "The only way here is the one we took, and that can't have been used by anyone else in centuries."

Ra'shall shrugged. "I have no idea. But he can't stay up here," he said. He was searching through his pack for something edible. He found some potatoes and some dried venison. "Care to place these in the fireplace," he said. Katla turned towards him, and he threw the potatoes over to her one by one. He stood up once he'd pulled a water pouch out of the bag together with two bottles of Honningbrew Mead. "Should I try to wake him up or will we just let him sleep. He could really do with some food. He's way to light for it to be considered healthy," he said.

Katla stood back up after placing the potatoes down. "You might as well try, but I don't think that we should force it," she said.

Ra'shall moved over to the table and placed the things he was holding down before moving back to the boy. He kneeled down next to the bed and reached out. "Hey, young one wake up," he said in a normal conversational tone.

Nothing happened.

"We can just not be so careful," Katla said. "The general sound we make might be enough to bring him back. Though, he might need to get warmer first."

Ra'shall nodded.

…

Soft voices and the smell of burning wood.

Cold finger twitched slightly.

A deep breath was taken slowly.

Darkness.

.

.

.

There was only one voice sounding now. It was a woman. She was singing:

"Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red

Who came riding to Whiterun from ole Rorikstead

And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade

As he told of bold battles and gold he had made

But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red

When he met the shield-maiden Matilda, who said;

"Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead

Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed!"

And so then came clashing and slashing of steel

As the brave lass Matilda charged in, full of zeal

And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no more-

When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!"

Green eyes opened slowly. The song was confusing. What was Rorikstead? He'd never heard of a place like that. He blinked slowly trying to process what he saw. He was lying in a bed in a room made of gray stone. His gaze lifted slightly, and he could see that a fire was burning merrily. He pulled himself up slowly. He wanted to get closer to the fire. Most of the room was too dark for him to see anything. He could hear the scraping of a chair over the rough stone floor before a woman made her way into the light.

She was tall and fair with long brown hair and broad shoulders. She looked like she was made to fight. There were thin scars running up her arms which indicated that she was in fact a warrior. Her warm amber gaze fell on him, and he swallowed thickly. Then a soft smile grazed her lips. It lit her entire face up. "How are you feeling young one?" she asked as she came up closer to him.

The young raven-haired teen moved back a bit on the bed as she approached him. He didn't really know what to answer. Should he tell her the truth or would she get angry? He lowered his gaze. "I'm O.K." he said softly. He reached up and fixed his glasses. Oh, how he wished he didn't need those.

The brunette tilted her head to the side. She didn't believe that response for a second. "You sure?" she asked. "Not cold or hungry?" she added. Green eyes lifted from the boy's lap and met hers. "If you need something you need to tell us. We cannot read your mind young one," she said calmly.

The boy nodded slowly. He looked like he wanted to ask her something. "Where is this?" he asked after a moment of silence. He'd realised that the place he was in could not be Hogwarts. He'd never seen anyone like the woman in front of him in the castle.

"This is Sky Haven Temple," Katla answered to his question. The raven looked at her like that didn't say him anything. "It's located in the Reach," she said. The poor boy just looked even more confused. "We're in Skyrim," she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Skyrim?" the boy repeated. He was pretty sure there was no place on Earth called Skyrim. He had been decent at geography after all. He looked up at the woman once more when she asked him where he was from. He bit his lip. _'What do I tell her?'_ he wondered. She'd think he was crazy if he told her the truth, wouldn't she?

"Don't even try lying to us. We don't like liars very much," a male voice said.

Green eyes left the woman and moved over the room. They widened as they fell on the person that had spoken. It was a cat-man. The body was that of a normal man's, but the head looked like a feline. He had dark fur with white stripes and a swaying tail.

"Shush with you Ra'shall. You don't have any right to speak to him like that. You're the biggest liar I know," the woman said. She turned back to the frightened boy. "Don't worry about him. He won't hurt you." She paused for a moment. "But we are quite good at detecting lies, and it isn't very nice to lie," she said honestly.

Harry bit his lip. She seemed like a really nice person. He didn't want her to dislike him. "Last thing I remember I was at a school called Hogwarts in Scotland," he said. If they knew how to tell when people lied to them, they would know that he was telling the truth even if the truth was hard to believe.

Katla turned to Ra'shall an eyebrow raised in question. The feline shook his head. He'd never heard of a place like that. The brunette stood up. "Why don't you come and eat something," she told the boy.

The raven moved to the edge of the bed slowly before he let his feet fall to the floor so he could stand up. He walked past a solid stone pillar that seemed to hold the ceiling up and over to the table standing on the other side. He sat down uncertainly. He had no clue where he was or how he'd gotten there. The names of the place didn't really help him. Even worse the last thing he could remember was meeting Hagrid outside the man's hut at Hogwarts. After that it was black.

What had happened?

A plate was placed in front of him together with a fork. "Thank you," he said. There was a potato on the plate. It was cut in two and spiced with something. There was some kind of meat there as well. He lifted the fork up and poked at the potato. It was steaming hot. A goblet was placed down in front of him and he looked up at the feline man as he moved around the table and sat down. "Thank you," he repeated.

"My name is Katla by the way," the brown-haired woman said as she sat down next to the feline man. "And this is Ra'shall. He's a Khajiit."

"Like the boy hasn't seen a Khajiit before," the dark-furred man said.

"I haven't," Harry said in a spur of boldness. His bright green eyes showed no lie as he looked at them. "Not that it says very much there are a lot of things I've never seen or heard off," he said.

"O.K. I can accept that he's never seen a Khajiit but never heard of one. From beneath what rock did you crawl out?" Ra'shall said.

Katla rolled her eyes. "Hush with you," she said. "There is no need to be rude to him." Turning to the raven-haired boy she asked, "What is your name young one?"

"Harry Potter," he answered her. He almost expected the customary response to his name being mentioned, but there was nothing. The two adults seated at the other side of the table didn't react at all. It was strange yet relieving. It meant that they wouldn't have any insane expectations in regards to him. He ate his potato in silence while listening to the two adults talking about travel plans. He wondered what would happen to him. It seemed like they needed to go really far.

"… we can always go to Markarth and take a carriage from there," Katla said as she ran a finger over the map she'd placed on the table. "It would lessen the travel time and mean that we don't have to walk all the way."

Harry had placed his fork down and drank the water that his goblet had been filled with. He didn't really know what to do now.

Katla turned towards him. "Why don't you go explore a little? As long as you don't go through any doors you'll be safe," she said. "I don't think we'll leave until tomorrow. Be careful and come back if you get cold, but I think it would be good for you to move around."

Harry nodded slowly. He got the feeling that the two of them wanted to talk without him hearing. He didn't like people talking about him behind his back, but he didn't feel confident enough to confront them about it. He guessed the brunette was right. He could use a walk.

It was really dark outside of the room he'd woken up in. He reached out so that one of his hands touched the wall as he walked forward slowly. He found a set of stairs and walked down them. It was easier to see now. There seemed to be light streaming in through the ceiling of the temple they were in. There were two persons sitting by a big stone table when he reached the bottom of the stairs. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to them. He wondered if they belonged to the same group as the other two but figured that since they weren't all together they couldn't be. Though, Katla had promised him that he was safe as long as he didn't go through any doors so maybe they knew each other.

He slipped into a small room located along the wall behind the two seated by the table and looked around. It was so dark in there he could barely see anything. Reaching into the pocket where he normally had his wand, he froze. It wasn't there. He'd lost his wand. _'Great job Harry,'_ he thought. There was nothing else he could do in there not without some sort of light so he turned around and went back out.

He wandered around for a while. In and out of light. Suddenly he hit something with his foot. It clattered away from him. He moved down as he reached out wondering what it was he'd kicked. Nimble fingers tightened around a cylindrical object. Colours flashed before his eyes. A voice sounded in his head. **_"Zu'u fent aav hi voth hin fron Dovahkiin."_** The shear sound if the voice made him call out.

…

"We can't take the boy with us Katla," Ra'shall said. "We should travel to Markarth and leave him with someone there who can take care of him."

Katla sighed. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I have this feeling we should bring him with us," she said. "I don't know why and it irritates me, but you know that no one will treat him right. Even if we pay someone to take care of him he's more likely to end up on the street than taken care of."

Ra'shall shook his head. "You'd rather he died because of the danger we're constantly in?" he asked her.

"Of course not, but we can teach him how to take care of himself. And we're not always in danger. Between the two of us we should be able to keep him safe," Katla responded. "I just… I don't know if I can leave him behind. There is something about him…"

"I don't think that a hunch is a good enough reason to drag him with us," Ra'shall said. "There is something really strange about that kid."

"AAARRHHHH!"

Katla turned towards the corridor leading to the rest of the temple. She was moving without even thinking about it. Had they been wrong? Was there something in the temple that could harm the boy? She was about to start berating herself when she reached the kid. She lifted him up carefully. He was holding something in his hands, but her attention was turned towards his face as he started mumbling. **_"Lost ek aak hi ahrk wahl hi mul. Ruz hi fen daal,"_** he said.

Amber eyes looked up and met teal. "That's dragon-tongue," she said.

Ra'shall closed his eyes and turned his head skywards. "You win," he said. "We'll at the very least bring him to High Hrothgar. We can make any other decision once there."

"We're keeping him… you'll see," Katla said.


	2. Lakeview Manor

**Lakeview Manor**

 _8th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Morndas_

Katla tilted her head and raised an eyebrow as Ra'shall came walking up to her with an armour.

"Considering how worn the one you're wearing is getting you could do with a new one, and this is a complete set," he said as he placed the breastplate down on the floor. "I could use some help grabbing the rest of it."

The brunette chuckled. "Sure," she said, "let's get me geared up properly." She pushed off the wall she had been leaning against and followed the feline.

They had to make several trips before they had gathered all of the stuff that could be of use to them from the small armoury the feline had found. Katla moved up to where young Harry was sleeping and ran a hand through his hair carefully. "It's time to wake up," she said softly. Green eyes opened slowly. The teen had fallen asleep after his fit the day before. They had just let him sleep. "Wha's goin' on?" he asked tiredly.

"We are getting ready to leave," Katla informed him. "You should get up and eat some breakfast. There's stuff on the table, and then we need to go." She stood up and walked over to her new armour. It fit surprisingly well she realised as she put it on. She pulled the breast- and backplates up so she could fit them on. Ra'shall moved up and started fastening the straps at her sides as she started working on her gauntlets.

It was obvious to Harry that they were used to doing that. They didn't speak to each other, yet both of them knew what to do – and it went fast. He had barely finished eating the bread that had been left out for him when she stood before him clad in full armour. She looked really intimidating like that. No one in their right mind could possibly be willing to challenge her. He grabbed the apple that lay on the table and stood up. He could eat it while they walked.

"Let's take a look out the doors up top before we leave. If there is a way for us to get down that way I'd prefer taking that," Ra'shall said as he walked up in front of the other two.

Harry nodded to himself before he walked over to the bed and looked down at the strange scroll lying there. He reached out and picked it up hoping that he wouldn't get the same reaction as the day before. He didn't.

"Ah, that reminds me you had some stuff with you when we found you. It's over there," Ra'shall said as he waved over towards a chest. "You should pick up anything that's important to you. Not that I can see why you'd want any of that stuff. It looked like a bunch of junk to me."

The raven moved over to the chest and blinked in surprise as he saw his wand. He reached down and lifted it up. Raising it above his head, he said, "Lumos." An orb of light appeared at the wand's tip. His magic felt a bit strange. He didn't know what it was but something was off.

"So it's not just a stick then I take it," the feline man said as Harry came walking up to them with his glowing wand. The raven's eyes widened. He hadn't even considered if these two were muggles or not. Taking into account that they didn't go nuts at him he guessed it was O.K. to use magic around them. He shook his head as he answered Ra'shall, "No it's a wand."

The man shrugged. He didn't really care. The light would be practical for Katla though. He reached out and touched the glasses the raven was wearing. "What are these huh?" he asked. He snatched them from the teen and held them up in front of his eyes. Everything blurred something awful. "Why the hell do you wear these things? It's impossible to see anything through these?" he said mockingly.

Harry bit his lip. "Give them back," he said. He reached out for the glasses. "I can't see without them."

Katla raised an eyebrow. "We'll have to see if we can find a healer that can fix that for you," she said. "That is really unpractical." She looked up at Ra'shall. "Give them back Ra'shall. He needs to be able to see," she said sternly.

"Geez, Katla I know," the feline responded. He handed the glasses back to the young man before heading up to the doors.

…

Their trip outside was short. There was nothing but old ruins out there. No safe path down and nothing of value.

Katla bid Esbern and Delphine goodbye as they passed the two persons that Harry had noticed the day before. "They are Blades," she told him. "During times of need they have served the Dragonborn as dragon hunters. Right now they are helping us figure out how we're supposed to kill Alduin the Lord of Dragons. He's trying to reclaim ownership of these lands by raising dragons from the dead."

"What are Dragonborn?" Harry asked. The term seemed familiar to him somehow.

"Dragonborn are individuals born with dragon blood running through their veins. They are capable of absorbing dragon's souls when they kill them which happens to be the only way to permanently kill a dragon," Katla explained. "It still sounds a bit unbelievable to me, and I'm supposed to be one."

Harry nodded slowly as he processed what he'd been told. The sky above was lighting up slowly. Day was dawning. "So basically you are the only one who can kill the dragons and everyone is pressuring you to do it," he said after a while. He looked up at the warrior.

Soft laughter passed through Katla's lips. "Something along those lines," she said. "I don't really mind though. At least as long as people leave me alone in general, and it's not like people just know that I'm Dragonborn when I show up. Most just think I'm another mercenary."

"That's nice I guess," Harry said. "People can get so annoying when they know you're 'different'."

Katla smiled down at the boy. "You sound like you have personal experience," she said.

The raven nodded. "I was sort of famous for something I had nothing to do with, and people where I come from hound me because of it," he said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Katla asked.

Harry shook his head. He didn't, at least not yet. Maybe he would trust them with that later.

They had finally made it out of the caves and were standing above the Forsworn camp once more. In the east the sun was slowly making its way up over the mountains. The sky was nearly cloudless which held promises for a beautiful day. Faint tickles of smoke still rose from the fires that the Forsworn had kept going.

Harry moved up closer to Katla as they walked down the stone steps and passed by several dead bodies. The woman lifted an arm and placed it against his back reassuringly. "We need to head west from here. The closest way would be to walk around this island to the south," she said.

"I'll scout ahead," Ra'shall said before he started running. He was going to make sure that there was nothing in their path that could hurt the child.

"How does it not bother you?" Harry asked as they passed another dead body. The very sight of the man's unseeing eyes made his stomach turn.

Katla looked over at the Forsworn. She tried to figure out the best way to answer the boy before opening her mouth. "You get used to it eventually," she said. "That isn't necessarily a good thing, but out here the general rule is that the strongest or most adaptable survives." She helped the raven down on the river bank next to her. "If you want to live a life without that your best bet is to live in a city. Death is a natural part of life. Out here everyone knows that. If we could have talked to those people to get access to the temple we would have, but the Forsworn pretty much attack anyone who gets close to them and isn't one of them."

The raven nodded slowly. "I understand the fight to survive mentality, I guess," he said. "I've sort of done that myself." His eyes travelled over the slowly flowing river next to them. He was wondering why he'd ended up where he was. Katla was nice and Ra'shall was … well he wasn't sure what to think. But there had to be a reason. Right? He couldn't have just been pulled away from Hogwarts for no reason.

They kept walking in silence.

Amber eyes made sure that Ra'shall hadn't missed anything that might be dangerous. The feline himself was waiting for them by a set of twin bridges leading over the river. "The road on the other side leads to Markarth," he said. He looked down at the raven. "How are you doing kid?" he asked.

"I'm alright," Harry said and he was. Sure he could feel the strain in his legs from walking, but it wasn't that bad.

The feline nodded. "It's a long way to go. You think you'll be O.K.?"

"He'll be fine and if he gets tired we'll rest. It's not like we're in any hurry," Katla said not liking the man's tone.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "Sheesh woman calm down I was just asking," he said.

The brunette tilted her head to the side slightly and smiled sweetly at the man. "What was that dear? I didn't quite catch what you were saying," she said innocently.

Ra'shall took a step back. "Hee, nothing Katla. Nothing at all," he said nervously. He might be a lying cutthroat, who could sneak up on almost anyone, but Katla was not so easily dealt with. And she scared the fur off him. He turned around quickly, fast determined to just keep going and led the group over the bridges.

They passed a cascading waterfall. Harry half smiled half grimaced as the mist created by the fall swept over him. It was beautiful.

The road started inclining and their pace slowed. The raven wasn't used to walking around like they were. He was starting to really feel it now. He didn't stop though. There were a lot of people that had called him stubborn before now, and he wasn't about to change that because of some hill.

They came upon another road sign. The path they had been walking on had slowly been turning northwards but the sign that read Markarth pointed to the left.

"It isn't much further now," Ra'shall said. "Just up this hill and then it's pretty much flat until we get to the stables." He turned his gaze to Katla. "Is there anything we need from the city? Should I go on ahead and get some stuff?" he asked.

The brunette considered it for a moment. "We could do with some food for the journey, and Harry really needs some warmer clothes. He'll freeze when we travel up to High Hrothgar otherwise," she said.

"Sure. I'll fix that," Ra'shall said before heading off.

One set of amber and one set of green eyes followed the Khajiit as he moved on ahead of them swiftly.

"He's insane," Harry groaned. "How does he keep going like that?"

Katla laughed good-heartedly. "Years of travelling by foot. To him and to me it is second nature. You keep much healthier that way," she said. Then her gaze softened. "I'm not surprised you are having trouble though. You're way too thin," she said.

"Yeah, so I've heard," Harry said. People tended to comment on his small size. No one ever seemed to really care about helping him fix it though. He was hoping that things would be different with Katla. Maybe she would actually do more than just talk.

Slowly but surely the two of them made their way up to the city. Katla walked over to a man standing by a sturdy carriage. She spoke with him for a few minutes before looking back at the raven. "Come over here, dear!" she called.

Harry moved up to her uncertainly. There were more people around there, and the city ahead was huge. He felt so out of place. The fact that nothing looked like he was used to also played in. The place looked medieval. Where had he ended up really?

"Here we go," Katla said as she grabbed him and lifted him up into the carriage before climbing up herself. "Now we're just waiting for Ra'shall."

Harry nodded. He looked back up at the thick walls of the city. He was desperately trying to remember what had actually happened. Why had he gone to meet up with Hagrid? What had they done? Maybe it was all just some sort of elaborate dream. He didn't really believe that though. Was he going to lose his magic because he wasn't around for the tasks in the tournament? It had sounded like that would happen if he didn't participate. What was going to happen to him now?

Soon enough the golden doors to the city opened and the feline man slipped outside.

"Let's hope he didn't get caught stealing something. That is always troublesome," the brunette said quietly so only Harry could hear her.

"He does that?" the raven asked. What kind of people had he ended up with? A warrior and a thief. Were they good or bad? _'Isn't that very unreliable,'_ he thought. Good or bad was really subjective. He guessed he would see with time.

"A lot," Katla answered. "That is actually how we met." She turned to the coachman as Ra'shall climbed up into the carriage. "We're all here now. You can leave at your leisure," she told him. Turning back to the raven she started telling the rather interesting story of how she'd first met the thieving Khajiit.

.

.

Somewhere half way through the journey Harry had fallen asleep with his head in Katla's lap. The brunette had taken her gauntlets off at the start of the ride and had to and fro been running her fingers through the boy's raven locks.

Night was falling as they came upon Falkreath. There was an entire gathering of guards by the gate. Katla turned to her companion. "Please don't tell me they are waiting for you," she said.

"I have nothing whatsoever to do with that mess," Ra'shall defended himself.

The sudden break in silence had the teen in Katla's lap moving. He sat up slowly and yawned wide. "What's going on?" he asked tiredly.

"I have no clue," Katla said. "But we are about to find out." She moved down from the carriage and held her arms out to help the teen down.

One of the guards came walking up to them. He kept looking left and right as if searching for something. "Have you seen a dog?" he asked.

"No, some wolves in the distance but no dog. I'm sorry," Katla said.

The guard sighed. "It belongs to an old friend of mine," he said. "He is offering a reward for the person who finds it."

"We'll keep our eyes open," she promised.

The guard nodded. "He'll appreciate that ma'am," he said.

"Insane," Ra'shall muttered as the man moved away. "Who wants to have a dog?"

Harry giggled softly. He wasn't surprised that the feline man didn't like dogs. It would surprise him even less if dogs didn't have the best reaction to him. He held Katla's hand as the woman led them into the city. It was a strange feeling. He'd never had the opportunity before. It was really comforting to know that she was right there beside him.

As he understood it, they would be spending the night in the city before travelling to the adults' home. Falkreath was nothing like Markarth. The big stone city with its high walls had felt intimidating and dangerous. Falkreath looked more like someone had bunched a couple of houses together and then built a wall around them because it seemed like a good idea. They entered the Dead Man's Drink – an odd name for an inn.

A woman greeted them as they entered. She didn't make the raven feel any better about the place. He wondered if all inns in Skyrim were the same or if this one was just among the worst. Loud dirty men and scantly clad women moved around. Most of them had goblets filled with mead and were drinking merrily.

"Do you mind sharing a room with me tonight?" Katla asked him quietly. "I don't want you to be alone around here, and I'm getting the feeling you would feel safer with me than Ra'shall."

The raven's cheeks burned red as his eyes widened. He really wasn't sure that was such a good idea. Though, he really didn't like the idea of being alone either and sharing with Ra'shall was just… he shuddered. He didn't know what to say. Being offered safety and comfort was not something he was used to.

"Don't worry we'll be fully clothed," Katla said with just the hint of a laughter in her voice.

Harry bit his bottom lip and nodded embarrassed. He hadn't even thought about her naked until she had said that. That hadn't been what had been holding him back before. He didn't even know how to voice the problem to himself. He would just let her decide what to do for now. He didn't feel brave enough to make any kind of comment.

Katla moved up to the innkeeper swiftly and ordered a room and some food. She led the young man next to her away from the general crowd as fast as she could. There were a couple of questionable men around that evening. She wouldn't trust them as far as she could throw them and even that was generous. She grabbed the door and closed it before she started pulling at the straps that kept her armour in place. A set of much smaller hands joined hers as Harry came up to help her. There were some straps that were just really difficult to deal with on your own. "Thank you dear," she said gratefully before she grabbed the breastplate and pulled the armour over her head.

The armour clattered as it fell to the floor. "Stupid thing," the brunette muttered as she grabbed the armour and moved it so it wouldn't be in their way. She sat down on the bed heavily before starting to work on her boots.

There was a knock on the door.

"Can you let her in please Harry?" she asked as she managed to pull a boot off.

The raven moved over to the door and opened it up. There was a lightly clad brunette on the other side. She carried a platter filled with food. The raven moved out of her way and let her into the room. The food smelled good at least.

Katla thanked the girl and gave her a few coins. She'd finally managed to get out of the stupid armour. Sure, she wouldn't feel complete without it when they were out there travelling. That didn't mean that she liked wearing the stupid thing in cities. "Come here dear, eat before it gets cold. You need every last bite. We can have a bit of a sleep in tomorrow. We're just going home after all," she said as she picked up a grilled leek and bit into it.

Harry sat down on the other side of the table and grabbed a fork before attacking a chicken breast. One thing was for sure. Walking around raised his appetite something crazy.

They ate in comfortable silence. Well as silent as they could be. The noise made outside the room did make it inside, and the people out there were quite loud.

Once done with dinner the two of them retired to the bed after Katla had moved around the room putting candles out. Harry curled together in the thick furs covering the bed. The part of him that had been wondering since the previous day if this wasn't all just a dream finally had to give up. He had somehow been transported from Earth to Skyrim. How, he did not know. Why, he had no clue. He shifted to his side and looked up at Katla. The woman smiled down at him. "Just try not to think about them and you should fall asleep in no time," she said softly.

Harry nodded slowly. There were so many questions whirling around inside his head that he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep even if it was dead quiet.

Eventually he decided to just go with the flow. Worrying about how he'd ended up in Skyrim wouldn't give him any answers. Hopefully he would figure things out eventually. His biggest worry was that he would lose his magic. Then again maybe he could learn other ways of defending himself. Katla and Ra'shall both used weapons after all. Green eyes blinked closed. His breathing evened out.

Next to him Katla turned and started up in the ceiling. She hated inns. People just never shut up in them. _'I do wonder if you aren't a Dragonborn young one,'_ she thought as she looked down at the raven. _'It would explain at least a few things.'_

* * *

 _9th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Tirdas_

Harry sat up in bed slowly. He reached out and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table. He was alone in the room. _'Wonder where Katla went?'_ he thought. He really hoped that they hadn't left him all alone. Looking down at himself, he realised that he was still wearing his school uniform. As he understood it, Ra'shall had bought him clothes, but since they hadn't really had any good chance to clean up yet, he hadn't been given them to wear. There was a soft knock on the door. "Are you awake Harry?" the voice was male.

"Yes," the raven answered in relief. That had to be Ra'shall which meant that he hadn't been abandoned. He moved off the bed as the door opened. He noticed that Katla's armour was gone as well as the woman as he placed his feet on the floor. Ra'shall walked into the room with some breakfast on a tray. "You should eat all of that," he said. "We'll be leaving as soon as Katla returns."

Harry looked up at the feline confuse. "Where is she?" he asked.

Ra'shall shrugged. "On her way back from the Manor probably. She left rather early this morning. Inns never really let her sleep, and she wanted to buy some things from the blacksmith. Carrying ore or metal or whatever it is she wants is tough with the armour on. She'll also have cleared the way for us so there won't be anything that thinks young boys are yummy out there," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. He'd met plenty of huge rather monstrous creatures that wanted to eat him. He was still around despite that. Whatever they had around here couldn't be worse than the Cerberus they had hidden in the school during his first year or the Basilisk that had been crawling around the pipes his second. He was way more afraid of being left all alone then he was of some monstrous creatures. He ate his breakfast quickly before leaving the inn with Ra'shall.

The Khajiit had been right. They did find Katla by the blacksmith's. She was bartering with him when they got there. "That is ridiculous," she said. "I will pay you fifty a piece no more. Don't even consider swindling me by giving me that half done stuff either."

"You should have kept your armour, Katla," Ra'shall said. "He wouldn't even attempt tricking you if you had."

The blacksmith looked up at the woman before him. "You are Katla?" he said. He looked a bit apprehensive. Harry wondered why he was reacting like that. What had Katla done to instil that kind of reaction in the man?

"Yes," the brunette said kindly. "I am Katla."

The blacksmith looked down at the ingots that she wanted to buy. "Fifty a piece sounds good," he said no longer interested in earning extra money from this woman. He had heard what she was capable off. Nord or not he wasn't about to make her irritated with him. He accepted the gold as it was placed out before him. "Go ahead and take what you need," he said. He'd rather the woman and her companions left as soon as possible.

"You shouldn't have paid that much for them," Ra'shall said as they walked out of town. "Fifty was far too much."

"You wouldn't have thought that if you'd heard what he was demanding for them to begin with," Katla said. "I'm good at haggling but not _that_ good." She looked down at Harry. "Are you up for carrying some of this?" she asked him. The raven nodded and she grabbed a piece of cloth that was quickly made into a makeshift shoulder bag for him. She placed it over his head before lifting one of the orange bars of metal up. "You have to tell me when it's getting heavy," she said as she placed the bar into his bag.

Harry shifted a bit as the third bar was placed into the shoulder bag. He wasn't sure how far they'd be walking so he didn't actually know how much he could take. "I see that's enough, huh?" Katla said before she kneeled down and gathered the rest of the ingots up in two different bags so she could carry them.

…

They had gone some ways up the road leaving Falkreath behind when they came upon a gray skinned person with a big underbite and long fang-like teeth. "You look weary travellers. I have something that could help you relax," the person said in a rough voice.

Katla placed an arm around Harry and moved him away from the person as Ra'shall said, "We have no need for your moon sugar, woman. Take that poisonous dust and go elsewhere." They didn't stick around to hear what else she had to say.

Harry looked back over his shoulder at her.

"Don't pay attention to people like that, dear," Katla said softly.

"Why does she look like that?" the raven asked hoping that they wouldn't get angry with him.

"Hmm, what do you mean dear," the brunette asked a bit confused.

"She's an Orc they all look pretty much like that," Ra'shall said from in front of them. He looked over his shoulder. "You've never seen an Orc either I take it. Just like Khajiit they are one of the races of Tamriel. Most of them live in High Rock to the west but they have holds here in Skyrim as well. When we get home I'll show you a map. Someone has to teach you about the world."

"It's not my fault I don't know anything about this place," the raven muttered. He wanted to learn of course but the tone that the feline man used with him wasn't very nice. His eyes turned to the tall trees on either side of the cobblestone road they were walking on. There were flowers growing by the wayside. "Mountain flowers," Katla said as Harry picked one of the purple flowers up. Its petals grew asymmetrically and looked a lot like feathers. The flower smelled sweet.

As they continued along the road, Harry could see big boulders much darker than the rest of the stone around them spread out over the road. He could feel Katla's hand landing on his shoulder. "Let's wait here while Ra'shall checks this place out. It is a good spot for an ambush even if the trap has been triggered already," she said. They watched as the Khajiit disappeared up along the side of one of the cliffs lining the road. It didn't take him long to appear on top of the bridge that hung suspended between the two cliffs. He waved them forward. The place was empty. Katla had foreseen that since she'd been by the area already. She hadn't used the road though.

Harry was breathing heavily as they finally made it up another hill. Why was this place so full of hills? Up and down, couldn't it just be straight for once. He looked up and saw a small house out of the corner of his eye. He bit his lip. He didn't want to come across as whiny but he really wasn't sure how much longer he could go on. "How much further until we reach the Manor?" he asked.

Katla smiled down at him. She reached out and ran a hand through his sweaty locks. "We're going off the road here, and the house is just up past the next hill. You'll be able to see it soon," she said reassuringly. "Do you want me to take those?" she asked as she pointed down at the bag he was carrying.

The raven shook his head. "I can get them to the house if it isn't much further," he said. He didn't want to give her even more to carry. He'd seen how many ingots she had packed down into her bags before they left. He didn't want to seem useless. As far as he could help he would. Maybe they would let him stick around if he helped them.

They passed a small pool of water. Ra'shall was standing a bit further up the hill holding some sort of long black things. "What do you say about crab for lunch?" he asked.

Katla smiled. "That sounds good," she said and the feline nodded before he moved on ahead.

"Why wasn't Ra'shall carrying anything?" Harry asked curiously. His eyes fell on the corner of a building. That had to be it. It wasn't far at all.

"If we had met bandits or something similar it would have been really stupid if all of us were weighed down with things. I can rid myself of these pretty easily, but it would still have given others an advantage I'm not willing to give them," Katla said. "Ra'shall's job was to keep us safe." She dropped her bags down by a sturdy looking wooden bench before she reached out and freed the raven from his burden. "This is Lakeview Manor," she said proudly. "We're still working on it, but it's liveable these days. We even have an extra bedroom so you can have your own spot."

Harry looked over at her as she piled the ingots up next to the worktable. He bit his lip before asking something that had been going through his head since the day before, "Why? … why are you being so nice and…" He didn't quite know how to word it. He was being taken care off. The Dursleys had never cared as much as Katla and even Ra'shall were doing. He was even going to be given a room of his own, and he'd only known them for two days.

Katla was smiling softly as she looked back up at him. "There is something about you…" she said. "Something that makes me think you're safer with us than anywhere else. Ra'shall and I try to help every child in need we come across. But… do you remember the first day me met. You collapsed?"

Harry nodded. He could remember.

"You said something… in dragon-tongue. There are only a few people I know who can actually speak dragon-tongue. I only know a couple of words myself," she said. "I'm wondering if you aren't Dragonborn, **_Dovahkiin_**."

Harry looked down at his hands. "I heard a voice before I …collapsed," he said. "It was speaking in a language I didn't understand, but it said that word… **_Dovahkiin_**."

"Can you remember exactly what it said?" Katla asked.

"I think so… why?"

"Once we leave here again we're going to travel to High Hrothgar and meet with the Greybeards. They can speak dragon-tongue. They could probably translate what you were told for you."

Harry looked up at the woman wide eyed. "You think so?" he asked. Then maybe he would find out how he had ended up in Skyrim.

Katla nodded. "I remember what you said when I picked you up, and I was planning on asking them about that," she said. "Come one let's go inside." She reached out for him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I think we should take a trip to Lake Ilinalta after lunch. We could all use a bath," she said as she smelled the general muck and sweat that was sticking to him. She could imagine that she didn't smell too good herself either. Wearing full body armour tended to do that to you.

Harry raised an eyebrow as he walked into what he'd expect to be the entrance hall. There was a bed standing there. "Someone sleeps out here?" he asked disbelievingly. Hadn't she said they had an extra bedroom?

Katla's laughter was clear as it rang through the room. It took her a little while to calm down. "Oh, honey that tone," she said still laughing. "This used to be all there was to the house before we started expanding it," she explained. "When we made it bigger Ra'shall decided he'd rather stay down here. He's a bit paranoid, and the upper floor makes him nervous for some reason. My bedroom is up there and so is the one you'll stay in."

"Oh, O.K." Harry said. He guessed that Ra'shall could do whatever he wanted. He was glad as long as he wasn't in the way. He would have felt really guilty if he'd kicked the feline-man out of his own room.

They had moved through the first room and into a dining hall with a long table that was big enough to seat ten persons easily. There were only four chairs though. The raven guessed they didn't see any point in having more chairs than that when they weren't likely to ever have a big amount of people over. Half the table seemed to be used for maps. There were several covering the dark wood.

"Go through that door and turn right; there is a washbasin in there. You need to wash you hands before we eat," Katla said. She was pointing to the right ride of the room. "Will you tell Ra'shall I'll be right down to help him, please. I just need to drop these off." She held the cloth they had used to carry the bars of metal home in.

"Sure," Harry said as he walked through the door she'd been pointing at earlier. Ra'shall was in there by a huge open fireplace. He was staring into the flames. "Katla said she'd come help you in a second," the raven said softly. He wondered if there was anything he could do to help. He didn't want to be a burden.

The feline man looked up at him and nodded. "Good, good," he said before his eyes moved back to the fire.

Harry walked over to the filled washbasin and quickly rinsed his hands off. He turned back to the feline-man a bit unsure of what he was supposed to do now.

"Here Harry," Katla said as she came walking into the room. "All washed up?" He nodded. "Then you can set the table. Goblets are kept here and plates here. Cutlery is kept over in that drawer over there," she said as she showed him around. Then she walked past him so she could wash up as well. "Were doing steamed mudcrab legs and …?" she asked.

"And garlic bread and some grilled vegetables," Ra'shall filled in.

"Sounds lovely," the brunette said as she walked up to him. She sniffed the air. "The bread should be done soon, yeah?" she said.

The feline man nodded. "Any minute now," he said.

"I'll deal with that then… I was thinking we'll go to Ilinalta after we've eaten. None of us smell like roses," Katla said she hunched down in front of the oven and looked inside. The bread looked golden. Grabbing the peel, she moved back so she could bring the warm bread out. "Harry!" she called glad that the place wasn't so big that he wouldn't hear her even if he'd disappeared upstairs. It didn't take the boy long to show up. "Yes," he said. "Can you grab a bread basket from over there and bring it here so we can put these in it," she asked.

The raven nodded as he walked over to one of the counters. The baskets were too high up for him to just pick one down.

"Here." A dark furred arm stretched out over his head and picked a basket down.

Harry looked back at Ra'shall. "Thank you," he said as he accepted the basket. He walked back to Katla and held it out so she could fill it with crispy golden-brown bread. Once all the bread was in the basket he carried it out to the kitchen table. His stomach rumbled hungrily.

"You can sit down," Katla said as she came out of the kitchen carrying a serving platter filled with roasted vegetables. She walked back into the kitchen and picked up a couple of bottles of Honningbrew Mead. The low alcohol content wouldn't harm the boy, and they didn't have any water that was fit for drinking right now. She'd have to remind Ra'shall of fixing that later. Walking back out into the dinning room, she smiled at Harry where he'd sat down. The boy was a puzzle. Sometimes he was open and energetic and even a bit cheeky, and then there were times like this when he looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. He was shy and detached like his mind was somewhere else. The way he was acting sometimes made her wonder what he'd been through.

Green eyes looked up at the brunette. She had stopped walking and was just standing a couple of feet away from the table. Her eyes were clouded like she was thinking about something. "Is everything alright?" Harry asked carefully. He hoped that she hadn't changed her mind about him.

Amber eyes refocused. A smile spread over Katla's lips. "Yes, dear everything is fine. Just got lost in thought that's all," she said as she placed the bottles down on the table. She sat down as Ra'shall walked into the room carrying another plate. He placed it down and looked at the seats. "You know what? Why don't I sit on the end of the table so we all are placed together," he said before walking over and grabbing one of the chairs. Katla grabbed his plate and goblet and placed them down where he'd decided to sit.

"Garlic bread?" she asked as she held the basket out to Harry.

"Thank you," the raven responded as he took a piece of bread. He placed it down on his plate before grabbing some vegetables. It all smelled really good. Ra'shall placed some kind of crustacean on his plate. "It's good," the man said as he noticed the raven's facial expression.

Harry grabbed his fork and reached out toward the reddish legs.

"Wait a bit and then eat them by hand. It's much easier," Katla said. She picked a crab leg up herself and broke it apart with her hands. Soft white meat became visible and she ate it easily.

"Stone skin," Ra'shall muttered. "Almost nothing actually burns her it's really annoying," he whispered to Harry. He looked back at Katla and his ears moved back. She was giving him one of those looks. Lowering his gaze, he went back to his food. He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence.

Harry's mind was whirling again. Had he just become a member of a somewhat dysfunctional family? Or was he just a stranger looking in. They seemed to want to include him. It left him feeling a warmth in his chest that he'd never felt before.

"What do we do with the dishes?" he asked once they had finished. There was no food left on the plates - only crumbs. He was full. The crab had been way better than he'd first thought.

"We'll take them with us to the lake and wash them off there," Katla answered. She moved through a door and came back with a big basket. "Place everything in here, will you. I'm going to gather some clothes and towels together, and then we can leave. We want to get there before it gets too late. Even this far south the nights are rather chill especially this time of year," she said before she disappeared upstairs.

When she came back downstairs the basket was filled and there was nothing left on the table. She smiled at the raven-haired boy. "Good," she said. "Ra'shall we're leaving now!" she called out.

The feline man showed up with a knife in one hand and a bag in the other. "It's his clothes," he said as he handed the bag to Katla. "I should head out and make sure that the shore is clear. There are some measly necromancers that like to hang out down there," he said.

Katla nodded. "Try not to kill them. We don't need corpses lying around down there," she said. It was so near their home that she didn't want the dead stench anywhere near the place. It worked well enough when there were animals around that would eat the bodies, but she didn't really want to get into that with young Harry there.

"Sure whatever I'll just scare them away," Ra'shall said with a wave of his hand as he walked out through the front door. He made his way down towards the lake swiftly. Just like he'd expected there was a young lady walking around by an old ritual table down there. Figuring that the easiest way to deal with her was to administer some fear poison, which wouldn't hurt her just make her scared of anything and everything, he picked a small black vial out of a pouch by his belt. He uncorked it and sneaked up behind the woman before he poured the liquid over her. It wouldn't be quite as potent that way but considering how good he was at Alchemy it wouldn't be a problem. He moved back a bit, waited for a few seconds, and then he reached out and grabbed her, "Buh."

The woman screamed as she started running away from him terrified.

Ra'shall laughed. That was always fun to do and not nearly as messy as killing people. He continued down to the water edge and moved over to a more secluded area where a big tree and some parts of an ancient wall stood between the road and the shore. Not that he himself cared if people saw him really, but it did mean that there was less of a risk of losing your things to passersby. That and… he was pretty sure that the little Breton wouldn't like the idea of people seeing him. Heck, the boy probably wouldn't be comfortable with them seeing him.

He grabbed his belt and started undressing. He might as well get into the water. He could always scout for Slaughterfish. It wouldn't do to have Harry bitten by one of those.

He let his mind wander as he waded out into the cool water. A big part of him was seriously questioning the idea of bringing the boy they had found with them. Children died in the wilds of Skyrim. _'Sure we can protect him but still. He'd be better off in a city,'_ he thought. He knew Katla wouldn't change her mind though. She'd even given the boy a nickname in dragon-tongue. She only did that with people she really cared about. And she'd known the boy for two days… TWO. He stood up and shook water out of his fur. _'O.K. so the kid might be Dragonborn. That would make two of them,'_ he thought. He knew that Katla felt a bit lonely in a way. The Greybeards weren't that good company, and they were the only other people who knew anything about how she felt.

Teal eyes travelled over the hills leading up to the house. He could see Katla and Harry now. The two of them were making their way through the trees that grew beneath their house. He studied the raven for a moment. He might not think this was such a good idea, but that wouldn't stop him from teaching the boy how to defend himself. He somehow doubted that the kid would ever grow big enough to handle the battleaxes and greatswords that Katla used, but a one handed weapon should work just fine for him. And that … was his area of expertise.

"Any trouble?" Katla asked as she and Harry got close enough to the feline-man not to have to shout.

"There was a magic user of some sort over by the altar. I used some poison and scared her off," Ra'shall answered. He moved up towards the shore slowly and reached out for the dishes' basket. "I can deal with that," he said. He took the basket and moved away some before he sat down. He made sure that the water wasn't flowing towards Katla and Harry. They didn't need food scraps to come floating by while they were cleaning up.

Harry looked down at the water. He knew why they were there, but he wasn't sure he felt comfortable dressing off with the two adults there – especially Katla. He'd shared a bathroom with four other boys for a little over three years after all so he was used to other people being around. But, those people had not been thirty-year-old warrior women.

He shuffled his feet and looked up instinctively as Katla stepped into the water. His cheeks burned. Her long brown hair covered most of her back, but it was still obviously clear that she was naked. She waded out to a couple of small islands, walked over them, and disappeared on the other side. The water had to be deeper over there.

"You should get cleaned up," Ra'shall said calmly. "Katla will stay away if that's what you need, but it really would be better if you got used to us at least. There is no reason for you to fear us seeing you naked. We aren't going to judge you. I know it won't happen right now. I doubt you trust us enough to be that comfortable. But you need to give us a chance. We're fine with you testing us. Whatever it is that you have been through before this…"

Harry bit his lip. They would see the scars if he took his clothes off. He might as well… "They beat me," he said quietly. "Not often. Mostly they just wouldn't let me have any food when they got angry, but sometimes…" He looked down at his hands. "When I used magic around them, they would beat me."

Ra'shall's ears had moved back over his head. Child abuse wasn't something he forgave. He'd dealt with more than one person who had done that kind of thing. He could understand the boy's behaviour a bit better now. If he was used to getting punished for doing something that the grown-ups around him didn't like, it wasn't that strange that he was so apprehensive. It would also make it harder for him and Katla to actually get close to the boy. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "Can I let Katla know? She won't be happy about it, and it might be better if she hears it from me right now. She really cares about you so her reaction might be violent. I don't want you to get scared of her," he said.

Harry was shocked, pleasantly so, by the fact that Ra'shall actually asked him if it was alright for him to tell Katla. Most people would just have run off and told stuff 'for his own good' without thinking about how that made him feel. He nodded slowly. He didn't want to see Katla angry. At least not right now. He wasn't sure himself if he'd be able to connect that it wasn't him she was angry at. "You can tell her," he said. He reached down and pulled his shirt off. It really was time for him to get washed up.

"Good," Ra'shall said. He let his eyes move over the boy's torso while trying his best not to be obvious about it. He could see thin scars. "I can also make sure she won't ask questions you aren't ready to answer yet," he said. "Keep her off you back."

Harry actually chuckled at that. He shuddered as he stepped into the water. It was cold. He waded out until he could sit down so the water covered him. He dipped his head down beneath the water surface. _'Cold,'_ he thought. Ra'shall was standing next to him when he'd wiped the water out of his eyes. The feline-man held out a small white bottle. "It'll help you get clean," he said. Harry blinked a few times so he wouldn't get water in his eyes as he reached out for the bottle. "Thank you," he said. His eyes followed the man as he walked out to deeper water.

The bottle opened with a, pop! He poured the lavender smelling substance out in one hand before closing the bottle once more. He let it sink to the lakebed as he moved his hands up to spread the soap-like cream through his hair. He wasn't sure if it had been smart to tell the Khajiit about how he'd been treated by the Dursleys, but the man had seemed to believe him. _'Of course they did tell me they were good at telling when someone lies to them,'_ he thought. He ducked his head back down below the water surface so he could rinse the soap out. _'Either way there is nothing they can do about it,'_ he thought. He'd taken a quick look at the maps lying on the dinner table and nothing had been familiar to him. Had he somehow been transported to another world?

He grabbed the bottle of soap and stood up. _'What were the chances of me ending up somewhere where they speak English in that case?'_ he wondered. There was of course the possibility that they weren't speaking English, but in that case he had learnt a language he'd known nothing about just by coming there. How was that possible?

 _'_ _Magic,'_ he answered his own question. Magic could do a lot of things that weren't logical. Maybe it had something to do with that strange scroll. He shook his head. Either way talking to those Greybeards seemed like a good idea. Hopefully they could spread some light on what had happened. He sat back down in the water and cleaned the soap off his body.

One thing was certain. He would be busy the following couple of days. Katla wanted to teach him how to use a bow, and she had said something about swords and Ra'shall.

"Can you pass me the white bottle please, dear," Katla asked.

Harry turned around without thinking and handed her the bottle. Then his eyes and brain caught up with him. A bright blush spread over his cheeks. Katla wasn't wearing anything… she had really nice boo… _'Shit, get your head out of the gutter,'_ he thought as he turned away from her.

A clear bell-like laughter rang through the air.


	3. Archery and Knowledge

**Archery and Knowledge**

 _10th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Middas_

Harry yawned as he sat up in bed. He had no idea what time it was but judging from the noise that came from downstairs, it was probably time to get up. He moved his legs out of bed while yawning once more. Reaching out, he grabbed the dark-blue tunic he'd been handed the day before off a chair he'd pulled up next to the bed. He'd rather put his clothes on a chair then throw them on the floor.

He stood up slowly stretching his body. His muscles ached from all the moving around he had been doing lately. _'What are you doing really, Harry?'_ he asked himself. He had ended up in another world where he'd met two persons who actually seemed to care about him. Unlike his so called family back on Earth, Katla and Ra'shall did not only care about his physical health but also his emotional and mental health. No one else that he'd ever met with exception of possibly Sirius and maybe even Remus had ever cared about him like that. Neither man had been able to actually help him in the long run though. Sirius was a convict and Remus a werewolf. Both had problems that meant they'd left him alone. Now, he had two grown-ups that hopefully wouldn't leave him.

He'd gone to sleep in his pants so he'd started heading out of the room while running his fingers through his hair, deep in thought. He went down the wooden staircase that would take him to the dining room.

Ra'shall was sitting by the dinner table. He was eating. As the raven walked up to the table, he looked up. "Good morning," he said then he pointed to the different jars on the table. "Have some breakfast… there's butter and honey and we've got milk today. Dora wasn't too happy with us for being gone for as long as we were."

Harry sat down before reaching out for the jug of milk. "Dora?" he said questioningly.

Ra'shall nodded. "She's our cow. Katla milked her this morning," he said. His eye fell back down on the book he was reading. He finished the page he was on before placing it aside. He watched as the little raven grabbed a piece of bread. The boy moved on his chair so he could see what was in the different jars on the table. His brow wrinkled as he tilted his head. Ra'shall chuckled as he reached out and pointed at the different things naming them, "Apple butter, normal butter, honey and juniper jam." He moved back in his seat. "We had uncooked juniper berry preserve with the pheasant yesterday," he informed the teen.

A light went up for Harry. The berry guck they had eaten the day before had been juniper berries. He'd never had anything like it before. That didn't mean that the stuff wasn't good though. He smiled as he smeared jam over a piece of bread. Then he looked up at Ra'shall with a contemplative expression. "Where is Katla?" he asked.

The feline man shrugged. "She said something about making a training bow before she disappeared earlier. She'll be back soon enough," he said unconcerned.

Harry nodded as he bit into the freshly baked bread. He hummed happily as he tasted the sweet sour mix of the jam. Reaching out, he grabbed his goblet of milk and took a sip. Now that was different. He'd never had milk directly from a cow before. It made him wonder what they did to milk back on Earth. For some odd reason he didn't think of the place as home… it could be because it had never felt that way to him. There was nothing on Earth that made it home to him. His second sandwich disappeared as quickly as the first before he helped Ra'shall clear the table.

"Ready to learn some geography?" the feline-man asked. "We might be able to figure out where you're from." He grabbed a chair and pulled it towards the other end of the table were the maps lay.

Harry bit his bottom lip. Maybe he should tell the guy… He knew trust was a two way street after all. "I don't think I am from this planet," he said. He knew how insane that sounded. None the less it was the truth. He almost expected the feline-man to get angry or at least irritated with him for spouting such nonsense, but Ra'shall just looked at him questioningly. "What makes you think that?" he asked.

Harry pulled in a deep breath. He'd come to the conclusion the night before. Up until then it had simply been a speculation on his part since he'd never heard of Skyrim or High Rock before. "Well first off where I'm from there's only one moon," he said. He moved up to the chair that stood opposite of the feline. "And the stars are different… there are much more of them here," he said as he sat down. Then he reached out and grabbed the map over Tamriel. "And this place. I've never seen or heard of it before, and I know basically what my home planet looks like," he said. He lowered his head. "A lot of stuff around here is similar to back on Earth, but as far as I know, there are no Elves or Orcs or Khajiit back home. And magic is something only a few of us even know about. I was scared that the two of you would freak out when I first performed magic because that is the general reaction you would get back on Earth… before you ended up in trouble that is." His gaze was lowered. He wasn't sure if Ra'shall would believe him or not.

A sigh escaped the man as he leaned back in his chair. He studied the young Breton, because he was still rather certain that is what the boy was, in front of him. The kid wasn't lying he knew that. He honestly believed what he said to be true. It didn't necessarily mean that it was of course… but it was all just a little too much for it to be make-believe of some sort. It wouldn't surprise him if the boy had far more details to tell about the place he was from then what he'd told so far. He reached up and ran a hand through the thicker fur on his head. "Let's assume that what you're saying is the truth no matter how insane it sounds," he said. "Then how did you end up here?"

Harry looked down at his hands. That response was better than he could have hoped for. He would have been seriously suspicious if the man had simply accepted what he said. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe it has something to do with the dragons…" His brow furrowed, "and the strange scroll." He stood up quickly and ran upstairs. The scroll lay on top of a cupboard in his room. He grabbed it quickly before going back downstairs. As he walked up to the table, he pulled the scroll open. There was a diagram on it and a lot of strange symbols that made absolutely no sense at all as far as he was concerned. "I mean this makes no sense whatsoever," he said as he held the scroll out for Ra'shall to see.

The feline studied the scroll for a few seconds before he shook his head. "That is no language I know how to read," he said. "You and Katla have both heard some dragon-tongue. We'll just have to see what the Greybeards have to say about that," he said.

Harry nodded slowly. He sat down by the table once more and placed the scroll to the side. A lot of things would be hanging on what the Greybeards said. He wasn't sure he felt comfortable with that. He didn't really know anything about them after all.

"So," Ra'shall said as he moved the map showing the whole of Tamiriel so it was lying with the marked north towards him. "This," he pointed to the northernmost country, "is Skyrim. Originally it's the home of the Nords a hardy human race who are more resistant to cold than any other race. History tells us that they were led here by Ysgramor an Atmoran to reclaim their hard built cities from the Mer or Elves. They came from up north where they lived at first." He pointed at the map. "But the land up there is frozen solid, and the Nords have lived in Skyrim for millennia so most just see Skyrim as Nord land."

"Katla is a Nord isn't she?" Harry asked then.

Ra'shall nodded with a smirk. "That she is," he said. "You'll notice that she doesn't get cold the same way we will eventually. Even though I have fur she keeps warmth in better than me. You see Khajiit come from Elsweyr down here. It's mostly desert and thick jungle so it's much warmer than up here…"

"Are you from Elsweyr or…" Harry realised that it might be a personal question and fell silent. His hand moved up and pushed his glasses further up his nose. He didn't want to get intrusive.

Ra'shall chuckled. "Yes," he said. "I am from Elsweyr originally." He shifted in his chair and looked off to the side. "I got into some… problems back home so I left. I've travelled all over Tamriel, never staying in one place for long. Not until I met Katla. She doesn't treat us the same as most elves and humans do. To her a person is a person no matter what race they are born from. I don't know for how long I'll stay in Skyrim… maybe I'll never leave. She's like family to me…" He laughed but there was no really humour in it. "My own family wants nothing to do with me," he said. Then he shrugged. "That is not what we were talking about though," he said.

Harry shook his head. He knew what it was like to not be wanted by your own family. Though, he guessed that when Ra'shall spoke of it he meant his parents and possibly siblings. He didn't even want to consider his own parents hating him.

The feline man leaned back over the table. "Khajiit have better night vision than any other race. We are generally referred to as one of the beast-races around here which gives us a rather bad image," he said with a grimace. "There are seventeen breads of Khajiit, but since you will most likely never set foot in Elsweyr it's not really that important for you to know about them. I can tell you that I am a Cathay like most other Khajiit you will find in the north. We're also better at simple hand to hand combat than any other race mostly because we have claws."

The raven nodded. "Well that makes sense," he said. Long sharp claws would make it easier to shred things.

Ra'shall smiled at him. "Moving on from there we have Valenwood to the west. Bosmer is the main race living there; they are more commonly known as Wood Elves. They have a special connection to animals and are one of the elven races of Tamriel. Their complexion is generally darker than High Elves or Altmer who live on Summerset Isle," he said and pointed to the island west of Valenwood.

"There are several elven races?" Harry asked.

Ra'shall nodded. He raised a hand and stated ticking them off. "Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer and Orsimer," he counted up. "There are as many elven races as there are human races in Tamriel." He shifted back and looked to a window. "We should go outside. The weather is really nice," he said. He looked down at Harry. "Do you think you can remember what the map looks like? We'll just continue this outside."

Harry stood up. "Sure, that shouldn't be a problem," he said. He could always just check the map later if there was something he wasn't quite certain about. He followed the feline-man outside. The chill air hit him, but he didn't care. He could take a bit of cold.

The sun stood high in the sky. They could see Katla sitting by a nearby cliffside when they exited the house. She was bending a long piece of wood carefully.

"Hi Katla," Harry said with a small smile as he saw her. She made warmth flutter through his stomach pleasantly. He wondered briefly if his friends felt like that when they were with their mothers. He somehow doubted that Ron did. Then again he didn't actually count Ron as a friend. The redhead had lost that right when he'd let his jealousy overshadow their friendship.

The brunette looked up and a wide smile spread over her lips. "Good morning Harry," she said warmly. "Finally decided to come outside have we."

Ra'shall rolled his eyes at the playful tone. "I have been teaching him about Tamriel while you've been running around in the woods," he said as he folded his arms over his chest. He watched as the young raven sat down next to the woman. "I was telling him about Altmer when I decided we could both use some fresh air," he continued as he walked over to them and sat down. "Altmer are better suited for learning magic than most with a much bigger magicka well to draw from," he said.

Harry nodded. Then he got a thoughtful look on his face for a moment. "So anyone can learn magic here?" he asked.

"Technically yes," Katla answered. "It all depends on what you want to learn more about, really. Though, some are better suited for other things. Like I could have learned about magic if I had wanted too. But I'm not interested so it would be difficult and much less effective than if someone who was interested in learning about it tried to use it."

Ra'shall nodded. "It is the same for me," he said. "Skill sets are usually split into three trees around Tamriel. The Warrior, the Mage and the Thief. I am a Thief by definition though I dabble in the Warrior tree. Katla is a Warrior but she has skills from both the Thief and the Mage skill tree.

"Most people keep to one tree," Katla said. "I've never understood why. As long as you want to learn, you can learn from all of them."

Harry bit his bottom lip as his eyes fell down to his hands. An action he had been repeating a lot lately. He guessed he did it because he felt unsure about himself. He had the chance to become anything he wanted too here. If he was allowed to stay that was. But how… "If I would like to learn magic around here how do I go about doing it?" he asked.

Katla smiled at him. "There is a College in Winterhold that teaches magic," she said. She reached out towards the boy and ran her fingers through his hair. "But if you have the aptitude for it, you could probably learn novice spells directly from spell books." She looked over at Ra'shall. "Do we have any spellbooks lying around?" she asked him.

The feline-man looked contemplative for a moment before shaking his head. "I only have the one we picked up outside Sky Haven Temple and I think that is an adept spell." He turned to Harry. "You would need some training before you could use a spell like that," he said.

Harry nodded. "O.K." he said softly. He believed them. Magic wasn't an easy thing to learn after all. It wouldn't stop him. He wanted to learn. He hoped that it would be easier in to learn in Skyrim than it had been to learn back in Hogwarts. The school environment was so darn messy.

"We'll by some next time we get in contact with a Mage," Katla said. "I think that there is a Court Wizard in Falkreath that we could ask."

"But for now we're dealing with races," Ra'shall said pulling the raven's attention back to him. "Since I've mentioned two elven races we might as well continue with them. To the west of Skyrim lies High Rock. Orcs or Orsimer live there. We spoke about them yesterday. They are in fact an elven race. They are natives of Orsinium, but it has been sacked and rebuilt so many times that it has led to many of them disappearing off elsewhere. Orsiniun lies between Hammerfell and Skyrim but the race lives in most mountains. High Rock is one of the places where they are the most common. If enraged, they are almost impossible to kill. Their skin is thicker than most," he explained.

"You are going to confuse the boy if you explain things like that," Katla said.

Ra'shall gave her a dark look which she just shrugged off.

"It's O.K.," Harry said. He raised a hand and started counting the races Ra'shall had told him about so far off. He repeated what he had been told perfectly. With no one else around and one on one teaching it was much easier for him to learn than it had been back at Hogwarts. Of course if Binns had tried to teach him this stuff, he probably would have fallen asleep long ago. He hadn't been told that much information about the races either. He was sure that he would learn more eventually. Right now Ra'shall was simply giving him the basics.

Katla smiled and raise her hands in surrender. "Alright I consider myself defeated. You are an excellent teacher it would seem," she told Ra'shall. Then she turned to Harry. "But maybe it's time for a bit of a break from the academic stuff, so I can teach you how to handle a bow," she suggested.

Harry looked over at Ra'shall. He was interested in learning how to fight, but he didn't want the feline-man to get angry with him for disappearing while they still had things to talk about.

"Go on," the Khajiit said. "You don't have to ask me for permission… be off with you."

Harry stood up quickly. "Thank you, Ra'shall," he said before joining Katla. The woman wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him over to a practice target.

Ra'shall shook his head as he watched them leave. He hoped that they would be able to bring the boy's confidence up. He moved and lay back against the cliffside so he could watch the boy as he tested out archery.

Harry looked down at the bow that Katla had carved out for him. He held it up in front of him with his right hand hesitantly while fastening an arrow to the string like he'd been shown. Katla was standing behind him so she could correct his posture. It was a bit distracting to have her there. A faint blush spread over his cheeks as his mind wandered back to the day before. He had been mortified when she'd laughed at him. And then she'd walked up to him and given him a hug. He'd thought he was going to die of embarrassment right there. They had been naked for heavens… She was so unconcerned by her own nudity. He didn't know how she managed. _'One day I'm not going to care about it either,'_ he thought. Embarrassment was so annoying.

" ** _Kulsezii_** ," Katla said softly. The boy had zoned out completely.

The blush on his cheeks deepened as Harry realised what he'd been doing. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"You don't have to apologise, dear. Just refocus," Katla said. "We want you to learn how to defend yourself so you won't get killed."

Harry nodded. He knew that. He wanted to learn too. He couldn't understand why his hormones had decided to make themselves know now. He hadn't had these kinds of problems back at Hogwarts. He raised the bow once more and pulled the arrow back. Katla's hands came up from behind him as she moved his hands so they were placed correctly. She believed in learning by doing. They could sit and talk about how and why and in what way for hours without him actually learning how to fire an arrow off. Tchick!

He hissed. His right forearm burned. _'Great now you have made a fool out of yourself,'_ he thought.

"You held the bow so the string hit your arm when you released it, dear," Katla said calmly.

Harry nodded. He had to remind himself that Katla wasn't like Snape who would have made fun of him nor was she like most of his other teachers at Hogwarts who would have been disappointed. Unlike the people back at Hogwarts she and Ra'shall had no preconceptions about his abilities. He looked over at the target. The arrow wasn't there. "I missed," he said disappointedly.

Katla laughed kind-heartedly and shook her head. "You won't do great from the start Harry," she said calmly. "It will take time and practice. The first thing we need to make sure is that you don't hurt yourself with the bow. Then we can go over to working on your aim."

Harry picked up another arrow. He placed it on the string and pulled it back tight. He shifted his right arm slightly. Hopefully he wouldn't hit himself again. He was going to get this right and make Katla proud of him. It was the first time he had that opportunity and he would not mess it up.

Tchick!

Another arrow left the ground. He was determined. He was going to hit that stupid target.

Tchick!

He hissed again.

His face morphed in concentration as he picked the next arrow up. He held the bow up once more.

Katla moved away from the teen. He didn't even seem to notice. She walked back to where Ra'shall was sitting.

"He is going to have horrid bruises tomorrow," the feline man said quietly.

The brunette shrugged. "That is a part of learning," she said unconcerned. "He'd go nuts if we baby him about it. As long as we don't let him get seriously hurt, there won't be a problem. If the bruises look too bad tomorrow, you can give him something for them." She leaned back against the warmed stone next to her friend. "He'll be fine," she said.

…

Ra'shall stood up. He'd had enough. The teen had started getting sloppy. It was time for him to stop. Never mind the fact that they should all eat something. He walked up to the teen quietly. Reaching out, he grabbed the bow. "That's enough, Harry," he said in a tone that wouldn't allow contradiction. He took the bow and pulled the string off. The boy had practiced enough for one day. He looked up at the sky. Heavy clouds were rolling in from the northwest. There was rain in the air. "Come on let's go inside and get something to eat," he said calmly.

Harry nodded slowly. He had actually managed to hit the target a few times, but his right forearm was bright red now. He'd hit himself quite a lot. He walked with Ra'shall in silence. On the other side of the house Katla was standing by the big dome-shaped stone smelter. She was pouring melted metal into some sort of stone. "What are you doing?" the raven asked her.

The brunette looked up at him. "I'm making parts for a lock. You have seen the doors inside… the ones with no handles. It's for them. Hopefully we can get some people from Falkreath to come and help us set the foundation. We're going to build an alchemy tower behind the house," she said.

"Oh, O.K." Harry said quietly.

Katla gave him an inquiring look. "Are you in pain, Harry?" she asked.

The teen shrugged, and Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "I'll give him something for that," he said before he placed a hand on the raven's back and led him inside.

Katla shook her head. Why was the boy hiding the fact that he was in pain? She didn't like that. Of course it could come from what Ra'shall had told her the day before. The boy had lived with people who abused him. It was a good sign that he'd told Ra'shall about that. It meant that he probably didn't believe himself deserving of the hurt he'd suffered. If she ever got her hands on the people that had hurt him, they would regret what they had done.

She carried the mould she'd filled back to the workbench and put it down. Her gaze went skywards for a moment. _'The rain will completely ruin the metal,'_ she thought. That meant that she had to bring the moulds inside if she didn't want her work destroyed. A sigh escaped her lips. She grabbed the mould again and carried it over to the front door. Opening the door and stepping inside, she placed it down just inside the house before walking back outside once more. There were a couple of more moulds she had to bring in.

"That looks good," the brunette said as she walked into the dining room. She placed a hand on Harry's shoulder as she reached him. "Are you feeling better now?" she asked. He was wearing a linen wrap around his right arm. It was wet so she assumed that Ra'shall had soaked it with potion.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Harry said softly. The hand on his shoulder moved down between his shoulder blades as Katla moved behind him. "You need to let us know when you're hurt, dear," she said. "There is no reason for you to walk around in pain when we can fix it."

Harry nodded slowly. It was something he would have to get used to. It might take him awhile. Then his gaze lifted to the ceiling.

The rain had hit. It was rattling against the windowpanes. It made the people in the house glad they had gone inside when they had.

After they had eaten, the three of them disappeared into their own little worlds. Harry had found a bookshelf with some books in it.

One of them was titled _The Book of the Dragonborn_. The cover was black with a silver dragon symbol on the front. He lifted it down. Katla thought he might be Dragonborn. It would be wise to read about them … he snorted. That reasoning sounded an awful lot like Hermione. He wondered how she was doing. If they were even missing him back at Hogwarts. He moved over to his bedroom as he opened the book. He didn't want to dwell on it. It wouldn't do him any good.

The book seemed to be about History. It talked about how dragon blood first came to men. At first it sounded as if Katla had to be related to the Emperors of the Empire. Whatever that now meant. He'd have to ask Ra'shall later. But then the book continued and it sounded more and more like no one actually knew how Dragonborn came to be. That was easier for him to accept.

The next passage interested him since it touched upon his own situation a bit.

 _Whether there can be more than one Dragonborn at any time is another mystery._

 _The Emperors have done their best to dismiss this notion, but of course the Imperial_

 _succession itself means that at the very least there are two or more potential_

 _Dragonborn at any time_

He skimmed through the rest of the passage which spoke of the Blades. It seemed like the only recorded Dragonborn were the Emperors. If there had been others the author of the book didn't know anything about them.

The next section looked promising as well. It spoke of what it truly meant to be a Dragonborn.

 _The Nords tell tales of Dragonborn heroes who were great dragonslayers, able to_

 _steal the power of the dragons they killed._

He bit his lip. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. It sounded like Dragonborn had killed dragons just to get more power. Without knowing more about dragons he couldn't with a good conscience think it was right to kill them.

The book ended with a prophesy.

 _When misrule takes its place at_

 _the eight corners of the world_

 _When the Brass Tower walks_

 _and Time is reshaped_

 _When the thrice-blessed fail_

 _and the Red Tower trembles_

 _When the Dragonborn Ruler loses_

 _his throne, and the White Tower falls_

 _When the Snow Tower lies sundered,_

 _kingless, bleeding_

 _The World-Eater wakes,_

 _and the Wheel turns upon_

 _the Last Dragonborn._

Harry placed the book down on the bed in front of him. That was weird. Of course if the prophecy was to be believed then he couldn't be a Dragonborn, could he? It said that Katla was the last.

He shrugged. Maybe that would make sense with time as well.

They would find out for sure if he was Dragonborn when they went to High Hrothgar.


	4. Practice makes perfect

**Practice makes perfect**

 _11th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Turdas_

Tchick!

The arrow passed by the target. Harry wanted to pull at his hair. Yes, he knew that it would take practice to become good, but it was so frustrating.

Katla and Ra'shall had gone to Falkreath to see if they could get some help building the tower they wanted. They were also going to see if they could find some spell books for him.

He raised the bow once more. At least he hadn't hurt himself yet. Tchick! He let the arrow fly. It missed. "This would be so much easier if I could see properly," he huffed. His glasses were in the way. They would be the death of him one day. But he saw absolutely nothing without them so they stayed where they were – for now. He placed the bow down carefully before walking over to the target to gather his arrows back up again.

He thought back to his lessons with Ra'shall the day before as he raised the bow once more. "Dunmer come from Morrowind and they are resistant to fire," he said as he placed an arrow on the bowstring. "They are an elven race and are called dark elves by some. After the Red Mountain erupted many Dunmer fled to Skyrim. Most of them have red glowing eyes and skin ranging from green to gray to light blue and that's how I'll recognise them." He let the arrow fly. A hiss escaped his lips. He'd angled his arm wrong again.

He placed the bow down. He knew that if he tried to shoot another arrow right now he was more likely to hurt himself again then make any progress. He bit his lip as he looked down towards Lake Ilinalta. He was considering going down there but knew that it could be dangerous. He definitely didn't have a death wish. He had settled in somewhat at Lakeview Manor which meant that he didn't feel quite as uncertain anymore. He felt more like himself. The shock to his system that being transported to another world had given him had calmed down. He figured that there was little reason to be stuck in the past. He wouldn't get any kind of answers until they travelled to High Hrothgar. So he'd wait.

Both Ra'shall and Katla had left earlier because they need to get supplies as well as manpower. It meant that he'd been left alone in the house. Katla had asked him not to leave the immediate grounds because there were dangerous creatures out there.

He needed something to do…

Then it hit him.

They would have a lot of people over and everyone would get hungry. Both Katla and Ra'shall would be working. He could cook. He just needed to figure out how to do it in their kitchen. Walking inside, he placed his bow down in the table opposite of Ra'shall's bed before heading into the kitchen. He walked over to the washbasin and cleaned his hands off before turning around. _'Now what do I make?'_ he wondered. He knew how to bake bread but using the big oven was a bit scary. There was also the problem of him not being quite sure how to light the thing up so it would get warm or how long that would take. Therefore that had to be the first order of business. Now he'd seldom done more than breakfast in the Dursleys' house on his own. He had, however, been tasked with helping his Aunt Petunia several times, and he had, despite what people at Hogwarts might have though, a rather good memory.

The problem now was that he hadn't been around when the oven had been started which meant that he didn't know how to do it. _'It can't be that hard,'_ he thought as he walked around the huge dome-like structure. Eventually he found a place where he could light the fire beneath the oven up.

Figuring that he might as well light the fire in the fireplace up first since it would easier to carry a burning stick over to the oven than try to light it up any other way. He walked over to the fireplace and looked around. How was he supposed to light the fire…?

He groaned. _'Are you a wizard Harry? You still have your wand,'_ he thought. He pulled his wand out and aimed it at the fireplace. "Incendio," he said and a jet of flames sprang from the end of the wand. He then walked over to the oven and repeated the spell.

Looking down at his wand with a concerned expression, he wondered why his magic felt wonky. It might have something to do with how magic worked on Nirn. It definitely wasn't the same as back on Earth. Oh, Merlin the pure-bloods would go nuts at how things worked where he was now. Not that they would ever know.

Studying the cooking pot, he realised that while it was big enough for three it was way too small to hold food for all of the people that Ra'shall and Katla hoped to gather together. He looked around the kitchen; there had to be something bigger around.

In a corner he found a cauldron. _'Now that's more like it,'_ he thought. The next problem was of course that there was no meat in the house. He sighed. _'Well we do have chickens…'_ then he thought about it maybe there was another pheasant. That would be better. He walked outside hoping to find another bird.

There was a howl.

Green eyes moved over the nearby treeline. He ran back inside. A hungry wolf could kill their chicken and even the cow if it was desperate enough. He grabbed his bow and a handful of arrows and moved back to the door. Taking a deep breath, he raised the bow and aligned the arrow. He still couldn't see the beast. Moving forward slowly, he scanned the area. And then the chickens were clucking in panic. He turned the corner and there it was. Black furred and thin. He didn't like this. The beast was only trying to survive. Tchick! He let the arrow fly. He wished there was another way, but they needed those animals.

The arrow hit but all it seemed to do was enrage the wolf. It turned its head towards Harry and growled. _'Oh, shit,'_ the teen thought. He moved back as he placed another arrow on the bowstring. Now it wasn't just about saving the animals anymore. He didn't want to get killed thank you very much. He sent the arrow off.

Tchick!

He froze as the arrow hit. Somehow he'd managed to make the arrow pierce the wolf's skull through its eye. He swallowed hard before he started stumbling towards the forest edge. He bent over as his stomach turned and he threw up. His body was trembling, and he sank down on his knees.

He had no idea for how long he sat there before he felt steady enough to stand up once more. He looked down at himself making certain that he hadn't hit himself with the bile he'd expelled. Seeing that he hadn't, he walked back over to the house. His eyes went over to the dead wolf. What was he supposed to do with that? He wasn't sure he could… Hopefully Katla and Ra'shall would be back soon. He turned his eyes away from the corpse and moved over to the animal pen. "How are you doing?" he asked the animals as calmly as he could manage.

Dora mooed at him. It would seem like she was alright. The wolf hadn't gotten close enough to hurt her. It was when he turned to check on the hens that he saw the damage that the wolf a caused. Two of them were dead. One had big puncture marks in her and the other was unscratched. He bit his bottom lip. _'Now what?'_ he thought. He couldn't just leave them like that. He had to do something.

Walking back into the house, he found some linen and brought it back out. He lifted the bit hen up without touching her with his bare hands and carried her over to where the wolf lay. Katla and Ra'shall would have to decide what to do with her. He just couldn't deal with it. Then he walked back to the animal pen. He looked down at the unharmed hen and sighed. Even though he didn't like it and wasn't sure he'd be able to eat the food, he couldn't just waste the meat she would provide. His hands were shaking as he lifted the brown hen up carefully. He was glad that the others were O.K.

…

Katla looked up at the sky. The sun was rising slowly. She hoped that Harry would be alright. She wasn't happy about leaving him in the house alone, but they would move faster without him which meant that they would be back sooner. Her eyes travelled back down to ground level and she could see Ra'shall. A small smile spread over her lips. They had been travelling together for almost a long time now.

They had met way before she'd ended up in the mess they were in now. Long before dragons had been coming back to life. They had even travelled down into Cyrodiil for a while before all this.

It had been nice to have a companion. Before she'd met Ra'shall she'd been alone for quite some time. Her parents had not agreed with her decision to travel. Her father had even gone so far as to tell her that she wasn't welcome back if she left. She had considered that for a moment, but in the end she had kept to her decision and left anyway. She loved her parents and her siblings. It saddened her to know that she was no longer welcome, but she wasn't going to change her mind. This was the life she wanted to live.

They were approaching Falkreath now. The city was busy as people went about their daily activities.

"Will you buy the goods we need while I try to gather some folk together?" Katla said as they entered the city.

Ra'shall nodded. "Yes, that sounds good," he said. He started walking towards the general goods store when he remembered something. "Should I check if they have any spell books in the store? I know you talked about a court wizard but I don't think there is one of those here," he said.

Katla blinked. She thought about what he'd said for a moment. "You know what I think you're right," she said slowly. "Yes please look for some spell books. Harry could really use something beside the bow to practice with," she added. "I know you wanted to teach him how to handle a blade as well. But you can't do that with a real sword at least not at first."

Ra'shall hummed. "Yeah, I know. I'll have to fix that somehow," he said. "You go ahead and try to convince some of these lazy sods that our money is worth them getting off their lazy asses, and I'll see what I can do when it comes to the cub."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Sure," she said. "I'll see you in half-an-hour."

"Good luck," Ra'shall said before the woman disappeared off. He sighed and ran a hand through the thick fur between his ears before he resumed walking towards the general goods store. He was glad that it wasn't him that had to deal with the thick headed Nords. The owner of the shop was actually one of the more open-minded people in the town.

Pushing the door open, he stepped inside the shop and started looking around. There were several things they needed.

"Can I get you something?" the store owner asked in a coarse tone.

Ra'shall looked up at the blond Nord. "Yes please I'd like some groceries. What do you have?" he asked.

The Nord thought about it for a moment the he answered, "Some bread, cabbage, a couple of cheese wheels, some potatoes and a newly caught rabbit," he answered.

Ra'shall nodded. "I'll take the potatoes and the cabbage what kind of cheese is it?"

"I've got goat and eidar."

"I'll take two goat and one eidar then," Ra'shall said. "Do you have any goat horns or glass?" he asked.

"Yes I should have some."

"I'll take what goat horns you have and … ten rods of glass."

He watched as the Nord placed his things in order on the counter. "You wouldn't happen to have some spell books as well?" he asked.

The Nord's brow furrowed. "I should have some lying around. There aren't a lot of people around here who are interested in that kind of stuff," he said before walking over to a cupboard. He returned with several book. "Candlelight, Conjure Familiar, Frostbite, Clairvoyance and Courage," he said as he placed the books down. "Will that be all?"

Ra'shall nodded. "That will be all. How much?" he said.

The Nord added it all up. "Eight hundred," he said.

"Sounds good," Ra'shall said as he pulled a pouch from his belt. It was heavy with gold. But not coins. No, Katla tended to melt gold down into bars that they could pay with. Every bar was worth a hundred coins easily, and it was much easier to carry around. He picked eight bars out and placed them down in front of the man.

The Nord knowing fully well that the bars were gold nodded. "It was a pleasure doing business with you," he said.

Ra'shall gathered his merchandise together before he walked over to the door. "A continued good day to you sir," he said before exiting the shop.

.

Katla exited the tavern. The men in there were impossible and the women weren't much better, but she had managed to gather together some help for them. Now all she needed to do was go talk to the owner of the local lumber mill.

She was heading over to the mill when the owner walked up behind her. "What's such a pretty lady doing all the way out here in Falkreath?" he asked.

The brunette turned around. She tilted her head to the side and widened her eyes somewhat. "Why thank you," she said sweetly. "I was looking to buy some lumber for the house we're building up by Lake Ilinalta…" she said. _'Idiotic slime.'_

The man, who she knew was named Bolund, came up a little closer to her. He obviously didn't recognise her without armour on. "Why now isn't that to heavy work for such a beautiful little thing?" he said.

Katla smiled at him. "Oh, maybe," she said bashfully. _'Piss off moron.'_ "But I've asked some men from town to come up and help so it should be alright." Truthfully they had never bought wood from this man before because of how he treated Ra'shall. But right now he was the best choice. They didn't have time to go to Riverwood and back.

"Oh, for a pretty little thing like you I'd handle that in no time," Bolund said. "How much do you want?"

She smiled sweetly at him, "Oh, maybe thirty logs or so. That should be enough for now at least," she said. _'And if I had a better option right now I wouldn't get them from you.'_

.

Katla walked back from the mill. Bolund was not the brightest of the bunch. He'd been easily convinced that she was interested in him. She grimaced. _'Creep,'_ she thought. She wondered if the compliments – and she used the term loosely – that he used worked on anyone. _'If he calls me little one more time I might bash his head in,'_ she thought. Katla was not a small woman at 6 foot. And she was as strong as any man considering her skill in smithing and the fact that she carried heavy armour and a greatsword in battle. She had gotten a quite good discount though. It was the only reason she was even willing to deal with the man in the first place. He was dumb enough to fall for pretty much anything.

Joining up with Ra'shall outside of the general goods store, she shoved the man and his behaviour out of her mind. It didn't matter. She picked up one of the bags he'd made ready and then another. "The others should be meeting us by the gate," she said. "And I spoke to mister slimy badmouth and he'll bring us the lumber we'll need."

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "I think I'll disappear when he shows up," he said.

Katla snorted. "If Harry is up to it I would like him to just show up while that idiot is around. I could create all kinds of stories from that. That would scare the backbone out of that idiot," she said. "That would only work if he knows exactly why I want it done though. I don't want to scare him."

Ra'shall nodded with a grin. "I'll speak to him. The store had several spell books for him anyway. No healing but Conjure Familiar will be useful for him and Frostbite," he said. "There are a couple more. It'll give him a base to work from."

Katla nodded but she didn't respond to it since they had just reached the men and women who had agreed to help them. "Hey everyone thank you for agreeing to help us," she said with a smile. "Let's get going shall we."

The party made their way towards Lakeview Manor talking and laughing as they went.

…

Ra'shall had moved ahead in front of the group. He wanted to make sure that Harry was alright. They had been gone longer than they'd thought they would be. As he ran up the short way behind Pinewatch, his blood went cold. There was a wolf lying by the blacksmith workbench. He walked up to the dark-furred creature slowly. He covered his mouth and nose with a hand. "Ius that stinks," he muttered.

The wolf was obviously dead. Most living things did not survive getting an arrow shot through the eye socket.

Ra'shall now far more worried about the state Harry was in than he'd been moments earlier didn't stand around. He moved over to the house and walked inside. He dropped the bags he carried before continuing into the dining room. "Harry!" he called out. There was a fire roaring in the kitchen so he walked on in there. Breathing out in relief, he stopped as he saw the teen sitting by the fire in the kitchen. There was a big cauldron standing in the fireplace. There seemed to be some sort of stew boiling away in it. The feline man breathed in. It smelled good. His teal eyes moved over to the still teen. "Harry are you alright?" he asked.

The boy didn't move.

Ra'shall moved closer and kneeled down next to the chair the raven was sitting in. "Harry look at me," he said softly. Empty green eyes turned towards him slowly. They seemed to look right through him before they fell down on the teen's hands in his lap. The feline reached out slowly and placed a hand on top of those hands. "Harry what happened?" he asked softly.

"She died," the raven breathed.

Ra'shall moved his left had to rest on the boy's upper back but did not say anything. He didn't want to interrupt.

"The wolf came and killed …" There was a small sob, "I had to kill it or they might all have died… but she died anyway and… and I cut her up and…" His body slumped forward and he would have fallen to the floor if Ra'shall hadn't been there to catch him. The feline man grabbed a tight hold on the boy and lifted him up slowly. He could feel tears soaking though his shirt. He was suddenly very glad that he'd decided to go on ahead. It would take a while yet for Katla and the workers to show up. He carried the teen out to his bed and sat down carefully. "Shhhshhh," he hushed the boy softly as he reached up and took the boy's glasses off so he would be more comfortable. He still wondered what had happened. He knew he would have to wait to find that out.

They sat like that for Alkosh knows how long with Ra'shall stroking Harry's back calmingly.

Eventually the teen stopped crying. He lay there on top of the Khajiit just breathing slowly. "Feeling better now?" Ra'shall asked softly as he reached up and ran a hand through the teen's messy black hair.

Harry nodded slowly against the man's chest. "A little," he said softly. It had felt good to vent and actually get comforted. Ra'shall's shirt was soft. His tail was curled up around him. Harry smiled softly. The feline's tail was really soft.

"Do you think you can tell me what happened? I'm not quite sure I got it all," Ra'shall said calmly.

"Hmmmm," the teen hummed. He closed his eyes, and he tried to focus his mind. "I heard a wolf and I knew it could kill our animals if I just let it be…" he said. "So I went and got my bow. It got into the animal pen and I shot it, and it got angry so it went after me instead. I shot it again and it died," he explained in a monotone voice. "It had killed one of the hens, bitten her. And another hen had died as well. Heart attack from being scared… I … I realised we couldn't just waste her so I took her to the chopping block. I cut her up and put her in the stew with the pheasant."

Ra'shall closed his eyes. _'Great,'_ he thought, _'just great. Let's have the inexperienced youth dealing with the death of our egg hens.'_ He sighed softly. "What you did was the right thing to do," he said out loud. "It is very wise not to waste meat. I'm sorry you had to deal with it though. That shouldn't have been necessary." He shifted the teen so he could look the boy in the eyes. "I'm very proud of you for defending our animals," he said. "But you are more important then them. There could have been more than one wolf out there and they could have killed you. For now I'd rather you hid in the house and let them kill the animals than you risking your life to save them…O.K."

Harry looked up at the feline man's face. He was close enough that he could see the ghost of worry in the man's eyes. It felt weird to have someone berating him for doing something good in a way that didn't make him feel bad about it. He was important. People actually cared about his safety.

"Think about how we would have felt if we'd come home to find you killed by wolves. Katla would have hated herself and I certainly wouldn't have been happy," Ra'shall said. "Now I don't want you to take that as scolding because I am proud of you for doing what you did. I just want you to think about the consequences of your actions."

The raven nodded. He was being sent a guilt trip that wasn't supposed to be a guilt trip. He was quiet for quite some time before he looked up at the feline. "I… I promise not to risk my life like that again unless I'm sure I can come out on top," he said. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't do something similar again.

Ra'shall chuckled. "Well now that was a response in my own spirit," he said. He sat up slowly bringing the teen with him. "I have some spell books for you," he said. "They're in the bags by the door." He moved the boy off his lap and stood up slowly. "I should go and make sure that Katla doesn't have a fit when she sees the wolf's corpse out there," he said. "Will you be O.K. until I return?"

Harry looked over at the bags. He couldn't see a thing. He bit his lip. "Where are…" The feline handed him his glasses.

"I shouldn't be long," Ra'shall said softly as he reached out to run his fingers through the boy's hair again. Green eyes looked up at him. The teen was exhausted that much was clear. "You better be back soon," he said. "The bread will burn otherwise."

Ra'shall pinched the bridge of his nose. Out of all the things the boy could be worried about he was concerned about the bread he'd placed in the oven. "I promise I'll take care of that," he said softly as he lowered his hand. "Why don't you get some rest? You look like you could use it." He could see how fear passed by the boy's eyes. He shook his head as he walked over to the bags he'd dropped. He reached down and pulled out several books before walking back over to the bed and placing them down on the thick furs there. "These are all spell books. Why don't you pick one to go through? I'll be back soon," he said. He could see the teen nod before he exited the house.

Katla was turning the corner as he walked up next to the dead wolf. "What happened here?" she asked. Her eyes fell on the wolf. "Did you have to kill it Ra'shall that's just…"

"I didn't kill it Harry did," the Khajiit interrupted her. "It attacked our animals and he went out with his bow and killed it. He was catatonic by the time I got here – sitting in the kitchen just staring into the flames. The wolf scared one of our hens to death and he added her to the stew he was making."

The brunette closed her eyes. "We should never have left him alone," she said. "Is he better now?" she asked. _'Fuck why did we leave him? He's a kid. He shouldn't have been left alone,'_ she thought.

"A little," Ra'shall said. "I gave him the spell books. After he'd cried all over me I might add. I think he's more bothered by what he did to the chicken then he is over the fact that he killed the wolf." He folded his arms over his chest. "He's got food going and I need to look into that so it doesn't get ruined. The Nords you have hired will prefer not having me around anyway," he said. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Katla nodded slowly. She wasn't happy about what had happened, but Ra'shall was handling it. She'd let him do that. "I'll get rid of this," she said as she looked down at the wolf. "I'll bury the hen separately so we can show Harry where she is later."

Ra'shall headed back inside after that. He walked up to the raven-haired boy and ran his finger through his messy hair. "Is it interesting?" he asked softly.

Harry looked up at him and nodded slowly. "It's weird though. I can't go back in it and it's like the knowledge is taken from the book and put into my head," he said. "Is it supposed to do that?" he asked a bit concerned. He was trying his best not to think about what had happened earlier.

Ra'shall shrugged. "I have never tried myself, but as far as I know, the book itself disappears after you have learned what it has to teach you so it does make sense in a way that it would work that way," he said.

A small smile stretched over the raven's lips. "O.K." he said before looking back down into the book. That was really weird. It was a very practical way of learning though. Much more effective than how they did it at Hogwarts.

The feline man chuckled as he headed into the kitchen. For now the teen was alright at least. He moved over to the oven and looked inside. There were three rather large loafs of bread in there – all golden brown and definitely ready to be taken out. He grabbed the peel before sticking it into the oven and bringing the bread back out slowly. He placed it down in a basket he'd grabbed on his way over. The kid had done a good job if the scent wafting through the room from the bread was anything to go by. He moved the shutter in place over the oven entrance to put the fire out.

Placing the bread down on a counter, he moved on to the stew brewing by the fire. He reached out, grabbed the ladle that was placed in the cauldron and swirled it around a couple of times. The consistency seemed to be right. He reached over to where they kept their cutlery and pulled out a spoon. Dipping it into the liquid, he moved it around a bit before raising it once more so he could taste the stew. He put the spoon down while smacking his lips; there was something missing but what? He looked around the kitchen. The stew was good it just needed some oomph. And then it hit him. He walked back out if the kitchen smiling softly at Harry as he passed the teen before going outside. He walked over to their little garden and started picking berries from the trees there.

In the background he could hear the voices of the people Katla had hired as they worked. He was glad that Harry had thought ahead. It would be more polite of them to feed these people before they left. Maybe they could even convince some of them to stick around a bit longer if they fed them.

Once he decided he had enough juniper berries he headed back inside to dump them into the simmering stew. He stirred the thick liquid slowly.

Outside the work commenced. Rocks were carried and fitted together. Songs were sung.

After a while Harry came walking into the kitchen. "Katla is outside?" he asked as he did his best to ignore the stew.

"Yeah she is," Ra'shall said. "Oh, but cub…" he said to stop the boy from leaving. "There should be a moron showing up in a bit and Katla was wondering if you'd be willing to make him think she's your mother."

"Moron?" Harry asked. _'Katla wants what?'_ he thought.

Ra'shall nodded. "He's a racist. Thinks anyone but Nords shouldn't be allowed in Skyrim. But earlier when Katla ordered some lumber from him he apparently acted slimy. She didn't tell me exactly what he did, but she was quite set on making him as nervous as possible. You wouldn't have to say anything just look cute or something," he said. "It's up to you though."

"I'll consider it," Harry said before walking out of the kitchen. _'These people are weird,'_ he thought. He headed over to the door and opened it. The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day. It didn't lift the raven's mood any though. He walked slowly past the corner of the house only to see a line of strong men and women passing stones along. He moved up among them silently, careful as to not get in their way. Some way away he could see other people carrying logs up to the house. He followed their line down towards the road.

Katla was standing by a blond man. Her body language was all wrong. What was going on? As he came up closer, he could hear the man speak.

"… but we could always have some fun together yeah. Such a sweet little thing shouldn't be alone," he said. His voice sent shivers down Harry's spine. _'Oh no you stay away from Katla,'_ he said. He moved up quicker now. He didn't speak as he came up behind Katla and pulled at her shirt.

The brunette turned around. " ** _Kulsezii_** , there you are," she said warmly as she placed her arms around his shoulders. "How are you feeling dear?" she asked concerned.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know really… it's all so…" he didn't know what to say. His mind was a mess really.

Katla smiled down at him sadly. "I know," she said. She reached down and pulled him up on her hip. Something which would not have been possible if he'd grown up healthy or she'd been a smaller woman.

Harry was shocked at the movement, but the closeness and the comfort that the simple action gave him had him almost breaking down in tears again. Earlier Ra'shall had held him while he cried and now Katla was carrying him. Two things that he'd never experienced before. It was insane how in less than a week these two had done more for him than his relatives had ever done. He looked back at the stunned blond that they were leaving behind. The man looked like he was somewhere between wanting to get angry and being frightened. "Why's he afraid?" he asked softly.

Katla rolled her eyes as she answered. "Because me having a child indicates that there is a man involved and despite how often he calls me little a man shorter than me would have to be strong and he knows it. Nord women don't stay with weak men. He is afraid of that nonexistent man," she said.

The raven placed his head against the woman's shoulder and sighed contently. It was weird how at ease he felt around these two grown-ups. It probably had something to do with how honest they wanted him to be and how honest they were with him. For the first time in his life he was dealing with people who wanted him to be just 'Harry' not The-Boy-Who-Lived or Freak or some other moniker people gave him.

They reached the house, and Katla opened the front door before walking inside. She moved into the kitchen where Ra'shall was lifting the stew off the fire. "How are things going out there?" the man asked as he noticed her.

Katla pulled in a deep breath smelling the food. "It's going well. We're almost done with the foundation now. A lunch break would be a good idea now though. As soon as the lumber has been carried up everyone could use a break," she said.

"We should carry it outside so we don't need to have all those people stomping through our house," Ra'shall said.

Katla nodded. She turned her head slightly. "Hey, Harry. I need to put you down so we can bring the cauldron outside," she said softly.

The raven blushed, slightly embarrassed at how at ease he was. "O.K." he said softly, his cheeks turning pink. He could feel Katla letting go of him before he slipped down to the floor. Her arms lingered around his shoulders. "Thank you for preparing this," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. He leaned into her warmth closing his eyes at the calming feeling.

Katla smiled down at the teen softly. She was glad that he let her offer him comfort. She knew for a fact that abused children tended to have great mistrust in adults. She sighed. "Well, we better get going. I don't want to leave them without supervision for too long," she said. Looking down at Harry, she asked, "Are you going to have some before we bring it outside?"

The raven shook his head. "I don't want any. I'm not hungry," he said softly. He slipped away from her and walked back over to Ra'shall's bed where his new books lay. The brunette's eyes followed him.

"He'll be alright just give him some time," Ra'shall said. "I take it as a good sign that he's staying there rather than moving up to his room since we pass by from time to time. It means that he doesn't want to seclude himself."

The cauldron was carried outside slowly so they wouldn't spill its contents. The Nords were relieved to have a break in the work, and gathered around the cauldron quickly.

Food was eaten and gossip exchanged in a merry chatter of voices. An hour or so later the work was resumed with newfound vigour. They worked until the sun started getting low in the sky. People wanted to get back home before nightfall.

While this was happening Harry was sitting on Ra'shall's bed reading the spell books he'd been given while trying not to think about the hen or what he'd done.

He would spend the following couple of days like that. Reading the spell books, practicing with his bow, and trying to cope with what he'd done. He knew on a practical level that what he'd done was the right thing, but it bothered him in an emotional level.

Life at Lakeview Manor was calm for several days. Until one evening when Ra'shall and Katla sat down together with a map of Skyrim between them. Harry didn't pay them much mind at the time He was reading the last spell book and it was interesting. He went to bed that evening not knowing that tomorrow was going to be quite different.


	5. Steep Hills and Sharp Teeth

**Steep Hills and Sharp Teeth**

 _16th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Tirdas_

Ra'shall sighed as he started making his way back to Lakeview Manor. He'd checked the area surrounding the house for any dangers as he'd travelled over to Pinewatch to let the bandits there know that they could have use of their animals once more. He'd made a deal with the local bandits when he and Katla had first moved in. It was way easier to handle things that way. From time to time he did some delivery job or another for Rigel who ran the place.

On the way back he'd grabbed a fallen branch. He figured that he might be able to make a passable wooden sword from it. He needed to start teaching Harry how to handle a close range weapon. His work with the bow was going better and better, but there were going to be times when he would need a close combat weapon. _'This one should work as well,'_ the Khajiit thought as he picked up another sturdy branch. He'd need one as well after all. He couldn't very well teach the kid without fighting him.

Katla was sitting outside by the animal pen when he got back. They had bought a few more chickens after the wolf attack, and she was tending to them before they left. She'd already milked the cow so that Harry could have some milk for breakfast, and she could make a bit of butter for the trip. He walked up to her and leaned over the fence. "Is the cub up yet?" he asked. It was still early in the morning so he wasn't really expecting it.

The brunette looked up at her companion. "He was still asleep when I went outside. You could go up and wake him while I go in and fix breakfast up," she said before standing up. "I think we'll have some boiled eggs this morning."

"Sounds good," Ra'shall said as he stood up straight and ran a hand through the thick fur between his ears. "I'll wake the sleepyhead up then." He dropped his branches down next to the front door before walking inside.

Harry was sprawled out on his bed. At some point during the night he'd kicked his covers off. His shirt was riding up showing his stomach. Tousled black hair was spread out over his pillows. A book lay open next to the bed. Ra'shall smiled softly as he walked up closer to teen. He sat down on the side of the bed carefully. _'He looks healthier now at least,'_ he thought. He'd been putting several concoctions together to help the boy heal. Only a mage trained in the School of Restoration could do anything more for him now. Apart from that the regular meals and light physical training he had been going through was helping his muscle build.

A dark fur-clad hand reached out and stroked a lock of hair from the teen's face. "It's time to wake up now Harry," Ra'shall said softly. He moved his hand down and shook the boy's shoulder. "Come on cub wake up," he said a bit louder this time.

"Hmmm," the raven mumbled as he shifted and curled up in a ball.

"Oh, no you don't," Ra'shall said. He grabbed a hold of the teen and lifted him up. "You are going to get up now young man." He stood up and pulled the boy with him.

"Wha… the fuck's…" a yawn cut Harry off. His green eyes looked around the room. Everything was blurry and the wrong way around. He turned his head and looked up at Ra'shall's blurred form. He was being held upside-down. His hands went up to his sleep ridden eyes and he yawned again. "I'm … awake now," he said. "Could you let me down?"

"Hnn, let me think about that for a second," Ra'shall said as he turned around and started walking towards the stairs leading down to the dining room. He stopped as the teen in his arms started struggling against his grip. "Hold still cub," he said.

"Uhuh, forget it let go of me," Harry said. He closed his eyes and his hands started glowing with mysterious purple mist-like light. Ra'shall's eyes widened as a big ghostly figure appeared in front of him. The figure moved up towards him and he stumbled back, dropping Harry in the process. A huge winged creature was standing before him. It had an eagle's head and its front legs ended in claws while its back end looked more like some kind of feline. The half-bird spread its wings as well as it could and screeched at him.

"What the fuck is that?" the Khajiit exclaimed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "This is my familiar spirit," he said as he moved up next to the half-bird half-feline. "She's a griffin." He placed his hands on the beast's side. "It was one of the spells in the books you gave me. She's like a facet of my soul or something like that. She won't attack unless I feel threatened, and she can tell the difference between friend and foe. She wouldn't hurt you or Katla," he explained. "Since she's based off of my soul."

Ra'shall nodded. His tail slowly stopped swishing back and forth behind him as his ears moved forward.

"What are the two of you doing up there!" Katla called from the dining room. "We need to leave soon. Get your asses down here and eat breakfast. We should go by the lake before heading out we could all use it."

"O.K. we'll be right down," Harry called. He looked at the griffin next to him. "Thanks girl," he said softly and the familiar faded from view. "So we should get down before Katla comes up here and flays us or something," he told the Khajiit. He stood up and grabbed the railing so he could guide himself back to his room and pick his glasses up. He moved back over to the stairs and down them quickly before sitting down by the table as Katla placed a platter of apple dumplings down. "I figured we could use some food that we won't be seeing in a while," she said.

"It looks really good Katla," Harry said happily.

"So what was the commotion upstairs about?" the brunette asked.

"Oh, Ra'shall decided to joke around with me, and I wanted to see if I could get loose – you know in case someone else grabbed me against my will – so I conjured my familiar… it kind of scared him," he answered.

"I was startled … not scared," Ra'shall said as he walked up next to the table.

"Yeah, that's why you pulled your ears back and …"

"Hush with you," the feline said as he play punched the teen on the shoulder. He reached out and picked up a dumpling. Biting in to it, he could feel the hot syrup that the sugar had created inside the crust filling his mouth. It was sweet. His teal eyes moved over to the raven as a soft smile spread over his lips. "Good, huh?" he said as the teen hummed happily. Green eyes looked up and met his. He chuckled warmly. There was a small trail of syrup running down the boy's chin. "Creating a bit of a mess are we," he said.

Harry blushed as he reached up and whipped the syrup off his face. He looked back down embarrassed before dropping his dumpling back on his plate.

"Hey, cub don't worry about it," Ra'shall said as he reached out towards the boy. He grabbed the teen's chin and lifted his head up. "You shouldn't stop eating because of something I say," he said softly. "You need the food besides it's cute."

The blush on the raven's cheeks deepened. Ra'shall was teasing him.

"Just shut your mouth you big cat. He doesn't need you blabbing like that," Katla said. She turned to Harry. "Just ignore him and eat your breakfast," she said calmly.

The raven nodded. He looked down at his plate. A sigh passed his lips. _'I'm so tired of feeling like this every time something like this happens,'_ he thought. He picked the dumpling up again and went back to eating. He didn't like how affected he was by people's opinions of him. He knew that Ra'shall didn't mean anything by what he said though. He bit down on the sweet goodie once more. It was cooling now so he didn't need to be as careful when he ate it.

In the background he could hear Katla and Ra'shall talking.

"Wait we're leaving!" he said suddenly as his brain sort of caught up with what they were talking about.

The two adults turned to look at him. Katla smiled softly as she answered, "Yes, **_kulsezii_** we are leaving. We really should get over to the Greybeards. It has been nice to have a bit of a rest, but it's time to get things in motion besides you will be fine out there now," she said. "There are a lot of questions we want answered after all."

"And I'll start to teach you how to fight with a sword as we travel," Ra'shall said.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "Oh, O.K. then I get what you were talking about earlier," he said. Looking down at the food on the table, he reached out for a bit more. They would be doing a lot of walking after all. He could use some more energy.

What food they didn't eat they packed down into their backpacks. Each one of them would be carrying one filled with necessities for the journey. They'd leave them by the house as they went down to the lake to clean up though. Most people would say that it was a bit unnecessary to clean up just before going on a hike but they weren't planning on walking fast that day.

Heading out the front door, Ra'shall picked up one of the branches he'd collected before heading down towards the water. He knew that he'd get at least a bit of time to work on it. He didn't want to rush Harry after all. It was an overlaying theme for them throughout the trip they were going on. Neither he nor Katla wanted to exhaust the cub. He sighed as he looked up at the cloudy sky. Hopefully it wouldn't start raining. It was still pretty cold out. Katla was probably the only one who would stay in the water for any length of time that day. He pulled his shirt off, his pants following before he went into the water. A quick scrub off was really all he needed.

Placing the soap back on the shore, Ra'shall looked up towards the house. He could see Harry and Katla making their way down the slope towards him. He rinsed the lavender scented potion out of his fur quickly. "It's a bit chilly," he told his companions as he walked out of the water. He moved away from them a bit so he could shrug water out of his fur without getting them all wet. Then he towelled himself off quickly.

"Oh Merlin that's cold," Harry said as he stepped into the water. He wrapped his arms around himself as he walked out further. Figuring that he might as well get it over with as soon as possible, he crouched down into the water before dipping his head beneath the surface. He came up again pretty fast his teeth clattering. They normally came down to the lake way later in the day when the sun had at least had some time to warm the water up. He turned around slowly. "Can you toss me the soap, Ra'shall?" he asked the feline.

Teal eyes rose from dark fur-clad hands that were carving excessive wood from the branch in his hands. He placed his knife down before reaching out and grabbing the potion bottle next to him. "Ready?" he asked and Harry nodded.

The bottle went flying through the air.

The raven moved back a bit as he caught it. He pulled the cork out of it with a pop!

"You'll hand that to me when you're done?" Katla said.

Harry looked up at her. His cheeks reddened as he saw her. He nodded as his eyes fell down to look at the reflections of clouds in the water. Slowly realising that the water was still freezing, he went back to the task at hand. After he'd poured a good amount of soap out in his left hand, he got the cork back on the bottle before throwing it over to the brunette. He finished up and rinsed off quickly. The water temperature was really starting to get to him. Getting back to shore, he picked up his towel and dried off quickly before pulling his clothes on.

"Come over here cub," Ra'shall said kindly. "I'll warm you up. You don't need to catch hypothermia."

The raven rolled his eyes. "I doubt it's that severe," he said, but he moved over to the Khajiit and sat down against him anyway. He wasn't about to say no to comforting physical contact. "What are you doing?" he asked after a while.

"I'm making practice swords for us," Ra'shall answered. "This one is for you. It'll be a bit crude, but it will do what we need it to." He went back to carving. Next to him the boy shifted slightly. He looked up and saw Katla walking out of the water. If he had to guess, he'd say that Harry had probably buried his face in his side. He did a few more modifications to the stick in his hands before he put his knife away. He stood up slowly helping Harry up in the process.

"Let's get back to the house and gear up," Katla said. She held out a hand to the raven, who moved up to her almost automatically. His smaller hand almost disappeared in hers. It was comforting to have someone who both could and would protect him.

They made their way back to the house.

Katla sighed as she looked down at her armour. Sometimes she wished that it wasn't so heavy. She couldn't go without it though. What if something or someone attacked them? She let out another sigh as she reached out and grabbed the boots. _'Might as well get started,'_ she thought.

Harry walked back down the stairs leading to the second floor with his backpack ready to go. He had warmer clothes and the strange scroll he had appeared in Nirn with was strapped to the outside of the pack. He didn't think that it was a good idea to leave it behind. He stopped by the kitchen and let Ra'shall fill his pack up before heading to the entrance room. Placing his bag down on Ra'shall's bed, he walked up to Katla and reached out to tighten the straps holding her armour plates in place.

"Thank you **_kulsezii_** ," the brunette said as she reached up and ruffled his messy hair. "You're welcome," he said softly. He watched as she picked her gloves up and put them on.

Green eyes moved to the door opening leading to the rest of the house as Ra'shall appeared there with two backpacks. "Almost ready to go I see," he said. He dumped the bags on the bed before moving up behind Katla. He grabbed her long wavy hair and started plaiting it tightly. He finished by tying the end with a ribbon. The plait was moved up and pulled around the neck guard of the armour before Ra'shall fastened the end to the woman's baldric. He turned to move over to the bed, but Harry had foreseen it and was holding one of the backpacks out for him. He smiled down at the raven and chuckled as he grabbed the bag.

Katla moved the pack a bit after it had been placed on her back as she lifted her green tinted greatsword up and fastened it to her baldric. She picked her bow up and fastened that to her backpack. The bow looked to be made from dull gold.

"What is your bow made off, Katla?" Harry asked.

The brunette turned to face him as Ra'shall attached her quiver to her back. "It's made from Dwarven metal," she answered.

"There are Dwarves in Skyrim?"

Ra'shall chuckled. "No there aren't, not anymore anyway, and they aren't really called Dwarves they were Dwemer…"

"Wait like Altmer or Bosmer… they were elves?" Harry said confused. That didn't really merge with his somewhat lacking picture of Dwarves. As far as he knew dwarves were short hairy men.

"Yes they were elves who lived beneath the earth and created great machinery. Now only their ruins remain," the feline man said. "We might come across one of their ruins during our travels. They are quite fascinating."

Katla rolled her eyes as she looked at the two. "We can continue this discussion as we walk I'm sure," she said lightly. "Come on you two we have a long way to go."

Harry got up from the bed and picked his backpack up before putting it on. He held his bow in his right hand and a small quiver was fastened to his bag quickly by Ra'shall, and then they were off.

…

Going on midday they reached Helgen. Ra'shall was travelling ahead of the other two. The sneaky feline froze as he saw a man moving inside the ruined city. He held out and hand towards Katla to stop her and Harry from going any further. He crouched down slightly and cut around the outer wall quickly. He'd have to clear the place out before they let Harry inside.

The Khajiit's movements were fast and precise as he moved through the shadows. A quick blade or a sprinkle from a poison bottle was all he needed to get rid of the bothersome humans. His eyes travelled over the buildings before him searching for more enemies. A movement caught his eyes. It was an Argonian. _'Well, well what are you doing here little lizard,'_ he thought. He couldn't use a poison on the scaled man. The race was resistant. _'Bothersome.'_ He waited until the lizard man had walked past him before he moved out from his hiding spot. A glitter of gold in the sun and a flow of red. He'd cut the man's throat open. He cleaned his elven dagger of on the man's fur armour before doing a last check of the city. It was empty. A clear whistle served as a signal to Katla.

The brunette woman took her helmet off and looked down at the tired raven next to her. The path to Helgen had been steep. They definitely needed to rest there for the boy's sake. He'd get stronger as they travelled but those hills were brutal. She could remember when she'd first set out. She had stopped to rest her tired legs a lot. Now it was second nature. Years of travelling by foot would do that. She knew Harry would get stronger with time.

Her head rose as she heard a whistle. "That's Ra'shall telling us that the coast is clear," she said softly. Green eyes looked up at her as the raven sighed. He stood up slowly. They hadn't been walking for that long all things considered, but the hills were killing him.

"There, there we'll take a rest in here. We could make some lunch. It's about time for that now, and this is a rather good place to stop in," she said. She could see how the boy perked up at the prospect of a bit of rest.

The entered the city slowly. Katla didn't want to hurry. What if Ra'shall had missed someone? She wanted to be ready for that.

"What happened here?" Harry asked his green eyes travelling over the destruction around him. Roofs had caved in, whole houses lay in ruins, and even the sturdy stone walls were broken down in places.

"A dragon attacked," Katla said. "It destroyed everything… it was actually quite lucky for me. I'd been arrested thanks to one of Ra'shall's stupid schemes, and they were going to execute me. Then this huge black scaled beast descended from the sky and burned everything. It's what started this crazy adventure…" She fell silent. "A lot of people… innocent people died that day. It was a shame really," she said after a while.

Harry nodded slowly. He felt sorry for those people. "Where was Ra'shall?" he asked as they turned a corner and walked through a destroyed house. It was the only passable path.

Katla snorted. "Half-way to Riften completely unaware of the fact that I had been arrested for his foolishness," she said. "I told him that I make a doormat out of him if he ever did that to me again when we met up. He was not happy with himself though. He's promised me that he won't mix us up in his funny-business this time around." She looked up ahead. "I've forgiven him. He's saved me in a jam more times than I can count," she said softly. "And the thing he did back then shouldn't have led to death anyway. The soldiers were bloodthirsty that day or something."

They turned yet another corner and there stood Ra'shall. His ears turned towards them before the rest of him. His tail swayed softly back and forth. "I was thinking we could set up in there for now," he said and pointed to a ruin. "There is a fireplace that's still standing and that," he pointed over his shoulder, "is the way forward," he said.

"Sounds good," Katla said. "I think Harry will be happy as long as he can get off his feet." She smiled at the raven.

Lunch consisted of some rabbit they had caught on the way and a salad.

Ra'shall leaned back against some rubble after the meal with one of the branches he was still working on in one hand and a knife in the other. He only had a bit more to go before he was done with the first training sword. Harry would be able to start practicing stances and moves that evening.

"We should probably get going," Harry said some time later. He felt a bit better and didn't want to sit idle.

"You feel up to it?" Katla said.

The raven nodded. "Hopefully the road ahead isn't so bloody steep," he muttered.

They walked up to the gate that would take them out of the city. Katla placed her hand against one of the doors and pushed. Nothing happened. "It's locked," she said shaking her head in annoyance. She backed up a bit and raised a leg before kicking at the gate. Crack! The wood gave way. The state of the lock after everything that had been going on in the city recently wasn't the best.

"Or you could have let me unlock it," Ra'shall said.

Katla shrugged. "This way is faster," she said. "You can fiddle with the locks when it's necessary. Right now I just want out of the city."

The feline rolled his eyes as he followed the others through the gate. _'No respect for the finer arts,'_ he thought despondently.

To Harry's dismay the road kept leading up. But instead of a steep incline like before it was barely there now. He could feel it in his legs though. He wasn't about to give up. He'd keep going no matter what.

The air chilled as they made it further up the road. Before they knew it, it was snowing, and they had to stop so that Harry could put some more clothes on. The sky had clouded over. They would be travelling in the shadow of the Throat of the World for most of the rest of the journey.

"Ivarstead," Harry read from a road sign. "That's were we're going right," he said as he turned to Katla.

The brunette nodded slowly. "Yes. No matter when in the day we get there we'll stay the night in Vilemyr Inn," she said. "I want to give you a chance to rest before we continue."

Harry nodded in understanding.

They went up a path which took them through a mountain pass. The road was steep once more, and by the time it evened out Harry was exhausted. He leaned against Ra'shall. A bit further up the road they met a hunter. Katla exchanged some coins with him for a couple of pheasant breasts while also inquiring about the road ahead.

"There is a cave just down the road," she said once the other two had caught up with her. She looked down at the raven concern shining in her amber eyes. "Can you make it down the road? We'd have far better protection against the cold in a cave. It isn't much further," she asked.

"I'll carry him if nothing else. You're right a cave is definitely better then being out here. Though, you might need to go on ahead this time and check it out," Ra'shall said calmly.

Katla nodded. She reached out and ran her fingers through the raven's hair. "You'll be alright?" she asked receiving a small nod in response. She was careful with her hands so that the cold metal didn't touch the teen. "I'll see you two soon," she said and lowered her arm before she started heading downhill.

She entered a cave slowly while readying her bow. Telling the difference between fried and foe wasn't always the easiest. The man walking up on the ramp before her could be a hunter. She moved a bit further into the cave. The man drew his weapon. Tchick! The arrow hit him and he fell back with a faint thud.

Katla made her way up to him slowly. She moved up to the body and kneeled down carefully. If there were more people in the cave she didn't want to alert them needlessly. "Shit," she breathed. She'd found a set of scars that told her the man was most likely a vampire's thrall. That meant there was a vampire in the darn cave. They couldn't let Harry anywhere near that thing.

She stood up quickly and moved back down to the snow-clad ground. Walking down the only path leading from the first room, she snorted as she saw a pressure plate on the ground and a big spiked-clad grid hanging from the ceiling. A bit further down the path stood a woman. The brunette raised her bow and sent two arrows off in fast succession. The woman fell down dead.

 _'_ _A vampire,'_ Katla thought as she kneeled down next to the body. Just because she'd killed one of them it didn't mean that there weren't more around though. Torches lit up the ground beneath her feet and the walls around her. The corridor she entered led her to a big open room. By a small table down on the lower floor of the cave sat a man. He was most likely another thrall. Tchick! The man collapsed forward with an arrow through his throat.

Katla moved slowly. She did not want to get bitten, and there could be more vampires in the cave. She froze as she heard steps above her. A short ramp led up to a wooden platform. She placed her bow back where she kept it before reaching for her sword. Greatsword in hand she rushed up the ramp and swung her blade. The vampire didn't have time enough to react before her head was sent flying. Thump! The headless body collapsed.

The brunette looked around up there and quickly decided not to take Harry that far into the cave. There was blood smeared out on a table and a skull standing in a bookcase by the cave wall still had chunks of flesh sticking to it. _'Disgusting,'_ she thought.

As the brunette made her way deeper into the cave, Ra'shall and Harry entered it. The feline looked up to the raised wooden platform in the room; he helped the raven to sit down just by the opening before getting up there. He swore as he noticed the dead body. He didn't have to search for the puncture wounds he could smell vampire on the man. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. He shook his head; Katla could take care of it. It did, however, mean that they were not travelling any further. Grabbing the body on the floor, he walked deeper into the cave and dumped the man off before he returned to Harry. "Come here," he said softly as he helped the boy up. He half-carried half-dragged the exhausted teen with him up on the wooden platform. It would be more comfortable for all of them to sleep up there then down on the cold stone below. He removed the thick fur they had brought with them for the teen from his backpack and bundled the boy up in it.

"Thank you," Harry said softly. Ra'shall smiled down at him. "I'll try to fix something for us to eat you look ready to drop any second now," he said.

"What about Katla?" the raven asked.

"She'll be fine and she can fix something up when she gets back," the feline man said hoping that his own worry did not show in his voice. Vampires could be really dangerous after all.

There was a bowl full of coals on fire down on ground level. Ra'shall used that to cook up some soup and warm the dumplings that hadn't gotten eaten that morning. He brought the food back up to Harry when he was done. Before sitting down, he removed his own bear fur from his backpack. He dumped the bag on the ground next to them before helping Harry off with his.

Not long after the teen had finished eating he fell asleep. His body exhausted from the constant climbing.

Ra'shall shifted the boy's body a bit but didn't even consider falling asleep yet. He probably wouldn't do that until Katla was back and could guarantee that there were no more Vampires in the cave. He reached up and removed the teen's glasses. It had to be uncomfortable to sleep with those. "Sleep well little cub," he whispered.

…

 _17th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Middas_

Ra'shall opened his eyes as his body jerked. Someone was approaching. He turned his head towards the ramp leading up to his and Harry's resting spot. The steps were familiar and so was the scent that travelled to him. "Are you alright?" he asked Katla as she came into view.

"Bloody vampires and spiders and thralls," she hissed softly. "It's a mess further in; I'm glad you didn't take Harry any further than this." She moved closer to the feline so he could help her with the straps on her armour. "Thank you," she breathed softly before pulling the plates off herself.

"There is some soup you can warm if you want it," Ra'shall told her. "I used the bowl of coal down the ramp earlier; it should still be warm enough."

The brunette nodded before disappearing down the ramp with a bowl.

"So did you find anything interesting down there?" Ra'shall asked her once she was back and had started eating. She nodded slowly as she swallowed the warm soup. "I have a glass sword for you and a book on Destruction magic and a scroll of some sort for Harry," she answered. She looked down at the raven. "I assume he ate and collapsed," she said.

Ra'shall nodded. "Yeah, if I'm going to teach him how to use a sword we're going to have to do it later. I don't think that the cold helps any," he said. "When we get to Ivarstead I can start." He moved a bit and felt how Harry shifted with him. A small smile spread over his lips as he looked down at the turf of unruly black hair in his lap which was the only part of the teen he could see. "Anything else down there?" he asked mildly interested.

"A shrine to Clavicus Vile," she answered with a shrug.

"The Daedric prince?"

"Do you know any other Clavicus?" Katla said. "I didn't mess with him though. You can return later if you want to do that."

Ra'shall nodded slowly. "I might," he said. "He is the Daedric prince of trickery and bargains after all."

"Suit yourself," Katla said. She placed her bowl down and yawned. "We should get some sleep now." She grabbed her own fur from her pack and moved up closer to Ra'shall. The best way to stay warm was to share body heat after all.

Slowly their breaths evened out as they fell asleep.


	6. Swordplay in Ivarstead

**Swordplay in Ivarstead**

Morning came eventually – even in the mountains. Light streamed in through the cave entrance. It bounced of the white snow and lit the entire cave up.

Ra'shall was the first one to wake up. He could feel himself being weighted down. As he opened his eyes and looking down, he could see Harry. The boy was lying on top of him. He breathed in slowly. He hoped that the kid wasn't stiff, but all things considered the boy would probably feel like crap when he woke up. He really hoped that he'd packed some simple healing potions those would help a bit at least.

He sat up carefully. He knew that he'd have to wake Harry soon enough, but he didn't want to do it by pushing the kid down on the floor. He had woken Katla up as he moved though. Not that she would have anything against that. He looked down at the brunette as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Amber met teal. "You should wake him up," Katla said as she reached out and ran a hand through the raven's locks.

The boy sighed contently at the comforting feeling. He drifted for awhile as those fingers combed through his hair. A groan escaped his lips as he woke up for real and came back to the reality of what they had been doing the day before. "Don't wanna," he whined as he tried to hide his face against Ra'shall's chest.

"There, there," the feline said softly. "I know you're hurting but if you'll let me get up I'll give you something for that O.K."

Green eyes looked up at him suspiciously. "Really?" the teen asked.

Ra'shall's ears moved as he met the teen's gaze. "Really," he said.

"Hmph," Harry said before slipping off the man. He pulled himself up next to Katla and sighed happily as the brunette wrapped her arms around him. "Not looking forward to today are you **_kulsezii_**?" she asked.

The raven looked up at her. "No, not really," he said shaking his head. "But it'll get better right? I'll get used to walking long ways eventually." He looked around for the familiar blur of his glasses. He couldn't see any further than two feet or so in front of him without them.

"Yes you will," Katla answered. "It'll take a while, but you'll get there eventually. I wasn't too fond of it back when I started out either, but with a bit of stubbornness you'll get far."

"Here you go this should help," Ra'shall said as he handed the teen a potion bottle.

Harry reached out for it and drank it down in a single gulp. "Thank you," he said as he returned the bottle.

The potion did wonders for his sore muscles. Thanks to it the raven had no problems keeping up with the grown-ups. They were travelling downhill now though. It was nice to get a change of pace. The sun was shining brightly. The light danced off the snow lying in heaps on either side of the road. It had stopped snowing not long before they had started their journey. High mountains reached for the sky on either side of them.

They'd been walking for about two hours when they came across another road sign. Just like the previous one it showed that they were on the right track. A rabbit crossed their path suddenly, and Harry laughed happily. He tried to chase after it and ended up knee deep in a snow bank. _'Oh, snow,'_ he thought. He smirked as his eyes fell on the sun-warmed snow. Reaching down into the cold substance, he formed it into an almost perfect ball before quickly turning towards the grown-ups and throwing it at them. _'Snowball fight.'_

"Why, you little monster," Ra'shall said as he brushed the snow from his vest. He moved up to the teen quickly, grabbed the boy and wrestled him down into the snow. "That's what you get," he said as he stood up once more, looking down at the boy lying in the snow bank with snow stuck in his hair. Green eyes were gleaming and cheeks red. A warm laughter rang through the air. The feline couldn't help but smile. Then his head was thrown forward as something cold and wet hit him to the back of his head. Turing around quickly, his eyes widened as another snowball came sailing through the air.

"Yeah, great shot Katla," Harry exclaimed. He squealed as the feline turned around to attack him once more. "No leave me alone," he cried. "Katla help!"

The woman reached them in no time. She grabbed the Khajiit by the collar before throwing him head first into the snow bank. Then she reached out for the raven and pulled him out of the snow. She brushed snow out of his hair. "Having fun?" she asked with a bright smile. She couldn't remember the last time she had done something so seemingly childish. It was so much fun.

"Mh hm," Harry said with a nod. He looked over to the pile of snow where Ra'shall was trying to get back up on his feet. He cautiously moved in behind Katla when the man actually managed to get up. "It was Katla this time don't blame me," he said.

The feline man snorted. "Why shouldn't I blame you? You started this whole mess," he said. He couldn't fool the other two with his attempt at grumpiness though. They could hear the underlying glee in his voice. He shrugged the snow out of his fur. "We should, however, keep going," he said. He would have loved to continue, but he wanted to reach Ivarstead before nightfall.

The other two nodded in agreement. All of them wanted to get this part of the journey over with as soon as possible.

Just a bit further down the road there was no more snow on the ground.

"Take your bow out Harry," Katla advised the teen. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

Green eyes moved over the nearby trees as the raven grabbed his bow from its place on the side of the backpack. He pulled an arrow from his quiver as well, for good measure. He heard a rustle in the nearby bushes as a goat came running up on the road quickly followed by two scabby looking wolves. He raised his bow, but he really didn't want to shoot them. The grey canines reminded him of Padfoot.

 ** _"_** ** _Raan,"_** Katla shouted towards the wolves. They stopped and turned towards her. She moved up in front of her companions. "Take your kill and leave," she told the wolves. "Shoo, off with you."

It was hard to tell if the canines could understand her or if they picked up on her tone and body language, but they did grab the goat they had killed and left the road.

"Thank you," Harry said as he walked up next to the brunette.

"Don't mention it," Katla said. "I don't like killing animals for no reason either."

The raven nodded slowly. He was really grateful. He reached out and grabbed her steel clad hand.

They continued down the road until they reached a small shack.

*Knock! *knock!

"Excuse me is there anyone here," Harry called as he looked inside. Ra'shall had told him that he couldn't actually smell anyone in the area, but it still felt wrong for him to just enter someone else's house without announcing himself. He entered the small shack slowly. There was a jar with a yellow winged butterfly fluttering around inside. "Poor thing," the raven mumbled as he moved up to it. He kneeled down and picked the glass jar up. If Ra'shall was right and there was no one around then he should be able to let the little creature out of its prison.

His eyes moved over the single room slowly. He was searching for anything that might tell him if whoever lived there was coming back. Green orbs fell on a small red notebook on the bedside table. Carrying the butterfly jar with him, he placed it down on the bed before picking the book up. _Alchemist's Journal_ was scribbled on the front. He opened the book up slowly and narrowed his eyes. The concoctions that Ra'shall had fed him had actually helped his sight somewhat. He still needed his glasses, but he wasn't so prone to headaches anymore. That didn't help him when it came to reading the scribbles in the journal. It was much harder to read than most text.

"Anything interesting in here?" Ra'shall asked as he entered the shack. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the doorframe.

"Well this is a journal written by the guy who lives here," Harry said as he held the book up. "He seems to have left here to search for mushrooms, but the entry isn't dated so I don't know when it happened." He looked over to the butterfly. "Do you think it's O.K. if I let him out of there?" he asked. "I don't like it that he's locked up."

Ra'shall smiled. "I'm sure that's alright. If the…" his eyes scanned over the messy room, "man comes back while we're here we can apologise to him… and if not, he won't know who let it out so it won't bother us any," he said.

Harry placed the journal back on the bedside table before looking down at the butterfly once more. He didn't like the idea of trapping the small creature in there especially if the man wasn't coming back. His mind made up, he reached out and grabbed the jar.

"That is a Monarch Butterfly," Ra'shall said. "Their wings can be used for health potions, stamina poisons and magicka poisons."

Harry looked up at him with a levelled stare. "You are not using his wings for potions," he said as he pulled the cork out of the jar. The little butterfly fluttered out of its prison quickly. It seemed quite happy to be free.

The raven followed the little winged insect outside. A big smile was plastered on his face. He reached up and fixed his glasses as they slipped down the bridge of his nose.

"Harry come here and help me with lunch please," Katla called. She had set up a small contained fire on a couple of rocks in front of the shack. She was cutting some potatoes in quarters when Harry joined her. "Here split the tomatoes in two," she said as she moved the red fruits closer to the teen. The pheasant breasts she had bought the day before were already placed on a flat stone in the fire.

"What do I do with them when I've cut them?" Harry asked. He picked up a knife and cut into the first fruit.

"Place them on … this plate," Katla said. She had reached into her pack and pulled a plate out for him. "That reminds me that I found two books you might be interested in yesterday. When the tomatoes are split you can pick them out of the pack and read them if you want. I think one of them was on Destruction Magic." She looked up at the teen and saw his eyes light up at the prospect.

Harry finished his task quickly before sticking his arm into Katla's backpack.

"There is a scroll in there for you as well," the brunette said. "Scrolls don't deplete your own magic. The magic needed to use them is in them already," she explained.

Harry nodded. That definitely could come in handy in a pinch. He pulled the old rolled up scroll out of the bag as well as the books before sliding down from the rocks to sit with his back against one of them.

Harry opened the Destruction book first. It seemed to be an essay regarding some other person's written work. He chuckled as he read through the first few parts of the text. A part of him wished he had the text that this book was talking about so he could see what was actually written in it. It didn't seem to be very intelligent if he was to believe the author of the book he was reading now. It was an interesting read though, and it did give him some grasp of what Destruction spells could do.

He eventually closed _Response to Bero's Speech_ before picking the other book up. It was the first book in a series containing history surrounding the empire.

The raven became emerged in the story as he read on. It told of the Emperors of Tamriel, giving only a small amount of information about the empire itself. The book ended by saying that the second book was about the War of the Red Diamond. He really hopped that he could get a hold of the rest of the books somehow. He knew from Ra'shall that the empire did not hold power in Skyrim right now. Ulfric Stormcloak had killed the former High King and he detested the empire.

"You're done?" Katla asked.

Harry looked up at her and nodded his head. "Yeah," he said.

"Could you find Ra'shall and tell him that the food is ready, please," she asked him.

He stood up. "Of course," he said before he started walking down towards the shack. He found the feline-man in the garden looking at some rather beautiful bright purple flower. "What is that?" he asked softly.

The dark-furred man turned towards him. "Nightshade," he answered. "It is a very poisonous plant. I want you to remember what it looks like because you shouldn't mess with it O.K. and if you ever need to pick it use gloves."

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh, O.K. I'll remember that," he said. _'They've got some really dangerous plants around,'_ he thought. "Katla says food's ready now. She wants you to come," he said.

The feline man nodded. "I'll be right there you don't have to wait around for me," he said his attention back on the flowers in front of him.

"Sure whatever," Harry said. He guessed that Ra'shall wanted to pick some of the flowers. He knew the man carried more than one apothecary's satchel with him. He also knew they were empty. Or they had been when they left home at least. He made his way back to Katla and sat down. "He'll show up when he's decided which samples of nightshade are the best over in the garden… Not that he said that," he told her.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "He's like a kid with candy when he finds really well treated ingredients," she said. "He warned you about the plant?"

"Yeah, I'll stay away from it," Harry answered. He reached out and picked one of the plates up. "How much further is it; do you know?" he asked.

"We should be able to get there by nightfall today," Katla said. "I think we should stay there tomorrow. It will give us a bit of time to rest up. Ra'shall can start teaching you, and I can make sure we have the provisions we need. The mountain is going to be cold. And the air thins out quite a lot so the climb will have to be slow enough for all of us to get used to the lack of oxygen."

Harry's mouth was full of food so he simply nodded. He liked the idea of staying a day in Ivarstead. Not that they had been travelling for that long, but still, it would be a nice change. His eyes moved over the nearby mountainside. Snow hung onto the stone still. Though, the sun was slowly melting most of it away. There were red mountain flowers growing by the side of the road. He blew on one of the hot tomatoes to cool it down before he bit into it. He could taste salt on his tongue together with the rich flavour of the fruit itself.

Ra'shall didn't join them until they were halfway done with their meal. He sat down next to Katla as he was handed his own plate with food.

"So the nightshade is good here I take it," Katla said her amber eyes inquisitive.

The feline's ears angled towards her moments before he looked up. "What?" he asked.

"It took you quite long to get here. I assumed that the flowers were to your liking. You don't usually take so long otherwise," the brunette said.

"They were very well cared for," Ra'shall said not quite understanding why she asked. She didn't usually care much for his botanic interest apart from the potions it produced.

Katla just laughed. "Poor **_vulkaaz_** … all confused," she said. "I'm just messing with you Ra'shall."

The feline man rolled his eyes. _'Sometimes,'_ he thought half irritably.

They finished their meal up and gathered their things back together before making ready to leave again. They would start out slow so none of them would get a stitch.

"Slow down," Katla said after only a short while. She pointed up ahead. "See there it's a deer," she said.

"Female by the look of things," Ra'shall said. "If we were closer to Ivarstead I would suggest taking it down, but I don't want to carry it from here."

Harry gave the feline a dark look. "She's beautiful," he said softly. Why did it always have to be about food? He understood that it was important but couldn't Ra'shall just appreciate the deer for what it was.

Continuing down the path, they could hear a bear in the distance. Wolves howled but neither made it up on the path they were walking.

Suddenly Harry could fell Katla grabbing him. "Dragon," the woman hissed. "If it attacks you need to get as far away from it as possible is that understood?" she said under her breath.

"Yeah I got it," Harry said anxiously.

Luckily for them the dragon simply soared through the sky above before heading off in the distance.

Katla relaxed the grip she had on her bow.

Ra'shall put his sword back in his belt.

They had been lucky.

Climbing the next hill, Harry could see what looked like a straw covered roof in the distance. It wasn't much further to go now. When he'd first seen a map of Skyrim it had looked so big, but truth be told it couldn't be. He'd thought it would take them way longer than a day and a half to get to Ivarstead.

Butterflies fluttered their wings on both sides of the road. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.

They slowed their pace down. There was no need to hurry.

Harry closed his eyes and focused on his magic. A ghostly shape came into view next to him. It was a beautiful eagle with a feline body. It spread its wings and screeched soundlessly. "Go on," he said, "fly around a bit." He really loved the feel of his new magic. His familiar was amazing.

"You'll have to end that spell when we get closer to town," Katla said watched the strange creature. "People around here are generally not too happy about magic." She moved forward so she could place her arm around the teen's shoulders.

"I know," Harry said. He looked up at the griffin flying above them. "But I wanted to let her fly for a bit. I miss flying," he said with a sigh.

Ra'shall looked at the teen doubtfully. "You could fly?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "On brooms," he said. "It sounds silly I know, but witches and wizards have brooms that can fly." He looked up at his familiar once more. "I was pretty good at flying. There was this competition we used to have. You had two teams of seven persons in each flying around. Three persons from each team try to get this ball called a Quaffle through a set of hoops on either side of the field you play in. The hoops are guarded by a Keeper and there are two Beaters on each team trying to hit these two balls called Bludgers at the opposing team and there is one player called a Seeker that tries to catch this tiny golden ball called a Snitch. The ball is really fast. I was a Seeker," he explained.

Katla smiled softly at the teen. She wasn't sure that she'd understood even half of what he'd said, but his enthusiasm was contagious. It felt good to hear about the world he'd lived in before he joined them. She was glad he felt safe enough with them to tell them things even if they weren't all that important. Well, important for them to understand what the teen's life had been like. He obviously loved flying.

They had reached the bridge that would take them over a small outlet from Lake Geir and into the town. A town guard was walking their way slowly.

Harry closed his eyes and focused on his magic once more. The griffin flying overhead disappeared.

Katla smiled down at the raven. She was glad that they had made it without any bigger problems. Climbing the mountain itself would be challenging enough as it was. She greeted the guard as the woman passed them.

Ivarstead was a small community located next to the Throat of the World. Most of the people living there weren't too interested in staying since nothing ever happened there. No major road passed by the town. The only travellers who came there were people who were interested in walking the seven-thousand steps. The first building they approached was the inn they would be staying in. It was located just after the bridge.

Katla led her companions inside and up to the innkeeper. She grabbed her helmet and pulled it off. "Do you have any rooms for us Wilhelm?" she asked.

"Lady Katla," the man said surprised. "Back to walk the seven-thousand steps again so soon?"

"Yes unfortunately," Katla responded. "I have dealings with the Greybeards up there."

The innkeeper nodded. "Well, there shouldn't be any problems with rooms. I see your group has grown since last time around. I'll give you the double room and a single then. You can figure out who goes where I'm sure," he said. Then he hesitated. "I wonder Lady Katla if you and yours wouldn't mind checking something out for us. There is a ghost wandering about by the barrow east of town. It is bad for business and scares the local folk."

Katla's brow furrowed. She looked over her shoulder at Ra'shall. "What do you say?" she asked.

The feline shrugged. "I can go over and take a look. If it isn't too dangerous we could bring Harry along." He looked down at the teen. "Dealing with a couple of ghosts doesn't sound too bad right?" he asked.

The raven shook his head. "No," he said.

"Then that's decided," Katla said. "We'll look into the barrow for you Wilhelm, don't worry about it. Just let us unload the things we don't need, and we'll check it out."

"Thank you Lady Katla," Wilhelm said gratefully. "You can find your own way to the rooms. The single room is the one to your immediate left."

"Thank you," Katla said as she placed the required coin on the counter. With her hands placed on Harry's shoulders, she led the teen into a room with two beds in it. "Pick a bed and get rid of anything you won't need now," she said calmly.

The raven nodded and walked away from her. He grabbed the straps of his backpack and pulled it off before dumping it on the bed in front of him. He only needed to bring the bow and his quiver. He had his familiar and his frost spell if the bow wasn't enough.

"Ready to go?" Katla asked as she walked back to the room's exit. She held out a hand towards the teen as he came walking up to her. Wrapping it around his shoulders, she guided him back out of the inn. "Knowing Ra'shall he's already there," she said. "We won't enter without his clearance but since none of the townsfolk have been hurt I see no reason why we can't go up there."

They passed by a small house and walked up a path between some boulders to a dome-like structure made entirely of stone. It was old. Moss was growing in big sheets on it, and roots had climbed in through the stone floor.

"What is this?" Harry asked quietly.

"An old tomb," Katla answered. "There are many of them throughout Skyrim. Nords of old were buried in these." She pointed to an open tomb. "Many of them have been looted over the years," she said.

There was a skeleton lying inside the open casket.

"Bandits and adventurers travel all over the country to find places like these where no one has been. Some of them bring their own treasures with them. Many never make it back out," the brunette said. "The three of us shouldn't have any bigger problems though. Over the years I've learned how these places work."

Harry nodded.

"You don't seem all that scared of the prospect of ghosts," she noted.

The raven shrugged. "In the castle where I went to school we had ghosts. Most of them were friendly, but ghosts back there can't hurt people. Do they work differently here?" he asked realising that most things were different so maybe this was as well.

Katla had raised an eyebrow at the information she was given. "Yes," she said, "most ghosts or spirits around here are not friendly. And many of them are perfectly capable of attacking people."

"Oh, O.K. I'll be careful then," Harry said. He needed to remember that this wasn't Earth. Things worked different here. He could get himself killed by assuming things.

The door they had stopped by a moment earlier opened revealing a rather confused looking feline. "Well, I can't find anything in here that could possibly be a problem for Harry," he said. "I can't really find anything that would point to their ghost either but…" He shrugged.

"We can at least do a thorough search of the place," Katla said. "Maybe Harry will find something we'd miss."

They entered the barrow slowly. It was dark in there. A spiral staircase led them down to a corridor that looked ready to cave in. One of the bearing pillars were leaning over the path. Rubble covered the ground. They passed a brazier filled with burning coal. It filled the tunnel with dancing yellow light.

As they passed into the next room a voice cut through the voice eerily. "Leave this place… leave this place," it said.

Harry pointed to the left.

"Leave… leave… leave…"

"Is that supposed to be the ghost?" he asked.

Ra'shall turned towards the bluish spectra the teen was pointing too. "Well, yes that would be it," he said. It smelled wrong though… or rather it smelled. Ghosts did not have a scent. "Be careful Harry," he said.

The teen nodded. "Will do," he said. He almost jumped out of his skin as a set of bars fell down behind them with a crash. "What… the… hell," he said shakily.

"Sorry!" Katla called. "I think I've found what we need to move on ahead. I just have to pull the right ones." She looked back at the leavers around her.

"Are you trying to give us heart-attacks?!" Harry called back.

Katla didn't respond. She was too busy not getting hit by a round of poisonous arrows that had shot out of the walls as she pulled one of the leavers. "Not that one," she mumbled. She reached out again grabbing the one closest to the gate out to her left and pulled it up. "There we go," she said as the bars in front of her and the bars at the far end of the room by Harry and Ra'shall rose. She turned around and gave the room a last onceover. There was a book lying on the table in there. She picked it up. Judging by the symbol on the cover it was a book on Illusions.

"Can I make it up to you with a book?" she asked as she reached the other two. She held the book out to Harry.

"Maybe," the raven said. He accepted the book and looked at the title: _Before the Ages of Man_ it read. It might be interesting. He'd look into it later. Now he was more interested in seeing what was going on with this weird ghost.

He followed Ra'shall into the next room. It had a set of bars covering one path and a black iron door in the other direction. He moved up to the door and pushed it. "It's locked," he said.

Ra'shall looked over his shoulder at Katla. "You want me to open this one. Not going to try and kick the door open?" he said.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Iron door and stone walls, I don't think so," she answered sarcastically.

Ra'shall chuckled as he walked up next to the raven haired teen. "Let me deal with this. It'll be open in no time," he said. He pulled two iron tools out of a pouch by his belt. He placed them in the lock and moved them slowly. A click sounded through the room. The door swung open slowly. The room beyond was dark.

"Wait a second," Harry said. "I can light this up for us." He held his hands out, and a glow spread over his palms. It lifted above them and rose until it was hanging over his head. _'That is way better than a lumos,'_ he noted. The orb was far bigger and he didn't have to hold on to a wand. He started walking into the dark hall when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned around, hands out and shot a cloud of frozen spikes at what had scared him.

It was a corpse. They had seen others like it earlier, but it had been lighter in the room then. "What are those?" he asked as he looked up at Ra'shall.

"Mummified Nords that once served the Dragon Priests. Some even know a bit of dragon language like Katla, though she is different," Ra'shall answered. "You have to be careful with them because they are sometimes … well… not alive but they move around are animate. Sometimes they stand still like this and only 'wake up' when travellers come near." He placed his hands on the raven's shoulders. "It is always better to attack them needlessly then be attacked by them with your back turned."

They continued down the corridor. Ra'shall noticed a trap set up but no switch. "Oh, don't do that," he said and grabbed the teen's arm. The boy had reached out for a chest standing at the end of the corridor. "You see that," he said and pointed to a thin string attached to the lid of the chest. "That activates a trap if it breaks. It needs to be disabled before we open the chest. If I'm not around to do that, however, you can locate where the trap is and just not stand there when you break the string." He reached out and disabled the trap.

There wasn't really anything revolutionary in the chest. Some arrows a bit of gold and an old potions vial that probably was better left alone.

Ra'shall pointed out where the trap in the room was as they left.

Katla was waiting for them in the previous room. She reached out for a chain and pulled it as they approached her. A set of spikes shot out of the wall down in the stairs beyond the now raised bars. "Makes you happy that you don't just run on ahead in places like this," she said. "Note for the future. Be very careful when you open doors of any kind," she told Harry.

Taking that warning to heart, the raven pushed the next set of doors open and stepped back rather than walking in with the doors. It turned out to have been a good idea when fire shot out from all corners of the room like flamethrowers. _'O.K. that's a bit over the edge,'_ he thought.

There were big wooden doors on the other side of a water filled floor.

"There is no point in going that way right now," Katla said behind him. "There is a door over there we need a key to get through. Ra'shall can't pick that lock it's too complicated for that." She pulled the teen closer and led him back out to Ra'shall. "Even if we find the key, we won't go down there. At least not until after we get back from High Hrothgar."

Ra'shall pushed the next door open. Light danced over the walls. He sniffed in the air and scrunched his nose. Whoever this 'ghost' was, he didn't smell good. He pulled his sword from his belt. _'Might as well be prepared,'_ he thought. It wasn't a bad thought. The spectral man attacked as soon as he stepped foot in the next room. He was glad that Katla had found him a glass sword as it wouldn't lead the lightning through it. He moved forward quickly and grabbed the man's arm before quickly decapitating him. The spectral body shimmered and then it turned solid. He let it fall to the floor. Looking up, he could see Harry walking up to the table in the room while doing his best to not look at the dead body.

The teen picked up a small note book. "Journal of Wyndelius Gatharian," he read. "4E 200, 18th of Morning Star. I've set up camp inside the barrow. This has to be the place. According to all of my research, the burial chamber should be located here. All I need is some time to undisturbed to find the claw. It must be hidden here somewhere." He stopped. "Claw?" he asked.

Katla nodded. "The key that is needed to open the door in the other room," she said. "It is shaped like a dragon's claw."

"Oh, O.K." the raven said. He looked back down into the journal. "Seven days later he writes, 'Had a close call today that fool Wilhelm. He came close to entering the barrow, but I was able to scare off by rattling some pottery shards in a bag. These people are far too suspicious for their own good. Gives me an idea.' Then he writes about some potion he wants to create. Most likely the one on the table there," he pointed at a vial standing on the table. "On the 27th of Morning Star he manages. He keeps on looking for the claw for months and … Well, he seems to be going just a tad bit insane. The last entry is different though. It says First Era year 1050, 'They shall not take my treasure. They shall all pay dearly for their crimes. Any who set foot within these walls will taste my wrath, my power. I am the guardian of Shroud Hearth Barrow! All who oppose me will fall…" he stopped reading. "Why is the last date all messed up?" he asked.

Katla shrugged. "It could have something to do with whatever maleficent spirit is buried here, I guess," she said. She reached out and picked up a dagger from the table. "You should keep this with you Harry," she said as she handed the dagger over to him.

"O.K. Thanks Katla," the raven said. He rolled the dagger in his hand. It seemed really sharp. It wouldn't hurt to carry it around. Who knew when it would come in handy?

…

Harry was sitting in bed later that night. He had the book Katla had given him earlier in his lap. The Dragon Claw that Wilhelm had given them for dealing with the so-called ghost was lying next to him. It was a very beautiful sapphire adorned claw. It really looked like it could be shaped after a dragon.

His eyes fell back to the passage he was reading.

 _When Magic (Magnus), architect of the plans for the mortal world, decided to terminate the project, the Gods convened at the Adamantine Tower, Direnni Tower, the oldest known structure in Tamriel and decided what to do. Most left when Magic did. Others sacrificed themselves into other forms so that they might stay (the Ehlnofey). Lorkhan was condemned by the Gods to exile in the mortal realms, and his heart was torn out and cast from the Tower. Where it landed, a Volcano formed. With Magic…_

"It's time to sleep now **_kulsezii_** ," Katla said softly.

"Mhhm, let me just finish the chapter it's only a line and a bit left," the raven said. He found the books on magic in Skyrim far more interesting than the ones he'd read back on Earth. Maybe it had something to do with how direct they were. In a lot of cases they didn't talk around things they just dived right in.

"Sure, as long as you don't keep going," she said softly.

* * *

 _18th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Turdas_

Harry looked down at the training sword Ra'shall had made for him. He was excited. The feline-man was going to teach him how to use a sword. He knew it would probably be just as difficult as learning how to use his bow which he still wasn't very good with. Sure he could hit an unmoving target but anything above that was difficult. He'd get better with practice he knew that.

It was nice to have something else to vary his training with though. And he liked the idea of having a close combat weapon. Not that he was strong enough to handle the real thing yet. Of course, it would be better if he knew how to use it first either way. Last time he had held a sword he hadn't had a clue how to use it. He had relied on luck to survive that time. He didn't want to do that again.

They had gone back up to the barrow since they didn't want to get in trouble with the townsfolk.

"O.K. Harry I need you to remember that balance is of the essence. Keep you feet apart and your knees slightly bent. We will do this from an experience viewpoint. I will attack you – slowly at first. Since the most we can get from these are bruises, I just want you to catch my strikes to begin with. I'll correct you if needed. I believe that everyone has their own style when fighting, and I want you to find yours," Ra'shall said.

The raven nodded determined. He moved his feet apart trying to find his centre of gravity. He shifted the grip he had on his practice sword. Ra'shall moved rather quickly, but the strike he landed didn't hurt at all. The man didn't stop attacking. He just kept going. One hit after the next. "Use both your feet and your sword to block or move out of the way," the Khajiit said. "Your first lesson is to not get hit."

Harry took a deep breath. He couldn't learn the man's pattern: he didn't use one. It meant that he would have to get good enough at reading muscle movement to see where the blow was going to come from. He was well aware of the fact that Ra'shall could get much faster then he was at the moment.

Boot-clad feet moved back quickly. A wooden sword went up to catch the blade heading towards him. The swords barely touched before Ra'shall had moved back to change his approach.

Strike

Strike … Block

Strike

Harry backed off a bit. That last hit had hurt. He raised his blade to catch the next strike. Breathing in an attempt to calm himself, he moved in towards the feline once more. He was nothing if not stubborn.

…

Katla sighed. She'd bought supplies for the following couple of days. It wouldn't be fun travelling up the mountain; it never was. The cold even got to her, and the lack of air was highly annoying. _'I wish we didn't actually have to go up to those old geezers,'_ she thought.

She opened the front door to the inn and stepped outside. It was time for lunch. She'd ordered their food already. Now she just needed to find the other two. They could probably do with a pause anyway.

Ra'shall had said they would head up to the burrow so she guessed she should go up there to look for them. As she got closer to the old tomb, she could hear Harry's frustrated cries. _'Definitely time for them to take a break,'_ she thought. She walked around the barrow and up behind Ra'shall. Her hand went out quickly and grabbed the man's wooden sword as he prepared to strike once more. "Gotcha," she said cockily. She yanked the blade to the side and the feline went stumbling with it. He landed on his knees next to her. "I think Harry has had enough for now," she said. She held her hand out to the teen.

The raven was panting lightly. "Thanks Katla," he said. He whipped the sweat that had gathered on his brow off. "I get so into it I don't realise how tired it makes me…" he took a few steps forward, "or how much it hurts," he said. He walked up next to the brunette. "He doesn't hit hard, but he's landed a lot of hits."

"You're getting better though," Ra'shall said. "You can tell where the blow is coming from now even if you're not fast enough to stop it." He stood up. "We'll do some movement exercises after we've eaten.

The day continued much in the same fashion.

Ra'shall and Harry kept training while Katla got things ready for their trip up the mountain.

The teen was a bit sore but really happy with himself that evening. He finished his book on Illusion magic that evening before falling asleep.


	7. The seven-thousand steps that aren't

**The seven-thousand steps that aren't**

 _19th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Fredas_

 _Before the birth of men, the Dragons ruled all Mundus_

 _Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs_

 _For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land_

It was getting colder.

Snow had started clinging to the ground.

The sky was lighting up slowly. Clouds blocked out the sun, matching the white ground below.

Harry let out a yawn. His breath was coming out in a mist of white smoke every time he breathed. They had left before the sun rose that morning. When they had started heading up the way to High Hrothgar he'd considered counting the steps, but he really was too tired to bother. Who cared how many steps there were? Not him – at least not this time around.

He stopped by another etched tablet so he could kneel down and read it.

 _Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus_

 _The Dragons presided over the crawling masses_

 _Men were weak then, and had no Voice_

"Well I guess that's interesting," the raven mumbled. Maybe it would get clearer as they got higher up. He wondered what the tablets were really about. Looking up to the sky, he could see the sun braking through the clouds. Up the path a couple of goats were climbing around.

They continued up the stairs slowly.

The sun clouded over once more.

Snow started falling in big flakes. One couldn't quite say that is was actually snowing yet though. Suddenly Harry was pulled back behind Katla. He looked over at Ra'shall, who had drawn his green leaf-bladed sword. _'What's going on?'_ he wondered. Then he heard it. A strange hissing sounded through the air. _'What is that?'_

"Back off a bit Harry. It's an Ice Wraith," Katla said. "They're fast I don't want you to get hit. We need to remember to make some sort of armour for you later together with a sword that is more your size." She loosened her greatsword from her back. She would have to figure out how to do that later. She was just a bit busy now.

Ra'shall raised his blade as the shimmering bluish-white serpentine elemental struck out towards him. He took half a strep back and grabbed his sword with both hands before slamming it down on the monsters tail. It hissed at him, but when it tried to slither around in the air to strike at him again, Katla twisted her blade before cutting up straight through it.

A broken hiss drifted through the air as the wraith fell to the ground.

"So, what are Ice Wraiths?" Harry asked as he moved back up to the grown-ups.

Ra'shall kneeled down next to what was left of the monster. "They are pure ice and snow," he said. "They are elementals. Spirits of Nirn. You have to watch out when you fight them though 'cause they can inflict witbane on you. It's a disease that affects magic usage - makes it a lot harder to handle magicka. Dogs, Zombies and Sabre Cats can inflict it as well. It doesn't really affect Katla or me since we don't use magic, but you would get problems," he said.

Harry nodded slowly as he absorbed the information.

"They also make for great potions ingredients," the feline-man said. "Mixed right their teeth can make you invisible, and you can inflict weakness to frost or fire on your enemies with it." He stood up and looked around. He couldn't see anything that could cause anymore danger. "We should keep going," he said.

Katla nodded as she fastened her sword back to her baldric.

"Can I let my familiar out?" Harry asked the grown-ups. He really wanted to let his griffin fly.

Katla blinked surprised and Ra'shall laughed. "Go ahead **_kulsezii_** ," the brunette said chuckling softly. "Your familiar will help keep us safe. Travellers up here will just have to cope." She reached out towards him and ruffled his hair affectionately.

Harry held his hands out, and the air before him shimmered before his griffin familiar appeared. "Can you keep a watch on the path ahead of us please," the raven asked.

The griffin screeched and took off into the air.

As they kept walking, they could see big paw prints in the snow but no creature. When he asked, Harry was told that they probably belonged to a sabre cat. Snow covered the ground now. It made it a lot more difficult to get anywhere. They had to be careful whenever there were steps since the cold made them slippery.

Harry looked out over the world around them. The mist was so thick that he could barely see anything. He guessed that the view would be beautiful on a clear day though. A cold wind was blowing from the south-west.

"You should put another coat on," Katla said. "We don't want you to get sick." She reached out and helped him take his pack off before she dug a thick fur coat out of the bag. She helped him put it on before pulling his hood up over his head. "There," she said softly. "That's better." She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead.

The raven's chest filled with warmth. It had been such a simple gesture but it meant so much. His cheek reddened a little and his eyes twinkled happily. He bent down and picked his backpack up from the ground as Katla moved away.

…

 _The fledgling spirits of Men were strong in Old Times_

 _Unafraid to war with Dragons and their Voice_

 _But the Dragons only shouted them down and broke their hearts_

They continued up the mountain slowly. The wind was blowing strongly in their faces. It made it much harder to carry on. They travelled up and down the mountainside with the flow that the mountain itself had created over time.

Eventually Katla reached out and grabbed onto Harry. She pulled him up behind her so that she took the blunt of the wind for him. It made the teen really grateful. It was difficult to keep going, and the wind was tiring him out really fast.

They continued like that until about midday – or what seemed like midday. With no sun it was hard to tell. As they stopped for a quick meal, they huddled together to keep warm. They didn't bother trying to cook anything. Katla had planed for that when she had geared up, and they ate quickly.

Harry's familiar showed up and screeched at him. The raven reached out and petted the half-bird half-lion. "Thank you for helping us," he said. He really liked the half-bird half-lion. She was beautiful. The griffin cooed and bumped its head against his palm. He laughed happily. Bright green eyes looked over at the grown-ups. He smiled brightly. He'd never felt this good before. Sure it had been building for a while, but the feeling really hit home now. Katla moved up to him slowly and wrapped her arms around him. She reached out with one hand to pet his familiar. "She's really beautiful," she said.

"Yeah," Harry said. He bit his bottom lip shyly as he moved back against her. She was warm and felt safe. He'd never had someone he could rely on like Katla and Ra'shall before. Sirius could have been that kind of person for him. If the man hadn't been an escapee hunted by pretty much everyone.

He sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Katla asked softly.

Harry shook his head. "Not really," he said. "I was just thinking about the people back home."

"Something you want to share dear?" she asked.

Harry was about to say no. He pretty much always did when people asked things like that… but he didn't really want to, did he? He liked these people. Sometimes Katla even felt like… he didn't want to go there – didn't want to get his hopes up. Where did he want to start? The beginning sounded good but… he let out another sigh. "Let me just figure out how to tell you and make sense," he said. He had to get his thoughts straight before he could tell them anything.

Katla chuckled. "Of course **_kulsezii_**. Take your time," she said before she stood up. "In the mean time we should keep going." She had no wish to push him. She'd happily wait for him to be ready to tell her.

The raven nodded as he stood up as well.

 _Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man_

 _Together they taught Men to use the Voice_

 _The Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue_

Harry walked lost in thought for a while. The tablets were telling him how Man had first learned dragon language. It was rather interesting. He wondered if Paarthurnax was still around. How long did dragons live really?

His thoughts were centred on how to tell his companions about his past though. He'd been contemplating telling Katla and Ra'shall about his life on Earth before, but he'd always found a reason not to. His biggest one was that he was afraid of being hurt. He was scare of being left behind … forgotten. He really liked the Nord and Khajiit. They were actually interested in knowing about him and this time… for the first time in his life he could tell someone his version. How he'd seen things and they wouldn't second guess him as long as he spoke the truth. "You already know that I didn't grow up with my parents," he said to start with. "I mean I guess I didn't say so straight out but…" He fell silent.

"It was implied," Katla said with a comforting smile. She reached out and placed and arm around the raven's shoulders.

Harry nodded. "I lived with my Aunt and her family because a man who called himself Voldemort killed my parents when I was just a bit over a year old," he explained. "They didn't like magic at all. I guess they're afraid of it. I grew up with them because the man that should have taken care of me after my parents' deaths was falsely imprisoned for twelve years before he escaped." He felt how Katla's arm tightened around his shoulders filling him with comfort. "My childhood was… shity. I … I really don't want to talk about it. The main thing you need to know is that I knew NOTHING about magic." Maybe he would tell them more specific details later.

"You did say that most people don't know about magic over there," Ra'shall said. "That's seems pretty weird. How do you hide magic like that?"

"Years of practice I think," Harry said. Not that anyone had ever told him. "We have been hiding for a long time … well unless you start counting by Nirn years. I'm pretty sure that this place has actually been to and passed the level of civilization that Earth is at now." He shrugged. "Either way I fist learned about magic when a half-giant named Hagrid scared the crap out of my Aunt and her family before telling me about this school called Hogwarts where witches and wizards can learn magic arts. I was eleven. Hagrid took me to a place where magicfolk can buy loads of stuff, but we were there for school supplies. I walked in there completely unaware of the fact that every single witch and wizard in the country knew my name. I was famous and had no idea about it. Suddenly people were interested in knowing me. They ogled me and whispered about me. They didn't really care about me though… most of them at least. Most people only cared about my fame."

"Why were you famous?" Ra'shall asked.

"Oh, yeah… I was famous because the guy who killed my parents somehow blew himself up when he tried to kill me as a baby," Harry answered.

"He attacked a helpless infant?" Katla exclaimed outraged. _'If I ever…'_ she tightened her grip on the raven momentarily as she tried to calm herself. _'Calm Katla don't burn a fuse.'_

Harry nodded. "Yes, and I still don't know why… Not that it really matters to me now," he said. If he ever had to deal with Voldemort again he would. Hopefully he would be way more prepared if he ever met the crazy wizard again. He paused for a moment. "My familiar found something to attack," he pointed out.

Katla looked up. "It's a troll," she said while reaching for her bow. "Don't worry we'll deal with it. You can keep going."

"O.K. so. Eh, yeah, I got to the school, and it was fun when, you know, people weren't trying to kill me. My first year it turned out that Voldemort didn't actually die when he got blown up. His spirit was torn from his body, and he wandered around like that for years before he found this guy who taught at Hogwarts and decided to possess him I guess. So that whole year I had to dodge his somewhat hidden attempts at killing me. It ended with me killing his vessel through cheer dumb luck," Harry said.

Tchick! Katla was glad she could rid herself of some built up anger by killing the troll. The grown-ups in Harry's past really ticked her off. They would not be alive still if she could get to them.

They could see how the troll up ahead fell down from its vantage point on the cliffside. The griffin jumped up in the air with a screech.

Harry held his hands out. "I can't hold her longer then that yet," he said. "Not without exhausting myself which would make me useless for the rest of the trip." He could feel the strain on his magic disappear. He'd been working on holding that spell for longer and longer periods of time. It was his favourite spell so he had worked with it more than most of the other spells he had learned.

They walked into a low canyon lined with ice and snow. Passing the dead troll, Ra'shall bent down to gather some ingredients from it.

As he joined up with the others, Harry started up his story again. "My second year at the school there was a giant snake moving around the piping attacking students," he said. "By the end of the year I and a classmate of mine had figured out where the snake lived. We went down there because his little sister had been kidnapped. Naturally I ended up alone, you can ask me questions later, and I had to face the snake alone. It was a basilisk. Basilisks are huge snakes with lethal poison that will kill you in an instance. And they can kill you if you look them in the eyes," he explained. "But I killed it with a sword … and got bit in the process." He could fell Katla stopping behind him. "But you are here with us now," she said.

"Yes," Harry said, "because there is another creature on Earth that I don't know if you have here called a phoenix. A phoenix's tears have healing powers way beyond anything else. They are fire birds that can lift many times their own weight. No one knows for how long they live since their bodies catch fire and burn when they get old only for them to be reborn from the ashes. A phoenix saved me from dying," he explained.

…

 _Man prevailed, shouting Alduin out of the world_

 _Proving for all that their Voice too was strong_

 _Although their sacrifices were many-fold_

"So Man defeated Aldiun and now he's back," Harry mumbled. "Great what's with these creatures and coming back to life?" He stepped down from the altar and moved back to Katla.

"So first year and second year of school you ended up in situations were you almost died and no one was there to help you?" the brunette said.

The raven nodded. "My third year I thought this man was out to get me but it turned out that he was my godfather…"

"God father?" Ra'shall said questioningly.

"It's a man that is chosen by a child's parents to take care of the child in case something happens to the parents," Harry explained. "So… my godfather Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban, which is a prison located on an island and guarded by beings called Dementors. Their presence either drains happiness from a person or brings out fear and horror from their past. I don't really know which. Either way they make you feel like shit. They are also capable of sucking out a person's soul. They're pretty horrible." He shuddered. "That year the Minister for Magic, like one of the Jarls here, had ordered Dementors to guard the school."

"Wait they sent soul sucking monsters to guard a school full of children?" Katla said disbelievingly. "Is there any way to protect yourself against them or fight them?"

"There is a way to guard yourself, but kids really aren't powerful enough to learn it and most grown-ups don't know it either since Dementors pretty much never leave the prison," Harry said. "So I meet the man that was supposed to have taken care of me and then we were attacked by Dementors. Fortunately for us me and a friend of mine decided to travel back in time to save Sirius and a creature named Buckbeak so I could save myself from the Dementors. I spent quite some time learning the spell that guards you against the creatures earlier that year."

"So kids aren't powerful enough but you managed?" Ra'shall said.

Harry snorted. "Well yeah, I learnt it but it only worked when I really needed it too. A bit like how I killed the wolf…" he fell silent. His breath was fogging his glasses up. It was really annoying.

Cold wind was pulling snow up in their faces. The air was thinner than they were used to. They had slowed down so they wouldn't faint from light-headedness.

Reaching a set of stairs leading down, Harry slipped and could have fallen to his death if it hadn't been for the brunette walking in front of him. She'd turned around and caught him as he fell. After that she hadn't let go of him. Her arms had wrapped around him tightly as she tried to keep him safe.

"So you're fourteen right?" Ra'shall said. "How far into the school year did you manage to get before being sent here?"

"Not far but I was entered into a competition where I have to compete against three other students who are seventeen or eighteen – I'm not sure which. And I shouldn't have been in the competition to begin with. Someone else entered my name. But because of the magic involved I was forced to compete. We hadn't actually gotten to competing yet though. So I guess that if I get back there I might actually stand a chance. It's another situation where I'll have to fight for my life … if I ever go back," he said.

"Idiots," Ra'shall muttered. His doubts about keeping the teen with them had been slowly fading as time passed. The more he heard now the angrier he was getting. He was feeling really protective of the kid. Ever since that day he'd come back to the house and the wolf had been lying dead outside.

…

 _With roaring Tongues; the Sky-Children conquer_

 _Founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice_

 _Whilst the Dragons withdrew from this World_

Harry walked away from the script. The tablets were interesting. He didn't really get why they existed along the way up to High Hrothgar, but they were fascinating.

It was getting colder.

Harry moved up closer to Katla seeking her warmth out. The brunette smiled softly at him as she wrapped an arm around him.

The wind was blowing strongly pulling powder snow with it while more snow kept falling.

Questions were swimming through Katla's head. She wasn't going to ask any until she had them ordered though. It wasn't far 'til the next tablet. She followed the raven up to the altar this time. She didn't want to leave him alone in the cold.

 _The Tongues at Red Mountain went away humbled_

 _Jurgen Windcaller began his Seven Year Meditation_

 _To understand how Strong Voices could fail_

 _…_

 _Jurgen Windcaller chose silence and returned_

 _The 17 disputants could not show Him down_

 _Jurgen the Calm built His home on the Throat of the World_

Ra'shall wrapped his arms around himself. He hated the cold. Not that he wanted Katla to cuddle him like she was doing with Harry at the moment. He tsked. The kid had it good. _'With his past he could do with some cuddling,'_ he thought. It wasn't like he'd had a lot of that when he was younger.

At least it wasn't much further to go.

Around the next corner and they would be able to see the big fortress.

"That's big," Harry whispered. He looked around the place. "Oh another shrine," he said. He walked over to it. Katla following closely behind him.

 _For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name_

 _Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to Hrothgar_

 _They blessed and named him Dovahkiin_

"So Tiber Septim was the first Dovahkiin," Harry mumbled.

"O.K. can we get inside now," Ra'shall said. "It's fucking cold out here."

Katla laughed. "Well, sure kitten we'll get you out of the cold," she said teasingly.

Ra'shall grumbled as they headed up towards the fortress slowly. The wind didn't touch the snow there as often. Because of that, it lay much deeper in front of the building. Eventually Katla reached out for Harry. "Come here honey. Let me help you," she said.

The raven looked up at her. He was wading through snow. It reached all the way up to his chest. "Please," he said and reached out for the woman. "I'm co…cold," he stuttered. He pointed towards another shrine. "What does that say?" he asked as he was pulled up against the brunette's chest. He wrapped his legs around her waist not really thinking about how that would look. It was soothing.

"If I remember correctly it says something along the lines of: 'The Voice is worship, follow the Inner path and speak only in True Need.'"

"Oh, O.K. that sounds weird," Harry mumbled. All this snow really was cold. He lay his head down against her shoulder and sighed. But Katla was warm so it was alright. He hoped that Ra'shall was doing O.K. He couldn't see the feline-man anymore.

At least it would get warmer when they got inside.

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading this story :) I hope that you will continue to enjoy it.

And an extra shout out to my reviewers. You mean a lot.


	8. On Top of the World

**On Top of the World**

Katla leaned back against the stone bed behind her. They had entered High Hrothgar and the Greybeards had greeted them. They had however decided to spare any important conversations 'til the next day since it was getting late and the travellers were weary. They had set up in the area of the monastery where the Greybeards slept when necessary.

After eating, Katla had convinced Harry to go to bed.

The teen was sleeping now. His breath came in slow calm puffs.

"We can't leave him here," Katla said picking up a conversation that had been going on since they'd first found the teen. "He trusts us now. He wouldn't have told us what he has otherwise. We can't just abandon him like so many others have." She wasn't sure she would be able to live with herself if they abandoned him now.

Ra'shall sighed. "So you want to put him in danger. You know he won't be safe with us. We have met vampires and almost gotten attacked by a dragon just on this trip," he tried to reason.

"But he held his own just fine," Katla said. "And I know that with us isn't the safest, but considering what he's been through, that's not the problem. His problem is that no one has ever protected him before. We protect him. He feels safer with us then he's ever felt before. I mean people abandoned him because he could talk to snakes." She looked up at the raven. They were talking quietly so he wouldn't wake up since she didn't want to leave him alone in there. "And they all thought that he wanted to be in the competition so most students hate him for cheating. And the grown-ups around him did NOTHING to help him."

The feline closed his eyes. He didn't really have any good arguments against the teen staying with them anymore. He wanted Harry to stay with them. He just didn't want the teen to get hurt. "Let's hear what the Greybeards have to say about the dragon language you heard before we make any permanent decisions. Maybe he is supposed to stay here?" he said quietly.

Katla nodded slowly. "You're right," she said with a sigh. "IF the dragon language I heard and that Harry heard tells him to stay here, he'll stay but otherwise he's coming with us." She was determined. "But even if he has to stay here we won't just leave him." Harry … he was … well… She shifted so that she could reach up and place a hand on the teen's knee. He hadn't been with them long. But… she didn't want to continue without him. Didn't want to leave him.

Ra'shall nodded. "You should get some sleep," he said softly. He needed some time to himself so he could think. "These people don't like having me around much, but I guess I can nap while you and Harry are up to other things later." He stood up. "I'll probably move around for a bit this place makes me restless."

Katla rolled her eyes. She knew that it wasn't so much that the old men disliked the feline. It was more like he got so restless while they were there that he drove them mad. She pulled herself up so she was sitting next to Harry. Reaching out, she ran her fingers through his thick hair. "Sleep well," she whispered. She stood up and moved up to the bed facing the one the teen was in. The feline had left and she hoped he wouldn't get into trouble.

Ra'shall sighed. He was standing outside despite the cold. There was more noise out on the mountain than inside the monastery. The lack of sound drove him nuts. He'd try to behave this time around though… for Harry's sake. Poor kid had been through more than he should have by his age.

…

 _20th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Loredas_

Katla sat down on a chair in the conference room. She had asked for all of the Greybeards to join them. She wanted them to hear what they had to say even though most of them would not speak. The gray clad men joined her and Harry one by one.

"Sky above, voice within," Arngeir said as he sat down. "You wish to speak with us Dragonborn."

Katla nodded. "There are two things I wish to discuss with you learned ones," she said. "First off I was contacted by the Blades sometime ago in connection to acquiring the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller."

"The Blades," Arngeir said. "I should have known they would find you. They have a way of meddling in business not their own."

Harry tilted his head to the side. These men obviously did not like the Blades. He wondered why.

"That may be so. Still they showed me something that might be necessary if we are to defeat Alduin," Katla said. "I'm no fool. I will not simply believe what they have shown me which is why I am here now. They showed me Alduin's Wall, and it seemed as if a shout is necessary to defeat the World-Eater."

Arngeir sighed. "As long as you do not blindly follow their folly. Long have the Blades tried to lead the Dragonborn from the path of wisdom," he said. "Be careful with them. They may say that they serve the Dragonborn, but they do not."

"I understand Arngeir. I will be careful," Katla said. "But this shout… the one that defeated Alduin … do you know it?"

Arngeir looked pensive for a moment. "Yes and no Dragonborn. We know the name of the shout Dragonrend but not its words of power," he said. "It is not something we regret forgetting."

"That is unfortunate. The shout seemed necessary to defeat Alduin," Katla said. "Is there no other way…?"

"The Master of our Order Paarthurnax may be able to help you," Arngeir said calmly. "If he so chooses."

"Well that is good enough for me," Katla said as she tightened her grip on Harry next to her. "Who is Paarthurnax and how do I get to meet him?"

"Paarthurnax is the leader of our order. He surpasses us all in his mastery of the Way of the Voice," Arngeir said. "You were not ready and you still are not. That is why you have yet to meet Paarthurnax but because of the Blades you now have questions only Paarthurnax can answer. He lives at the top of the mountain. He rarely speaks and never to an outsider."

"But you will lead me to him?" Katla said. "This is unfortunately the only way."

"We will teach you the shout that will lead you to him," Arngeir said with a nod.

"There is one more thing though," Katla said. She looked down at Harry. "This young man here. I found him by Alduin's Wall. We do not know how he got there, but he collapsed and he spoke to me in a voice not his own. He said: **_'Lost ek aak hi ahrk wahl hi mul. Ruz hi fen daal.'_** "

Arngeir's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "This is not the whole message," he said. "There is more, is there not? Without the rest we cannot give a proper interpretation."

Harry looked up at the elderly man. "I was told a part as well… **_'Zu'u fent … aav hi voth …'_** " he paused trying to remember, " ** _'hin fron Dovahkiin,'_** " he said. He hoped that he had said that alright. He wondered why the men were staring at him. It made him uncomfortable.

Arngeir moved back in his chair. He was contemplating the lines he had been told. They were strange and raised many questions. He was probably better off translating for them before he started asking questions. "The lines spoken in **_thu'um_** say: 'I shall join you with your kin Dragonborn. Have her guide you and build you strong. Then you will return.' This makes me wonder where you are from young one," he said.

Harry met the man's inquisitive gaze. "I'm from another world far away from this one. The humans who live there simply call it Earth but the learned name is Tellus. I know it's far away from here because the stars in the sky here are nothing like what I grew up with," he said. "The constellations I know don't exist here and the sheer magnitude of stars here are much more then we have back home." He was… he didn't know. Really happy… did that cover it? Whoever had sent him to Nirn wanted him to be with Katla. That's what the message was… it had to be. He looked up at the brunette. He really hoped that she would let him stay with her. He knew that she and Ra'shall had been discussing leaving him somewhere to keep him safe. He hoped they wouldn't. _'Sounds like I'll go back to Earth at some point,'_ he thought.

Next to the raven, Katla was smiling softly. She was glad. Her hunch had been right all along. Harry belonged with her. _'I get to keep him,'_ she thought happily.

Arngeir looked over at his brethren. They boy was telling the truth, but that did not mean that he was in fact a Dragonborn. They could of course teach him like they would the young lady. If he was capable of learning like her then he was a Dragonborn. He stood up. "Like you we must test the child. He has not absorbed a dragon soul. We will test him none the less. He can come with us to learn the **_thu'um_** we will now teach you. If he can learn and use it like you then we will accept that he has the potential but unless he absorbs a dragon's soul he is no Dragonborn," he said. "We shall go out to the courtyard so that we can teach you the **_thu'um_** you will need."

Katla stood up. She reached out for Harry and pulled him with her. "Come on let's get some more clothes on," she said.

Harry nodded. "I…" he bit his lip, "I can stay with you and Ra'shall now… right?" he asked uncertainly. He really wanted to stay with them.

Katla turned around. She reached out and wrapped her arms around the raven. "I wouldn't have left you here, and I won't leave you anywhere else unless we had been given direct instructions to leave you," she said. "And even then I wouldn't have wanted to." She lifted his chin up so he could look her in the eyes. "I care about you **_kulsezii_** I don't want to leave you behind. There might be times you cannot come with me. For your own safely you might have to stay behind at times. Mostly I want you to come with me. And … Ra'shall's worried about you getting hurt. That's the only real reason he wants to leave you behind." She let go of him before ruffling his hair affectionately. "We want you with us," she said.

Harry smiled. "Thank you," he said softly.

"You don't need to thank me sweetheart," the brunette said as she held her hand out to him.

Harry lowered his gaze and blushed faintly. He took the hand offered to him before following the brunette back to their stuff.

Ra'shall was sleeping in one of the beds they had been shown to when they arrived. He'd stayed up pretty much all night. He hadn't gone to sleep until they had gotten up that morning.

Harry grabbed his coats, pulling the thinner one on first before pulling the thick coat on. He pulled his furred hood up over his head. "Are we going now… or should we tell Ra'shall?" he asked softly.

"We'll leave. He needs his sleep," Katla said. She held a hand out. "Come on. Let's find out who this Paarthurnax is."

They walked through the barren halls of the monastery and headed out through a thick set of copper double doors. The courtyard had been cleared from quite a lot of snow. It lay in heaps against the building. You could see the cobblestones that the ground was covered in.

The Greybeard had gathered by a burning fire. Their hands were hidden in their sleeves and their heads covered by the hoods to their gray robes.

Harry and Katla moved up to them. The brunette moved the raven up in front of her and placed her arms around his shoulders while pulling him close to herself. The teen bit his lip and blushed. Sometimes she really managed to surprise him, and his brain had a tendency to go straight down the gutter when that happened. It really was embarrassing especially since she was so protective or… well motherly really. _'Just pull yourself together moron,'_ he thought.

As they got closer to the men, Harry could see glowing words on the ground by Arngeir's feet. "What's that?" he asked quietly.

"Words of power," Katla answered. "They are **_thu'um_** , dragon-tongue. As a Dragonborn I can absorb their meaning without studying them. If you are Dragonborn as well you should be able to do the same. Unfortunately understanding what the word means is not enough to use it as a **_thu'um_**. Normally a dragon's soul works to unlock the knowledge on how to use the words but here and now the Greybeards will share their knowledge with us. We should get up there and read the words."

"Oh, O.K." Harry said. He let the brunette guide him over to the words on the ground. He breathed in deeply. The thin air was still making his head a bit woozy. He looked down at the glowing words. _'Lok - sky,'_ he thought as the word's glow started rising from the ground and seemed to be absorbed by his skin. _'That feels really weird,'_ he thought. Pictures flashed by his eyes quickly. He raised his hands to his face and let out a small whimper. That was really disorientating.

"Are you alright dear?" Katla asked worriedly. She knew this wasn't the nicest experience. She'd sort of gotten used to it. Didn't mean she liked it though.

"I'm O.K. just feel a bit weird," Harry said softly.

"Do you want to wait before we move on to the next one?" Katla asked. She didn't want to overwhelm him.

"No it's alright we can keep going," Harry said.

Katla nodded and they moved over to the next word. _'Vah - spring,'_ Harry thought. The weird light travelled up to him and pictures started flashing before his eyes again. He wondered if it meant something specific that he actually knew what the words meant before he absorbed the weird light. It was like he could read the text and understand it.

They waited just a few seconds before moving over to the last word. _'Koor - summer,'_ Harry thought.

Katla turned them around to face Arngeir. "I will grant the two of you the knowledge needed to use Clear Skies. This is the last gift you will receive from us Dragonborn," he told the woman. Light spread out from his chest. It surrounded him for a moment before it spread out towards them.

Harry breathed in deeply. If learning the words had been unpleasant this was far worse. He felt like his skull was going to crack. What the hell was going on? It wasn't pictures flashing in front of his eyes now. He could see a whole different place… or maybe it was the same just not the same time of year and facing another direction. He could see the old man in front of him shouting the words he'd just learned. A strange sort of aura left the man as he spoke the words. The raven felt himself stumble back. Not that he got very far with Katla right behind him. "That does not feel good," he mumbled. His head was spinning and his stomach churned.

"I'll get you back inside so you can rest for a little while before we go up the mountain," Katla told him. She looked up at Arngeir. "Thank you Arngeir. I'll take Harry by you before we go up so he can show you that he's capable of using the shout." She reached down and picked the teen up.

"You will have to be careful travelling up the mountain," Arngeir said. "Clear skies only hold for a short time. With two of you it shouldn't be difficult, but the path will still be treacherous. Be careful."

"I'll keep that in mind," Katla said with a bow of her head. "Thank you." She started walking back towards the monastery with the raven in her arms. The teen shifted slowly and placed his head against her shoulder. "Thanks," he said. His green eyes blinked closed slowly. His head hurt really badly and he just wanted it to go away.

Katla got a door open and moved inside. She made her way over to the living quarter quickly. Placing Harry down on the bed he'd slept in that night, she smiled softly at him. He'd been sent to Nirn specifically so she could teach him. It saddened her to know that he would be leaving at some point. But she would make certain that he was well prepared and could take care of himself before he was taken from her. _'Kulsezii,'_ she thought happily.

"Anything new," Ra'shall asked sleepily. He yawned, showing off his long sharp teeth. His tail swiped down along the floor as he sat up.

Katla rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "I shall join you with your kin Dragonborn. Have her guide you and build you strong. Then you will return," she said. "That is the full message that Harry was given before he was sent here."

Ra'shall shook his head and sighed. "Well that settles that then," he said. "Just don't tell me you'll drag him along to fight Alduin."

Katla shook her head. "No I won't. I want him safe just as much as you do. I just don't agree that placing him in a town or locking him up somewhere will make him safer than being with us," she said. She looked down at the raven in her lap. She'd sat down in the bed with him in case something happened.

"I'm guessing you haven't found out where we're going next yet," Ra'shall said.

The brunette shook her head. "I have to speak with the Master of the Greybeards, Paarthurnax, and hope that he will tell me," she said.

"Paarthurnax… that is dragon tongue, isn't it?" Ra'shall said.

Katla nodded. "I have my suspicions about the race of the being. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a dragon," she said.

Ra'shall snorted. "I don't envy you Katla," he said. "You are going to wait until Harry can go with you? Don't you think that is a bit risky?"

"Hopefully not," the brunette said. "I've promised him he can come with me, and I doubt that Paarthurnax will harm us, and if he tries, well… I'll deal with him," she answered.

"Isn't that a bit arrogant?" the feline said with a smirk.

"Probably," Katla said with a chuckle. She leaned back. "We'll be fine though. You don't need to worry," she said. Her fingers were running through Harry's hair slowly.

Ra'shall snorted. He lay back down. "Just be careful," he said.

Katla rolled her eyes. She breathed in and closed her eyes.

Time passed.

Harry opened his eyes slowly. His head felt heavy. He breathed in deeply. "Katla," he said softly. He knew that she was there. He could feel her presence. "Is it … normal to react … like that?" he asked.

"To shouts?" the brunette asked. She received a nod "I reacted pretty strongly the first time I encountered one. I didn't react like you, but I guess that might have something to do with the age difference." She placed a hand on his forehead. "It has nothing to do with weakness though. I think that because you are young your reaction might be stronger," she said.

Harry nodded. He guessed that is was a valid reason. He hadn't developed fully yet after all. "We should get going, shouldn't we?" he asked. He didn't really feel up to it, but he knew they needed to go.

"No, we will eat lunch before we leave," Katla said. "We're not in a hurry. We won't leave here until tomorrow either way."

"Mmmm, O.K." Harry mumbled. He was grateful. His head was probably way too muddled to make him safe out there. "Are we gonna cook then? Is it time to start that now?" he asked.

"Yes, why not," Katla said. "Do you feel well enough to help?" she asked quietly.

The raven nodded. He sat up slowly and yawned. His hair was all dishevelled because Katla had been combing her fingers through it while he slept. He raised his hands and tried to flatten it down. He stood up slowly… his head swam. "Urghhh." He would have fallen forward if not for Katla. She had reached out and grabbed him before pulling him into a hug.

"Careful **_kulsezii_** ," the brunette said. She handed him his glasses so he would be able to see before she stood up. Reaching out, she grabbed her bag and lifted it up while wrapping her other arm around him. "Let's go to the conference room so we can use the fire there," she said.

Harry nodded. He yawned again. They walked over to the room, and Katla lifted Harry up on the table. "You'll be closer to the fire this way." She sat down in one of the chairs. "I'll cut and we'll spear the food on these spits and then you can hold them out over the fire," she said.

"Sure," Harry said. He felt sluggish still. Hopefully his head would clear up soon. It was really annoying. He smiled at Katla as she cut their food in pieces. She had found long spits that they could grill the food on. She started with the meat since that would take longer to cook. She'd bought horker meat down in Ivarstead that they would grill together with some beef.

The raven was handed the spit, and he held it out over the fire. He turned it once in a while. Silence filled the room. It was calm, comforting. If felt good to just sit around without the need to say anything.

The room started smelling really good as the meat turned a nice brown colour.

Harry looked up as Katla moved up to sit on the table with a spit filled with vegetables and apples. "Where did you find these?" he asked. "We didn't carry them with us, did we?"

"No we didn't," Katla said. "I found them around here last time we came through. We didn't use them then, but I thought they would be good now." She held the spit out over the flames. "You're feeling better now?" she asked softly.

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, I feel a bit better," he said. "I should be O.K. by the time we've eaten."

"That's good," Katla said. "Harry…" she said questioningly. "You lived in a school most of the time… back on Earth. You had teachers back there but they didn't help you. You were left to deal with all those dangerous things on your own. Why didn't they help you?"

The raven sighed. "Mostly I guess I didn't talk to grown-ups much… at least not after they blew me off in my first year. I tried to reach out to … In school all the students were split up in four different, we called them houses, it was four different areas were you slept and you gained points or lost points for the house. Every house had a teacher that looked out for us, and I tried to tell her about the Voldemort thing – it was just that I didn't actually know that it was Voldemort at the time so I said that someone was trying to steal." He bit his lip. "This is getting really fragmented," he said.

Katla chuckled. "That's fine, dear," she said. "I'll keep up."

"O.K. well my first year Voldemort was after this magical artefact called the Philosopher's stone. I didn't know he was the one who was after it. Me and my friends thought it was one of our teachers that was trying to steal the stone. But we knew that no one would believe us because everyone trusted him. It turned out it wasn't him of course. But I told my Head of House, that's the teacher responsible for me among others. She didn't believe me so I figured that since I was the only one who could do something I would. My friends wouldn't let me go alone though so the three of us went to protect the stone. There were like a bunch of trials you had to pass to get down to where the stone was, yet we managed to get through them somehow." He fell silent. "Looking back the trials were all built so that we could clear them – three first years. And Dumbledore, he's the leader of the school, knew all along that Voldemort was after the stone… Maybe he wanted me to go down there," he said as he looked into the flames they were grilling their food over.

"That is just wrong," Katla said. "An object like that… An object that put the students at risk at such a young age shouldn't have been taken into the school to begin with. What were they thinking?" She closed her eyes and shook her head. _'Idiots,'_ she thought.

"My friends weren't with me when I met Voldemort, and I'm glad for that. The grown-ups didn't believe me when I tried to reach out. And they protected an item they knew someone wanted. You see the stone was moved from a high security vault in the wizarding bank before school started. I know because I was there when it happened. They placed it in Hogwarts which would be filled with students and protected it with trials that three first-year students could bypass," Harry said. He wasn't with it enough to get really angry, but thinking back it was so obvious that Voldemort would get down there. _'How could Dumbledore possibly think that a couple of trials so easy that Ronald and Hermione and I could figure them out would hold the man off?'_ he wondered. He was glad that he'd been sent to Nirn. He'd learn everything he could. If Dumbledore had been testing him back during his first year then he needed to learn how to get around that. He wouldn't decide anything surrounding the aged wizard until he returned though.

He looked up at Katla as she asked him, "What is a bank?"

His eyes widened. He'd forgotten that Skyrim wasn't developed in the same way as Earth. They probably didn't have banks. "It's a secure building where people store their money and other valuables," he explained.

Katla shook her head. "Why would people need that?" she asked. "Can't they keep track of their own money?"

Harry smiled wryly. "And what about children like me Katla. My parents' house was destroyed. If their money hadn't been stored at the bank then I wouldn't have had any when I entered the wizarding world. Sure Hogwarts helps kids with no money in their names, but it would have been harder to do certain things," he said.

Katla's eyes widened then she smiled. "I guess I didn't think of that," she said. "It's very rare for a child to survive their parents around here." She looked down at the food. "I think it's done now," she said and pulled her spit back. "There are orphans around here and I can understand the benefits of keeping money somewhere that they could get access to if something happened. Normally I don't know exactly what happens to the parents stuff. I mean if they have relatives it ends up with them of course but… when they don't I guess it all reverts back to the Jarl."

Harry nodded. "And what happens to the child?" he asked.

Katla sighed. "Sometimes they are taken in by other people where they live and sometimes they are sent to Riften to the Orphanage there," she answered.

"Well at least that is better than how it works in the wizardring world. We don't have any orphanages at all so when a magical child is left without anyone to take care of them they end up in a non-magical Orphanage," Harry said.

"But they don't know about magic," Katla said. "Isn't that really stupid?"

"Yeah, but no one wants to do anything about it. They would rather not think about it and hope it goes away then do anything about it," he said. "Either way back to the original question. I didn't really trust any teacher with information after that since they had pretty much turned out to be the same as any other grown-up before and not believed me." He looked down at the food on his plate. "Meeting you and Ra'shall was really nice. You both said I couldn't lie to you, and well it was freeing in a way since it meant that I could tell the truth and you would believe me," he said. "I didn't have to worry about you accusing me of lying."

It went silent while they ate their food.

"I was really scared," Harry said after a while. "I was scared that you and Ra'shall would leave me somewhere because I was such a bother." He swallowed thickly. "I guess I'm still a bit scared of that even though I am supposed to learn from you."

Katla placed her fork down on the stone table they sat by. "I'm … happy you still feel safe enough to tell me that," she said. She looked of in the distance. "I wouldn't have been able to leave you behind. I know it's weird how fast this is going but I really care about you. I mean I…" She looked down and met his eyes. "Do you want me to tell you what **_kulsezii_** means?" she asked.

…

Harry was all warm and fuzzy inside. He and Katla had headed back outside after taking a plate filled with food over to Ra'shall and gearing up against the weather once more. They walked up to Arngeir who was still standing by the fire outside.

Harry placed his hands on his chest. Somehow he knew exactly how to do this. **_"Lok va koor,"_** he shouted and he could feel how power flooded out from him through his voice. He staggered back somewhat. Blue light shimmered at the edge of his vision. He looked up as the sun broke through the clouds above, and the snow that had been falling stopped up. Looking up at Katla, he bit his lip. _'Was that good?'_ he wondered.

Arngeir looked pensive for a moment. "Young man. Since the entity that sent you to this world said you shall learn from the Dragonborn that is what you will do," he said. "You learned like Lady Katla this is a new scenario for us. Never have there been two known Dragonborn at the same time. Let wisdom guide you." He bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you learned one," Harry said shyly.

"Sky above. Voice within," Arngeir said.

"Thank you for everything Arngeir," Katla said. She placed her hands on Harry's shoulders and led him away from the old man.

They walked up to a great stone arch. The area beyond was covered in whirling snow. Katla breathed in. **_"Lok va koor,"_** she shouted. The path before them cleared up. It was winding upwards along the mountainside. She reached down and took Harry's hand in her own before she started walking forward.

They made it up the path until another cloud barrier stopped them. It was Harry's turn. He let his voice ring out over the mountain. They alternated like that as they continued. The path narrowed and Katla moved in behind the raven as the continued. They reached a sturdy wooden bridge and crossed it. There was barely any railing and the precipice below made Katla a bit queasy

A hiss sounded through the air.

Katla moved up in front of Harry and pulled her sword, cursing about the fact that she hadn't equipped her armour. She moved the sword forward swiftly and tore it straight through the approaching ice wraith's body.

Behind her Harry had raised his hands and summoned his familiar spirit. The griffin cast itself forward and attacked the elemental tearing it apart.

Katla turned around. "Good," she said. She held a hand out as she lifted her sword and placed it over her shoulder. "Let's keep going. If you can you might as well keep her out," she said. "Who knows what lies behind the next corner?"

"Sure, that's no problem," Harry said. He took her hand, and they kept walking up the mountain. Keeping the griffin out turned out to be a really good idea since there was another ice wraith hidden in the next section of blizzard. The griffin had attacked as soon as it had caught wind of the creature.

The path became littered with rocks. Katla put her sword back in the slots on her baldric before she helped Harry get higher up.

They walked into a narrow ravine.

Harry was having trouble breathing as they kept climbing. The air was getting thinner as they kept heading up. His legs hurt. Eventually Katla grabbed him and pulled him close while sitting down against the mountainside. She kept an eye on the sky around them so it wouldn't cloud over while they rested. "Calm your breathing, **_kulsezii_** ," she said softly. "You'll start hyperventilating otherwise and that will not help you."

Harry nodded slowly. He pressed his face into her shoulder and closed his eyes as he concentrated on his breathing. They had been teaching him basic meditation so his mind went to that. _'Just breathe, just breathe,'_ he told himself like a mantra. He calmed eventually. A bottle was handed to him. "It will help. Normally I don't like using these. It's false and not good for you in the long run but right now we have to get up there and speak to Paarthurnax," Katla said.

Harry accepted the vial and downed the contents. He could feel the energy coursing through his body. His legs stopped hurting. He moved up with Katla, and they continued up several switchbacks. It was a long way up to Paarthurnax.

Finally they reached a big open area.

Katla could see a Word Wall up ahead. She placed an arm over Harry's shoulders. Her eyes scanned the area as they walked forward.

The sun was setting; it coloured the sky pink.

They were moving forward slowly when a dragon appeared above them. Katla turned around and pulled Harry closer. She was tense for a moment as the dragon landed in front of them. It did not attack however and she relaxed somewhat.

" ** _Drem yol lok, wunduniikke_**. I am Paarthurnax. Who are you? What brings you to my **_strunmah_** , my mountain?" the dragon asked.

"I am Katla and this here is Harry. We come here searching for you," Katla answered. "We come seeking answers. We are what some call **_Dovahkiin_**."

"You are bold **_wunduniik_** ," the dragon said. "What **_loanne_** , questions, do you have?"

"Can you teach us the Dragonrend shout?" Katla asked.

" ** _Drem_** , patience **_dovahkiin_**. There are formalities that must be observed at the first meeting of two of the **_dov_** ," Paarthurnax said. He turned to the side slightly. "By long tradition the elder speaks first. Hear my **_thu'um_**. Feel it in your bones. Match it if you are **_Dovahkiin_**."

Katla moved slightly so that they were not standing in front of the shrine any more.

 ** _"_** ** _Yol toor shul,"_** Paarthurnax roared.

"Oh great," Harry mumbled. He looked over at the shrine where three words glowed faintly in the snow. _'Fire, inferno and sun,'_ he thought as he saw the text. He moved up to the wall with Katla and felt how all of the words seemed to absorb into his skin. He whimpered learning another shout so soon after the first was not easy for him. He wondered if Katla would have to carry him down the mountain.

"A gift **_Dovahkiin_**. **_Yol_** understand fire as the **_dov_** do," Paarthurnax said as they turned around to face him once more. Light streamed from him as he offered them the knowledge needed to use the shout.

Harry's head was spinning. He didn't feel quite as bad as last time. He guessed that it might be because the knowledge came from an actual dragon this time. It was possible that it was easier for him to accept it from the actually species that developed the language and held the true power rather then humans who had learned to use it.

"Now show me what you can do. Greet me not as Nord but as **_Dovah_** ," Paarthurnax said.

Katla nodded. She focused on her newly given knowledge and breathed in. **_"Yol toor shul,"_** she shouted and fire spread from her.

"Aaah yes, **_sossedov los mul_**. The Dragonblood runs strong in you. It is long since I have had the pleasure of speech with one of my own kind," the dragon said. He turned his head to Harry slowly. "What about you little Breton? Will you greet me as well?" he said.

Harry nodded slowly. He really hoped he could do this. His fists clenched as he tried to focus. **_"Yol toor shul,"_** he shouted. He could feel the rush of fire leaving him and his head actually cleared a little. Like it helped him to use the shout. He still felt a woozy, but it wasn't quite as bad.

"Aaah, yes **_malsedovah_**. Little dragon your **_thu'um_** is strong in one so young," Paarthurnax said. "So you have made your way here to me. No easy task for a **_joor_** … mortal. Even one of **_Dovah Sos_** , Dragon Blood. What will you ask me?"

Katla, who had moved over to Harry and wrapped her arms around him once more, turned back to face the dragon. "Can you teach us the Dragonrend shout?" she repeated her question from earlier.

"Ahh I have expected you, **_prodah_**. You would not come all this way for **_tinvaak_** with an old **_Dovah_**. No you seek your weapon against Alduin," Paarthurnax said.

Katla nodded. "I do not mind speaking with you Paarthurnax. But right now we need a way to conquer Alduin. Do you know the shout?" she asked. It felt strange that the old dragon wanted to just talk with them, but then again he only ever spoke to the Greybeards and they didn't know that much about what was going on down in the world below. If she could find a way to keep Harry warm, they would stay and talk after they had gotten the information they needed.

"Alas this **_thu'um_** cannot be **_mindok_** , known by me," Paarthurnax said. "It was **_wahlaan_** … created by **_jul_**. By mankind our **_hadrimme_** … our minds cannot even comprehend its concepts."

Katla grimaced. "That is inconvenient," she said. "Is there no way to learn it?" she asked.

" ** _Drem_** , all in good time. First a question for you. Why do you want to learn this **_thu'um_**?" Paarthurnax asked.

Katla's eyes widened momentarily. _'Why do I want to learn the shout?'_ she asked herself. "I…" she said. "I want to learn it so that I can stop Alduin from tearing this world apart," she answered.

" ** _Pruzah_** , as good a reason as any. There are many who feel as you do, although not all," the dragon said. "Some say that all things must end, so that the next can come to pass. Perhaps this world is just the egg of the next **_kalpa_**. **_Lein vokiin_**. Would you stop the next world from being born?

"I believe that if this world is the egg the end will come even if I defeat Alduin. The inevitable cannot be fought. But I can stop Alduin so I will fight to do so," Katla said.

" ** _Paaz_** a fair answer," Paarthurnax said. " ** _Ro fus_** , maybe you will only balance the forces that quicken the end of this world. Even we who ride the currents of time cannot see past Time's End. **_Vulsetiid los tarhodiis_**. Those who try to hasten the end may delay it. Those who try to delay the end may hasten it. But you have indulged my long wish for speech long enough **_Dovahkiin_**. Do you know why I live here at the peak of the **_Monahven_**? What you name Throat of the World."

"I guess I haven't thought about it," Katla said. It wasn't like she cared really. He was free to live wherever he chose to.

"This is the most sacred mountain in Skyrim," the dragon said. " ** _Zok revak strunmah_**. The great mountain of the world. Here the ancient Tongues, the first mortal masters of the Voice, brought Alduin to battle and defeated him."

"Using the Dragonrend shout right?" Katla asked.

"Yes and no. **_Viik nuz ni kron_** ," Paarthurnax said. "Alduin was not truly defeated either. If he was you would not be here now… seeking to defeat him. The Nords of those days used the Dragonrend shout to cripple Alduin, but this was not enough. **_Ok mulaag unslaad_**. It was the **_Kel_** … the Elder scroll. They use it to … cast him adrift on the currents of time."

"Are you saying that the ancient Nords sent Alduin forward in time?" Katla said. She sighed. _'Really why couldn't they just do it right the first time around?'_ she wondered.

"Not intentionally. Some hoped that he would be gone forever. Forever lost **_Meyye_** ," the dragon said. "I knew better. **_Tiid bo amativ_**. Time flows ever onward. One day he would surface. Which is why I have lived here, for thousands of mortal years I have waited. I knew where he would emerge but not when."

"How does any of this help me now?" Katla asked. The history was interesting but not of any greater help to her.

" ** _Tiid krent_** … Time was shattered here because of what the ancient Nords did to Alduin," Paarthurnax said. "If you brought that **_Kel_** \- that Elder Scroll back here to the **_Tiid-Ahraan_**. The Time-Wound. With the Elder Scroll that was use to break time you might be able to … send yourself back to the other end of the break. You could learn Dragonrend from those who created it."

"Ah, I understand," Katla said. "Then our only problem is that we have no idea where to find that Elder Scroll. Do you have any idea where to look for it?"

" ** _Krosis_**. No. I know little of what has passed below for as long as I've lived here. You are likely better informed then I," Paarthurnax said.

"Well that just means we'll have to look for information elsewhere," the brunette said. She looked down at the half-sleeping teen leaning against her. "I would not mind to continue speaking with you Paarthurnax but the **_malsedovah_** will get cold and I do not wish for him to fall ill."

"That is understandable **_Dovahkiin_** ," Paarthurnax said. "Come back when you have found the **_Kel_** \- the Elder Scroll. We shall have **_tinvaak_** again then. The **_malsedovah_** is not suited to know the **_thu'um_** you seek. It is not for him to **_mindok_** \- to know."

Katla looked down at Harry. "I understand Paarthurnax," she said. "Next time I will come alone."

"It is safer so," Paarthurnax said. " ** _Lok, thu'um_**."

"Farewell, until we meet again," Katla said. She reached down and picked Harry up. The sky above them was turning dark.

Light danced in the air. It was aurora.


	9. To Winterhold

**To Winterhold**

 _23rd of Heartfire, 4E 201. Tirdas_

It was late.

Harry was sitting leaned back in bed with his spell book, _Oakflesh_. He'd picked it up in Shroud Hearth Barrow when they had been down there the day before. It was quite interesting.

The room they were staying in was nice and clean… and warm. Outside it was snowing. They had travelled down from the Throat of the World only to walk north and find more snow. Thankfully they had managed to clean up along the road which had been nice – but cold, really cold.

The journey had been uneventful if you discarded the fact that they'd been attacked by a dragon. They hadn't been travelling for long when a roar had torn through the skies.

~Harry had moved back behind Katla as a dragon flew in overhead. It roared, and fire sprayed down over them. Green eyes widened as the fire approached. Magic spread from his hands and his familiar appeared to take the blunt of the flames. He fed more and more magic to the griffin so that it wouldn't disappear.

Next to him Katla raised her bow and aimed. Tchick!

The dragon roared and flew off.

Katla reached out and grabbed Harry. "Come on," she said. "We'll keep going but keep your eyes open."

They walked on down the dirt path. They could hear the murmur of the water flowing by them. The beating of heavy wings sounded in the distance.

A sabre cat roared.

The path started sloping down.

Green eyes looked up at the sky as his familiar took off from the ground. "It's coming back," Harry said. He moved in behind what looked like a birch with fiery orange leaves. He pressed up against a rock before sliding down to make himself as small as possible.

The dragon descended on them once more. Fire sprayed down on the ground.

"Distract him Ra'shall," Katla called as she lifted her bow arrow set on the string.

The feline-man ran up on a rock and hissed at the giant reptile. The dragon turned towards the annoying creature that was foolish enough to challenge her. She roared at the foolish being. **_"DIR. Yol toor shul,"_** she shouted. Flames spread from her.

Ra'shall jumped down from the rock and crouched down behind it.

Tchick!

 ** _"_** ** _Fus ro dah,"_** Katla shouted. Her voice tore at the great wings keeping the lizard up. The dragon was forced down on the path, and the brunette dropped her bow before pulling her sword. She ran forward. Ducking out of the way of the flaming breath, she lifted her sword above her head and let it fall down on the dragon's throat. She smirked as Harry's familiar descended on the dragon, tearing at its eyes with long sharp claws. She lifted her sword once more before letting it fall.

The scales of the dragon started glowing.

Katla smiled down at Harry as he walked up next to her. "What is happening?" he asked.

"We are going to absorb the dragon's soul," she answered.

Harry turned back to the dragon. ~

It had been weird. Absorbing the dragon's soul had been one of the strangest experiences he'd ever been through. The dragon had spoken to him. He had no clue how that had happened, but the dragon had spoken to him. Or its soul had conveyed a message, **_"Thank you malsedovah live well."_** He'd gotten the feeling that she'd been glad that he'd allowed her to move on. As he understood it, he and Katla hadn't actually absorbed the dragon's soul. It was more like they had been gifted the dragon's experience. It was like she had given him knowledge of the language. It would take him a moment to process.

He turned the page in his book slowly. He still felt woozy after absorbing the experience from the dragon. He really hoped that it would get easier. He didn't want to feel like that after every time he absorbed a dragon's experience. He was glad that they weren't actually stealing souls when they killed dragons… they were setting them free from eternal life. Paarthurnax had said that everything had to come to an end at some point and these dragons wanted that. It didn't stop them from attacking to the best of their abilities. Maybe they did that so that they would be killed by someone they found strong enough. Like they wanted an honourable death.

The trio was on its way to the College in Winterhold to find out where they could find an Elder Scroll. Arngeir had told Katla that the best place to look for information about Elder Scrolls was at the College. He'd told her that after saying that they wanted absolutely nothing to do with such a horrible thing … which had been interesting.

The good thing about going there was that they would meet Mages who could hopefully help Harry with his bad eyesight.

Ra'shall had been cursing about it when he'd learned what was going on and where they had to go.

It turned out that the Mages didn't like people in general mostly because Nords despised them. It was something about magic not being tough enough or so. It all sounded idiotic to the raven. He hoped that they would be let in though. It would really complicate things otherwise.

"We really should turn the lights out now," Katla said softly. She sat down in the double bed Harry was lying in. Earlier that day they had reached Windhelm so they had taken in to Candlehearth Hall Inn. Ra'shall was staying in a nearby room like usual when they managed to find an inn to sleep in.

Harry placed his book down. He would have to finish it the following morning. He looked over at Katla. She was wearing warm cotton pants and a nondescript cotton shirt. She almost never wore dresses even though that was what you found most women in Skyrim wearing. As far as she was concerned the long skirts were unpractical at least that's what she'd said when he'd asked her about it. He, being from Earth, didn't find it strange, but he'd seen the way other people looked at her when she wasn't wearing armour.

He moved in under the thick animal pelts on the bed and sighed contently. A soft laughter filled the room as he felt a hand comb through his hair. "You're just too cute sometimes, **_kulsezii_** ," Katla said.

He felt how his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "I'm not cute," he said.

"Oh, of course not," Katla said with a fake serious tone. "You're roguishly handsome." She had sat down with her back against the headboard and was smiling at the raven's back. She chuckled warmly as the teen tried his best to just disappear out of sight. "You'll just have to live with the fact that I think you're cute, Harry," she said. She knew that he was a teenage boy, and that they had a very hard time accepting things like that – but she wasn't about to change. He'd get over his embarrassment … eventually. "Good night," she whispered as she bent down and kissed his temple.

"Good night," he mumbled back.

…

"Will you spare a few coins for someone who's got nothing?"

Ra'shall moved up closer to a ragged looking woman.

"A few coins for my supper is all I ask," she said as another Nord walked by.

The Khajiit pulled out a few coins from a pouch he carried in his belt. "Here dear, take these," he said out loud for the people around them to hear as he held the coins out. Then he lowered his voice. "How is it goin' do you have it yet?" he asked.

The brow-haired woman reached out to accept the coins. Her eyes met Ra'shall's and she blinked once. "Thank you kind sir," she said.

Behind the feline man a guard went past and Silda turned to walk away. It would be too risky to hand the man what he wanted now.

Ra'shall didn't mind. He knew how it worked. If the timing wasn't perfect, if the conditions weren't right, Silda wouldn't go through with anything. It would be alright. She knew who he'd travelled into the city with. He' would have what he wanted before they left. _'I should get back and get some sleep,'_ he thought as he turned back towards the inn.

Katla had most likely already gone to bed by now. She was very efficient that way. He thought back to the sword training he had given Harry earlier in the day. They had reached Windhelm much earlier than anticipated so they had spent two hours or so outside the city practicing with the wooden swords.

The teen was getting better.

* * *

 _24th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Middas_

Harry tilted his head as he looked up at the Palace of Kings. It was a huge building made out of granite. He was standing in the courtyard of sorts. Next to him was a brazier with burning coal that kept him warm in the falling snow. Katla and Ra'shall were off buying goods for the journey to the Collage and some time after that since Winterhold had so little things. They would buy what they could for the cities economy, but the place didn't have all that much.

The raven was wandering around the nicer parts of the city. He'd been told to keep away from the Grey Quarters. Not so much because of the elves that lived there but rather because of the Nords that lived in the rest of the city. They didn't want him to get hurt.

"It's very intimidating," a female voice said.

Harry turned around. There was a lightly dressed Nord woman warming her hands on the brazier next to him. Her hair was tangled, and she was dirty. He could feel how something heavy settled in his pocket. He reached down and picked a few coins out of a small pouch in his belt. "Here take some coin and get something to eat," he said as he handed her the coins.

"Thank you young man," she said.

Harry smiled softly at her. He hoped she would be O.K. As he reached for whatever the woman had dropped into his pocket, he could hear Katla's voice in the distance. He didn't really care if she wasn't calling for him. He wanted to join up with her either way. "Bye-bye," he said to the seemingly homeless woman. He didn't really know how to act around people like that. He made his way down the steps leading up to the courtyard and past the inn.

He could see Katla talking to a man.

"… I'm not saying anything along those lines, sir," Harry could hear Katla say as he got closer. "I'm just saying that it is a possibility, and that he should follow his heart. I chose to ignore my father in the end, and I'm happier this way. Sure I miss my family from time to time but I have made my own family. If he chooses something else don't throw him out is all I'm saying."

Harry walked up to them and tilted his head to the side. There was a boy standing next to the man. "Hi," he said softly as he leaned closer to Katla. He could feel how one of her warm hands settled on his shoulder.

"… I'm just saying that your fairytales are not welcome around my son…"

"Hi," the boy said back. "Do you travel with her?" he asked quietly. His eyes were twinkling and he seemed genuinely fascinated by the idea.

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, I travel with her…" He bit his lip unsure of what to say. "She sort of adopted me a couple of weeks ago. I've been with her since then," he said.

"… it's not like I'm filling his head with lies. I let him know how dangerous it is out there…"

"That's so awesome," the boy said. "Have you seen any dragons?" he asked.

"I've seen two dragons," Harry answered truthfully. "We spoke to one and Katla killed one that attacked us."

"Oh, that it so cool," the kid said.

Harry felt how Katla's hand tightened on his shoulder. He looked up at her.

"We're leaving Harry," she said.

The raven nodded. "O.K." he said. He turned back to the boy. "I have to go now," he said. "Bye-bye." He waved as Katla led him away from the two Nords. "What was that about?" he asked as they entered the inn so that she could get her armour from their room.

"Torsten doesn't appreciate the stories I tell his son when we meet," she said. "I only tell the truth… unlike some… He doesn't like it that I encourage his son to be something other than a farmer or sailor. I think the kid should be whatever he wants to be."

Harry smiled up at her. "You know. The kid might become a sailor or a farmer anyway and not because of his father. What kids want tend to change with age," he said. "I don't get why the guy was so upset." He looked down at his hands. "I've changed my mind loads of times," he said with a shrug.

A chuckle spread from the brunette's lips. "You're right dear," she said. "Will you help me with these? I really want to get going." She moved so he was closer to the straps that pulled her breast- and backplate together.

The raven reached out and grabbed the straps as the door opened and Ra'shall stepped inside. He finished up what he was doing before turning to the feline. Sticking his hand down into his pants pocket, he pulled out two pink stones. "These are yours right," he said.

He heard Katla sigh.

"What have I told you Ra'shall?" she said. "I don't want your shady business around Harry. If he gets hurt because of that I will tie you up next to the house like a guard dog."

The feline man grimaced. He did not like the sound of that. "It was Silda," he said. "She saw us arrive so she knew Harry was with me. I went to see her last night but she didn't get a chance to give me what I was after then. It was perfectly safe. She doesn't go through with anything if it isn't safe for both her and the other person involved." He reached out and accepted the stones from the raven.

"Do I want to know what those are for?" Katla asked.

Ra'shall shrugged. "It is very none thieve-like for the Thieves Guild," he said. "No one really knows what these stones are worth apart from a few people in Riften. We're trying to find all of them, but I don't know exactly what they are for yet." He packed the stones down in his bag. "You are only given as much information as you need in the Thieves Guild. Things might go south otherwise," he said.

Katla shook her head and turned to Harry. "Promise me that you will never join that Guild," she said. "They are a bunch of backstabbing turncoats."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You don't like them because they put Ra'shall's life at risk," he said. "Not that I want to join them."

Ra'shall snorted before chuckling warmly. "He's got the both of us with that one," he said. "Come one let's get going before we get snowed in or something." He walked out through the door.

Harry looked up at Katla. "We can always just have him go first and deal with all the monsters out there," he said. "Or we could catch up with him… he'll probably whine less if we catch up with him," he noted before grabbing his backpack and pulling it on.

"You're probably right," Katla said. "He'll get all stingy if we just ignore him." She was smiling softly as they left the inn and wandered out of Windhelm.

The road was filled with snow. It travelled along the White River for some time before crossing it heading north. About two hours after they'd left Windhelm they reached a mill. They had simply travelled through. There wasn't much to see there – a few houses and a woodmill but little else.

They were going up a steep hill from the mill when suddenly Ra'shall caught sight of a dragon in the distance. He motioned for the other two to move over to a large rock that extended from the landscape. He signalled for them to stay hidden as he moved forward. Thankfully the big scaled beast took off not long after.

They would not have to fight a dragon that day.

A bit further up the road Harry threw himself to the side as a bluish dragon-like wraith attacked him. He turned around quickly and a purplish glow lifted from his hands before his familiar stood above him ready to attack.

Ra'shall hissed at the elemental before his green blade tore through the frozen body. Icicles appeared all over the ground as the monster breathed out. It didn't manage to hit anyone though. Another strike from the feline's blade was all it took. The wraith fell to the ground in a pool of liquid ice.

As they continued walking, Harry started singing softly. It was a song he'd heard the bard in Candlehearth Hall sing.

"Our hero, our hero

Claims a warrior's heart

I tell you, I tell you

The Dragonborn comes."

Katla joined in as he sang. Her voice was deeper than most women he'd ever known or met, but it was beautiful. She was quite a good singer.

"With a Voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art

Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes

It's an end to the evil of all Skyrim's foes

Beware, beware the Dragonborn comes."

They come upon three people standing out there in the snow. Their skin was dark. Not something that was new to Harry, but he hadn't seen many people like that in Skyrim. There where two men and a woman.

"For the darkness has passed

And the legend yet grows

You'll know, you'll know the Dragonborn come."

They seemed to be having an argument of sorts. Harry saw how Katla and Ra'shall reached for their swords. But then the woman was allowed to leave and they relaxed.

"Alik'r Warriors," Katla said. "They are searching for a woman, but they won't say why."

"Their skin is darker than anyone else's," Harry said. He looked up at Ra'shall. "They belong to one of the human races of Tamriel right," he said.

The feline man nodded. "They are Redguards a people that hail from the great desert province of Hammerfell to the west. They are descended from a long line of warriors and mystic seers. They are some of the genetically best weapon wielders in Tamriel. They are naturally resistant to most poisons which is a hell when you want to poison them but matter little if you just cut their heads off," he said.

"Ra'shall," Katla reproached the man. "You don't need to teach him the best way to kill people the first thing you do."

They reached a road sign and took the path leading east.

"He might as well learn as fast as possible. Who knows when we'll run into bandits," the Khajiit said.

Katla rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to continue that. It would just turn into a pointless argument that she didn't was to partake in.

As they continued up the road they were walking – they were going uphill again which didn't really surprise anyone – Ra'shall, who had the sharpest eyes, saw a building take shape in the distance. He reached out and grabbed Katla's shoulder. "There is a fort up ahead. We should slow down," he said.

The brunette nodded. "You should go up there and check where the road goes," she said softy. She reached out and pulled Harry with her as Ra'shall disappeared in the snow.

The feline walked up towards the fort slowly. He saw someone walking on the battlements. Moving closer, he realised that it was a skeleton. Now that either meant that the place was full of undead or there were Necromancers around. Either way he should clear the area out quickly before calling Harry and Katla up. He moved into the fort and disappeared among the heaps of snow in there. _'There are probably people in here,'_ he thought. _'Skeletons don't shovel snow.'_ He moved like a shadow through the fort's yard. A golden knife made its way to his hand as he moved up behind a woman. Blood coloured the white snow in front of her as her jugular vein was severed.

The feline moved around until he found another living person - a man this time. He sneaked up on the unsuspecting elf and placed a hand over his mouth before stabbing his kidneys in rapid succession. He backed away and let the body fall to the ground.

After that the skeletons guarding the place were easy to deal with. Animated piles of bones didn't put up much resistance after all.

A short roar tore through the snow filled air. The coast was clear.

Ra'shall moved over to a guard tower someway up the road and waited there for Katla and Harry. "We should eat something and take a bit of a break here," he said when they joined him. "It should be about noon now."

Katla nodded. "Sounds like a good idea, don't you think?" she looked down at Harry.

The raven looked up at her before nodding. "Mhhm."

…

An hour or so later they continued up the hill that led them between two mountains. The road evened out to Harry's relief. Then suddenly they were standing before a long hill. It was covered in snow even the road had disappeared in the thick whiteness that spread out before them.

The raven backed up a bit. He was so sliding down. He ran over the flat ground before making sure that he landed on his bum for the slide down. He was laughing happily as he rushed down the hill. The cold wind tore at his hair as it passed him.

"HARRY STOP!" he heard Katla call and he dug his heels down in the snow. He looked up at the other two as they slowly made their way down through the snow. The brunette raised an eyebrow at him when she reached him. "Are you trying to give me a heartattack?" she asked sternly. Her eyes were glittering with mirth though, so her stern tone was somewhat offset.

"I was just having a bit of fun," Harry said innocently while widening his eyes as much as he could.

Katla couldn't stop herself. She burst out laughing. "You… are… impossible," she managed to get out. She held her hands out and pulled the raven up next to her. As she brushed the snow from his clothes, she bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "Come on let's keep going," she said and held a hand out to him. He smiled softly. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy knowing how much she care about him.

The road took them around the higher of the two mountains, leading them north. They passed a couple of wolves, but as they were blessed by the Voice of the Sky still, the canines did not attack them.

In the distance through the thinning snow they could see a big building. "That is probably the College," Ra'shall said.

"Really!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. He couldn't believe they were that close already.

A bit further down the road they approached a Winterhold guard. The man was mumbling to himself – cursing about something or another.

Katla pulled the raven-haired teen closer to her as they passed him.

Just a few yards after they passed the guard - and around a big rock connected to the mountain - they walked up to a group of people trying to make their way through the snow on the ground. One of them had his hands bound in front of him.

"Move aside citizens your presence here is interfering with Imperial business," one of the armoured persons said.

"It's a free road and we are simply here to walk it – same as you," Katla said calmly. Her grip on Harry's hand tightened.

The man sighed. "Then at the very least stay behind us," he said.

Katla nodded. "That is fine with us," she said.

They followed the Imperial soldiers until two bears attacked the convoy. They tore through the guards like nothing and killed the prisoner. Katla pulled her elvish greatsword and moved forward quickly with Ra'shall by her side.

Harry, who didn't really want to see the big furry animals die, breathed in deeply. **_"KAAN,"_** he roared.

The bears stopped their assault. Big heavy paws moved back a bit.

"Let's just pass them please," Harry said to the grown-ups. He tried his best to not look at the dead men around them.

Katla lowered her sword. She nodded slowly. "Of course we can do that," she said softly. She fastened her sword back to her baldric and held her hand out to the raven. "We'll let the guards down in Winterhold know what happened when we get there. She turned her head to the bears. **_"Kaan,"_** she shouted just to make sure that they wouldn't be followed.

"It would seem like our blessing wore off," Ra'shall said.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I liked it better with it still there."

"That is understandable," Ra'shall said. "It's not all that fun to kill animals."

It started snowing once more as they approached the City of Winterhold.

"Should we go straight to the College or should we take into the Frozen Hearth tonight and go there tomorrow morning?" Ra'shall asked.

Katla looked up at the cloud filled sky. She sighed. "We might as well stay in the inn tonight," she said.


	10. Spells, a Claw and a Broken Soul

**Spells, a Claw and a Broken Soul**

 _25th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Turdas_

Harry smiled as he rolled another snowball. Yes, he was fourteen and just a tad bit too old to play around in the snow like he was, but he didn't care. He was making up for lost time. When he was little Dudley would always try to drown him in the snow whenever he tried to build anything. Whenever they now had snow. Since Katla was moving around town doing this and that, he had decided to do something he'd never gotten the chance to do. The brunette been a bit vague about what she would do when she'd left that morning. Ra'shall had been in bed still when he'd left to go out. The feline had muttered something about strange sounds in the night. He hadn't been all that nice.

Harry placed the finished ball down on his snowman's body. It was really plain. He didn't have anything for a face or arms.

"Harry!" Katla called in the distance.

"COMING!" he shouted back. He looked down at his half done snowman one last time before he made his way out of one of the many abandoned houses in the city. Winterhold had been great once, but a series of really bad storms had torn the very land apart. Most of the city had fallen into the Sea of Ghosts below. It was sad that the place had been reduced to nothing but a shell of its former self. Harry wondered what kind of people had lived in the abandoned houses. Why had they left and where were they now? Or had they died in the storms?

He found the brunette waiting for him on the main road of the city. She held another Dragon Claw in her left hand. "You found another one," he said excitedly.

Katla chuckled. "Yes, I did. We'll have to check it out later," she said. "Now though, I believe it's time to go talk to the Mages, don't you think?" She held the claw out to the raven.

"Uhhu," Harry said and nodded his head vigorously. He took the claw from Katla and studied it closely as she led him up to the bridge that would take them out to the College. The Claw was a dark apricot colour. The symbols showed a dragonfly, a wolf and a snake. He wondered briefly why the key-claws only had three toes. Did dragons only have three toes?

"Cross the bridge at your own peril. The way is dangerous, and the gate will not open. You shall not gain entry!" an elf said as they walked up to her.

Katla smiled softly. "There must be some way by which you will allow us entry," she said calmly.

"Perhaps," the woman responded. "But what is it you expect to find within?"

"We seek the knowledge of where an Elder Scroll might be hidden," Katla answered.

"Do you?" the elven woman said surprised. "It is true that some here have studied the accumulative knowledge of the scrolls. But what you seek can not come easy and can destroy those without a strong will. I would seem like the College have what you seek." She looked down at the young man and then back up at the woman in front of her. "The question now is what can you offer the College? Not just anyone can come inside. Those who enter must show some degree of skill with magic. A small test if you will," she said.

"How about allowing temporary entry to two Dragonborn?" Katla asked.

"Dragonborn?" the woman said. "It has been so long since we had any contact with the Greybeards. Do you really have the Voice? I would be most impressed to see that."

Katla smiled and backed off a little, pulling Harry with her. **_"Lok vah koor,"_** she shouted. The sky above them cleared up to let the sun in for just a moment before weather and wind took back control over the skies.

"So the stories are true. You are Dragonborn," the elf said. "Normally you would need to show some aptitude in one of the schools of magic. But you…"

Katla held a hand up. "I'm not interested in becoming a part of the College," she said. "My son will, when he is older, come back here to learn from you and maybe you can learn from him. He is Dragonborn as well. For now I simply seek knowledge about the Elder Scroll."

"That is a shame," the elf said. "I think that there is much we can learn from each other."

"I do not doubt that," Katla said with a small smile. "But I have no aptitude for the College and you would be better off with Harry a few years from now."

The raven-haired teen nodded. "I will come back here one day," he looked up at Katla. "I know that for sure." He really wanted to learn as much magic as he could.

The elf studied him for a moment. "If that is your choice young one. You will be welcome then," she said. "I'll lead you across the bridge. Once we are inside you'll want to speak to Urag gro-Shub. He's the keeper of the library and know far more about books than anyone else here."

"Thank you," Katla said.

They followed the woman out on a slim stone bridge. Once in a while they would reach a circular sort of brazier which she would cast light into before it emitted a pillar of light up in the air. Katla's hold on the raven tightened as she noticed that a part of the bridge in front of them was missing. The waist high railing on both sides of the bridge had been torn off. They slowed down as they walked over the unsafe stretch.

"Now that's more than a little worrying," Harry mumbled. He wasn't afraid of heights but even he disliked walking across a bridge with no railing gods knows how high up in the air. He couldn't even see the ground below because of the snow. He breathed out in relief once they were over the dangerous part of the bridge.

They continued up to a set of grand gates where the elf stopped. "Now if you go to the Hall of the Elements, and in there the door directly to your right is the door to the Arcanaeum. You go up the stairs and you'll get there," she said.

"Thank you," Katla said with a small bow. She moved from behind Harry and held her hand out for him to take.

They passed a Mage and an elf, who looked like he was a Thalmor, before entering the College. Harry pulled the hood of his coat down before shaking his head so his hair went every which way. He smiled over at Katla as she opened the door they needed to go through to get to the library.

With wide eyes and mouth slightly open, the teen walked into the library. The place was huge. It was surprising, however, that there were so few books he realised once he'd taken the initial shock of the size in. He'd expected a library like the Hogwarts library that was filled with books. Cramped, a little dark, smelling just a little weird and FILLED with books, but there wasn't a single book in sight.

They walked through the centre of the room. It was almost like a room inside the room with thick walls on two sides.

They approached an old Orsimer with white hair and beard.

"Excuse me, sir," Katla said.

The man looked up at her. "Is there anything I can assist you with?" the man, Urag, asked.

"I'm Katla the Dragonborn that the Greybeards called some weeks past. I'm looking for an Elder Scroll and have been told you might be able to help me," the brunette said.

"And what do you plan to do with it? Do you even know what you are asking about or are you only someone's errand girl?" the old Orc asked.

Katla raised an eyebrow. "I am well aware of what I plan on doing with it, sir," she said. "It is necessary for dealing with the Dragon Crisis we find ourselves in." She was not pleased with the man's tone. _'Rude old man,'_ she thought.

"Wait," the Orc said as he caught up to what the young woman had said. "You said you are Dragonborn. The one that the Greybeard called?"

"Yes that would be me," Katla answered. "Can you help me?" she asked.

The man moved away from the desk he was leaning against. "I'll see what I can dig up on them," he said. "It's not much and most of it is wild guesses and conjecture." He moved over to one of the many sealed shelves in the room and started looking around in there.

It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. Soon enough he was on his way back to what Harry would call the help desk. "Here you go," he said as he placed the books down. "Try not to spill anything on them."

"Will do," Katla said as she picked one of the books up. "Thank you."

Harry reached out and took the second book before the two of them moved over to a table and sat down. He opened the brown cover up and read the book's title: _Effects of the Elder Scrolls._ Turning the page he started reading.

 _It is widely known among scholars that the Elder Scrolls_

 _entail a certain hazard in their very reading. The mechanism_

 _of the effects has, at present, been largely unknown—theories_

 _of hidden knowledge and divine retribution were the subject_

 _of idle speculation with little investigation._

Harry's eyes widened. _'Great,'_ he thought. They were searching for something that no one knew how it worked. He continued down the page; it seemed like the author of the book was about to explain several side-effects of reading the scrolls though. _'Well at least if you don't understand them you'll be fine,'_ he thought. Then his brow furrowed. He had a scroll that he did not understand… _'Is that an Elder Scroll?'_ he wondered. He looked back down at the text.

 _'_ _I really shouldn't try to read it again,'_ he though. Apparently a person who understood a little of the Scroll's nature and could decipher it but couldn't protect him- or herself would go blind. He was really starting to get uneasy as he continued reading. He knew that Paarthurnax didn't want him to learn the Dragonrend shout. Frankly he didn't want to learn it either, but he was getting worried that something really bad would happen to Katla. According to the text he was reading one needed a lot of mental control to stay sane but even so blindness seemed to be unavoidable. _'Maybe our dragon blood protects us,'_ he pondered.

"Are you done?" Katla asked as she placed her own book down on the table between them.

Harry nodded slowly. "It seems like reading an Elder Scroll is kind of dangerous," he said. "According to this book people who read them go blind." He looked down at the table. "Not everyone goes blind the first time, but they keep reading the Scrolls and then they go blind," he said.

Katla reached out and lifted the raven's chin up. "I'll be fine," she said. She let go of him smiling softly. "This book," she said and tapped the one she'd read. "Is full of the ramblings of a madman. His words make little sense in some ways and are unfinished in others. While I can understand what he wants to tell me, he is stuck inside his own mind." She stood up slowly. "I don't recommend reading it," she said. She walked back over to Urag.

Harry leaned back in his chair. _'It can't be the Elder Scroll that Katla needs, can it?'_ he thought. _'Maybe it isn't even an Elder Scroll. How am I supposed to know?'_ He'd appeared in Skyrim with a strange scroll that neither he nor Ra'shall could read. _'If it is an Elder Scroll, I'm really glad that I was to dumb to understand anything,'_ he thought.

Katla came walking back towards him. "Let's see if we can't find someone who will help with your eyes," she said as she came up to him. "There are several things that need to be done now, but we're not in any hurry and this is important." She waited until he was standing before she started walking back out of the library. "Urag said that the author of the book that I read disappeared up north some time ago. It means that we need to go find him. Depending on how long it will take and how comfortable you feel around the Healer we might do that while you're being treated. But that is up to you. I will not leave you alone here unless you feel comfortable with it," she said.

 _'_ _Thank you,'_ Harry thought to himself as a soft smile spread over his lips. He wasn't sure he needed her to stay with him though. Her offer meant a lot to him, but he knew that it was important to get the information they needed to continue.

They went back down to the Hall of the Elements.

Green eyes scanned the big room beyond a set of wiry iron gates. There was a big pool of blue light in the middle of the room. He watched as Katla walked up to an elderly Nord and asked him something. The man seemed friendly. He even laughed merrily at something that Katla said.

The brunette was smiling as she returned to her charge. "There is a woman here that should be able to help us. Now we just need to find her," she said. She walked up to the big double doors leading outside and pulled one of them open.

Harry pulled his hood up before he followed her outside. It was still snowing. He wondered if he should be surprised about that or if it was just the natural state of things. He followed Katla as she asked around for a woman named Colette Marence. She spoke to several people before finally finding the one she was looking for.

"You are Colette, right?" she asked neutrally. They had been running back and forth for awhile by then and she was just a bit irritated with the Mages.

"Yes, I am Colette. If you are here to talk down on Restoration Magic I'm not interested in listening. Restoration magic is an important part of magical knowledge," the woman said.

Katla took a step back and raised her hands in a non-confrontational manner. "I'm not here to speak magical theory at all. As far as I'm concerned all schools of magic are worth the same," she said. "I'm here because my son needs someone to take a look at his eyes." She turned to Harry who had taken his glasses off just so he wouldn't have to deal with questions about those.

"You want me to heal him?" Colette asked.

"I want you to see if you can heal him, and if you can heal him, I want you to heal him," Katla said. "I'm willing to pay for the inconvenience or if there is something else you need. We travel all over the country."

Colette nodded. She would have to think about a price. She wasn't sure what she wanted yet. "What is the problem from your point of view then?" she asked the raven.

The teen tilted his head to the side and looked in her general direction. "You are nothing more than a blur ma'am," he said bluntly. "I can't see clearly more than a foot or so in front of my nose tip."

Colette pursed her lips as she pondered that. "It will take me a while to figure out if I can help him, and then helping him will take some time as well," she said.

Katla nodded. "I understand that," she said. She looked down at Harry. "Are you O.K. with staying here with Colette alone or do you need me to stay?" she asked. She looked up at the Breton woman in front of her. "I have business up North it won't take me long I'm sure. Is it alright if he stays here on his own? I'll be back to pick him up."

Colette folded her arms over her chest. "You're not dumping him on me ma'am," she said sternly. It wouldn't be the first time someone thought they could just dump kids in the College and leave them. They couldn't take care of stray kids they didn't have the resources for that.

Katla's eyes narrowed. "Of course not," she said affronted. "He's my child I won't just leave him here." Her fists closed. "I love him. Now the only reason I'm even willing to leave him here is because he wants to become a member of the College when he gets older. And I don't want to take him with me when I travel to the Sea of Ghosts. I don't want him to get killed out there," she said trying her best to not get angry. She loved her son. She would never leave him.

Colette took a step back. She could see the pure rage contained within the amber eyes of the woman in front of her. She breathed in slowly. "I'm sorry ma'am I did not mean to insult you. It's just that people tend to do that. They dump their kids here with us and we are forced to deal with it," she said.

Katla shook her head. "I… apology accepted. I shouldn't have overreacted like that," she said. She looked down at Harry. "So how do you want to do this?" she asked. It was his decision in the end after all.

The raven looked up at the brunette's blurry face. "You don't have to stay with me," he said. He'd made his mind up. "I'll be fine. You go find out what this madman has to say and come back here after that. I'll be here," he said.

Katla chuckled. "I know **_kulsezii_**. You stay safe and I'll be back before you know it," she said before bending down and kissing him on the forehead.

"I'll be fine; you keep Ra'shall from doing something dumb. And make it back will you," Harry said. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. "See you soon."

"See you soon honey," Katla said she ran a hand through his hair before stepping away. "You make sure he's safe," she told Colette before she walked off.

Harry turned to the Mage next to him. "So where do we go ma'am?" he asked.

Colette thought about it for a moment "I believed that the Hall of Attainment would be best. We don't have that many students right now," she said. She held a hand out and placed it on the boy's shoulder so she could guide him to the correct door. Their steps were slow so the kid wouldn't fall.

Once they reached the door, she reached out and pulled it open.

"… just get the hell out of my face and don't come back," a female voice reached their ears. She did not sound happy.

Colette sighed. "We should go upstairs," she said. "Don't worry about her. She is harmless as long as you don't get on her nerves."

Harry nodded slowly. _'Great,'_ he thought. _'Hopefully she ain't dangerous.'_ He could see how a blurry person made its way past them as they walked through the hall. They started heading up a set of stairs. He placed a hand against the wall next to him to keep himself steady. He was led to a faintly lit room and asked to sit down.

"I'm going to scan your eyes. There is a chance that I won't be able to help you," Colette said. "I need you to understand that before we start this."

"I understand ma'am," Harry said softly. He could see how her hands rose in front of him. They were glowing softly.

…

Katla looked back at the College. She hoped Harry would be alright. Her eyes travelled over the dark clouds covering the sky. Snow was still falling. It was like there were constant clouds hovering over Winterhold. _'Wonder if Ra'shall is still sleeping,'_ she thought. A lone guard was walking the street, holding a burning torch.

She walked down the ramp leading up to the bridge that led to the College. She walked through town slowly. There was little reason to hurry. She reached the inn and kicked lightly against the wall next to the door to rid her boots of snow before walking inside.

"Good afternoon Dagur," she said as she came closer to the front desk.

"Good afternoon, Lady Katla," the man responded.

"Could I have some bread and tomatoes and two bottles of Honningbrew ready. I'm just going to kick my companion out of bed and then we need to eat," Katla said.

"Of course it will only take a moment to get the food ready," Dagur said. He disappeared down into the basement quickly and picked up the items that were needed. When he got back up the tall brown-haired woman was standing by the fire pit in the middle of the main room. "What happened to the young one you had with you?" he asked as he walked up t them and handed the items she had asked for over.

"Thank you," Katla said as Ra'shall pulled out enough coins to pay for the meal. "My son's up at the College. The Expert-level Healer up there is looking into his health for me," she said. "I have to go talk to a man up North though. Is it possible for us to pile our things up in a room here for safekeeping 'til we're back?" she asked. "We'll pay you of course."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Dagur said. "We don't get many travellers this time of year anyway. Most rooms will be empty until spring comes around."

"Good," Katla said with a smile. "I'll be over after we've eaten and we can discuss a price then," she said.

Dagur gave a small bow before he walked back to the counter leaving his guests to themselves. Sometime later he looked up as Katla approached him. She placed a pouch filled with coins down on the counter. "This should cover any expenses we or Harry might have during our stay here," she said kindly. "We'll move our things into one room and then we'll leave for now. Hopefully we'll be back tomorrow at the latest."

"Good travels Lady Katla," Dagur said as before his eyes went back to the pouch filled with coins. He reached out and opened it. Looking up, he could see no one in sight at the moment. He started counting the coins up on the counter in front of him. He piled up little piles of ten coins in each. He breathed out slowly. _'She paid for twenty days stay for the both of them and then she left,'_ he thought. He shook his head. She had to be rich to do that kind of thing.

In the mean time Katla and Ra'shall had made it out of the city. The brunette had forgone wearing her armour since she knew that they would be travelling close to the Sea of Ghosts if not over the water itself.

They moved swiftly over the snow covered ground. A bear appeared on the road before them and Katla breathed in. **_"Kaan,"_** she shouted.

The bear lay back down on the ground. Wild eyes followed them as they passed it.

"This road is taking a wrong turn," Ra'shall said suddenly. "We're going to have to make our own path from here." He moved away from the marked road and started climbing over big snow banks as he searched for a path down.

Katla followed him slowly. She was careful as she walked so that she wouldn't sink down in holes hidden under the thick untouched coat of snow that covered the world.

"This should work," Ra'shall said as he turned d to look at the brunette. "Come over here."

Katla sighed. They would be dropping down a cliffside… she just loved that.

…

Harry lay back in the bed he'd been led to. Colette had left him to go look in some book somewhere. Apparently she was a bit split on what was causing his visions problems. He'd finished eating the food she'd brought him. The door to his room was closed, but he could hear voices coming from the other side.

Mostly it was just mumbling but once in a while he'd hear things that sounded more like explosions. He was lying there now listening to a couple of people talking.

"… but that just can't be it, can it? I mean if it was that simple then someone would have come up with it already."

"Not necessarily. It could be that it's so simple people have discarded it because of its simplicity. Sometimes scholars and other learned people tend to completely ignore the simple solutions just because they are simple."

"Yeah, sure. They most likely discard the simple solution because it doesn't work."

"If you have that opinion about it then I doubt we'll ever come to an agreement. Personally I believe that scholars tend to forget that the 'simple' people know far more about certain things than they do. Take a farmer for example. The scholar might know more about how to make plants grow and flourish. He might have more knowledge about what can be added to the soil to increase the crop, but he could still be completely incapable of growing anything on his lands while the farmer who doesn't know all that advanced stuff is doing just fine with his crops because he has lived there all his life and knows what works on his lands. He's learned how to read the signs and when to start planting because it is the circle of life where he lives."

"And why wouldn't the scholar know these things, huh? It stands to reason that he would have researched all of those things before he started trying to grow anything in the first place."

"Research won't give you everything you need. Sometimes the only way to learn is through hard work. The only way the scholar would know if he actually toiled. I'm just saying you need to work for what you want to know. Reading books and doing secluded experiments won't give you everything you need to know."

The door to his room opened and Harry sat up. "Colette?" he said questioningly since he couldn't actually tell who it was that entered the room.

"Yes, Harry it is me," Colette said. She walked up to the teen and sat down. "Let's try this again shall we," she said.

…

Katla and Ra'shall had been walking along the coastline for quite some time, passing horkers and wolves as they went. They came upon a gathering of ice floes. Katla grabbed her backpack straps and pulled the bag off herself before taking a map out of the pack. "We need to go over here," she said as she placed a finger on the spot that Urag had marked for her. "We need to head due north." She pulled her very light pack back on and walked closer to the water.

"You are crazy," Ra'shall muttered. He shook his head as he watched the brunette jump from one ice floe to another. He would wait a bit before he followed her so they wouldn't offset each other. He did not want to take an ice bath.

Katla breathed out in relief as she set foot on firm ground on the other side. She turned around and waited for the Khajiit. Her eyes moved up to the College in the distance. _'Kyne be with you Harry,_ ' she thought.

…

"I give up," Colette exclaimed. She ran her hands through her hair in exasperation. "I should be able to help you. I can identify the problem, but my magic can't get there." _'Julianos this is insane,'_ she thought.

Harry sat up slowly. He'd noticed how her frustration had been growing over the past hour or so. "Is there nothing we can do about it?" he asked softly. He didn't want to upset her.

Colette looked up at him. "What do you mean dear?" she said as she tried to calm herself down.

"Well, if there's something in the way can't it be removed?" Harry asked.

Colette sighed in frustration. "It's not that simple," she said. "I can't even figure out what it is that is blocking me. It is almost like there is a…" she fell silent. "I need to go get a colleague of mine. I don't want to scare you needlessly if I'm wrong about this." She stood up. "I'll be right back."

…

"Great… just great," Ra'shall exclaimed. "We have to swim now. I'm gong to turn into an ice cube," he whined.

Katla snorted. "You can stay here if you want too, but I have to go over there and find this crazy man," she said.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "Like I'd let you go off on your own just because of some water," he said. He looked down at the water. "We should probably leave our stuff on this side. It is a bit unnecessary to get everything wet," he said.

Katla stopped. "You are probably right," she said. She grabbed her backpack and threw it to the side of a huge ice block sticking up into the air from the ground. Then she bent down and pulled her boots off. The furred boots joined her backpack.

"You're going barefoot," Ra'shall said. He was glad that he was wearing leather. It wouldn't hold water at least.

"Yeah, why not," Katla said. "I don't get cold the way you do." She grabbed her coat and pulled it off as well. She walked up to the water. "Here we go," she said. Nords might not get cold the way that other races did, but that didn't mean that a negative degree swim was her favourite pastime. She walked out in the water. The hairs on her arms rose. The gravel beneath her feet was sloping quickly. She threw herself forward and took a couple of quick stokes before she reached an ice floe. She grabbed onto the floe of ice and pulled herself up slowly. "Come on Ra'shall," she called.

The feline hissed. He was not happy about this. He pulled his gloves and boots off. Unlike Katla he made sure to take them with him. He'd freeze to death if he didn't. He ran over to the water and jumped in quickly so he wouldn't second guess it. He realised as he hit the water that it was really cold. He had to force himself to breathe normally and start moving forward. He reached the ice floe Katla was standing on and the brunette went down on her knees and held a hand out to him. "Here I'll help you up," she said.

She moved back as she pulled him up on the floe so that the floe wouldn't turn over. "There you go," she said as the feline joined her up on the ice. She stepped back as the man shook water out of his fur. Amber eyes scanned the ice they had to walk over. "Follow me," she said.

They walked over the slippery ice slowly, middle landed on a small island, and continued over another set of ice floes.

"I'll be happy when we're back on dry land by a fire," Ra'shall said while his teeth clattered. "There is a wooden something or another over there in the side of the ice thing." His sharp eyes picking up things that Katla couldn't see yet.

As they got closer, however, the brunette could see torches that had been mounted in the ice. She bent down and knocked on the wooden … she wasn't sure if door was the best word for it. There was no response. Katla looked up at Ra'shall. "Go in?" she asked.

Ra'shall nodded. "We go in," he said.

They pulled the door open.

…

Harry sighed. He'd been waiting for Colette for heavens knows how long now. Considering how long it taken him and Katla to find her to begin with he guessed that it wasn't all that easy to find people around the College.

He held out his hands and a ball of light lifted above the bed. Then his hands glowed purple and his familiar showed up next to the bed. The griffin hopped up and lay down next to him. "Hey honey," he said softly. He reached out and ran his finger over the griffin's head petting the half-bird half-feline. He was bored.

He could hear footsteps move by the door. Back and forth they went.

BOOM! An explosion shook the building. _'That feels so safe,'_ he thought sarcastically.

The griffin stood up and turned towards the door before screeching.

"That's enough," Harry said softly. "There is no one out there that wants to hurt me." He closed his eyes against the blur; it was giving him a headache.

The door opened and two set of feet walked into the room. "Welcome back Colette," Harry said softly. "Who is your friend?"

Colette sat down next to the bed as Harry sat up properly. "This is Phinis Gestor he is the Conjuration Expert here at the College. Will you let him take a look at you?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Sure," he said softly. He moved back so he could lie down once more. He placed a hand on top of his familiar's head. He could feel the man's hands as they landed on his chest and his forehead. Then magic flowing over him. It felt strange as it passed through him. It went on for a moment and then the hands left him.

"This is not good," Phinis said.

"So I was right?" Colette said.

"Unfortunately yes," he said. "It is disturbing and will most likely take some time to get fixed. What I don't understand is how it happened in the first place."

"Eh, excuse me," Harry said somewhat irritated. He did not enjoy people talking about him like he wasn't around. "I would like to know what is going on."

Phinis looked over at him. His brows furrowed. He wasn't so sure that telling the boy about it was the best idea. "Does he have family around?" he asked Colette.

"He has a mother in the area, but I don't know when she'll be back. She was travelling up to the Sea of Ghosts," Colette said.

"Or you could just speak to me," Harry said. He rubbed his brow. "I am fully capable of understanding what you have to tell me." He moved forward, and the griffin next to him shifted. "If it is bad then shouldn't I get to know about it?" he asked. "Mother would agree with me."

Phinis met the boy's gaze. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Harry nodded determinedly. "I want to know," he said.

"O.K." Phinis said. He centred himself. How was he supposed to tell the boy so he would understand? "Colette has told you that there is something blocking her magic. I have found what that thing is." He shifted. "There is a piece of soul lodged in your head. It is connected to your magicka reserves. It is feeding from your magic to survive," he said his hands moving as he talked. "First off I have no idea how that happened. I don't know how to fraction a soul in the first place. And then to place it in someone else …" he shook his head.

Harry froze. He had a piece of someone else's soul in him. _'Who?'_ …Then it hit him. _'Voldemort. Voldemort has to be the one.'_ He reached up and ran a hand through his hair in a distressed manner. He didn't know how it could have happened either but certain conversations with Dumbledore came to mind. Like when the old man had told him that he and Tom Riddle had a lot in common. "I… I understand what you are telling me," he said. "I think I know whose soul it is and I don't want it there. Can it be removed?"

Phinis leaned back in his chair. "I can remove it. Of that I am sure, but it will take some time and a lot of work," he said. "We'll have to work together." He turned to Colette who nodded. She was not about to leave the boy with a foreign soul piece in him. Phinis turned back to the raven-haired teen. That's when he realised that the boy still had his familiar next to him. Normally a youngling couldn't hold that spell for longer than a minute at a time. Even elder Conjuration Mages had trouble just sustaining it like the boy was doing. He himself could probably do it, but he hadn't really cared about getting better with that particular spell. He knew that a few of his students could do something similar. They were, however, much older than the teen in front of him.

"Can we start that now, sir?" Harry asked. "I really want it gone."

Phinis thought about it for a moment. He would need several tools before they could start. "I need to gather some thing together," he said. "But we'll start as soon as I'm back. You should get something to eat in the meantime."

Harry nodded slowly. "O.K." he said. _'How did I get a piece of Voldemort's soul in me?'_ he wondered. He couldn't remember any time when… _'My head hurts whenever he's close to me,'_ he thought. _'It must have been there since I was a baby.'_ The thought made him sick.

…

"That man is completely insane," Ra'shall whispered.

"That might be true," Katla said calmly. "But he did help us. We now know that we have to get to the Tower of Mzark through Blackreach to get the Elder Scroll."

"Yeah but how do we get down there?" Ra'shall asked.

The brunette shrugged. "The College probably knows where the closest path to Blackreach lies. They've been around for quite some time after all," she said. She shifted the cube and the sphere she had been given around. They were both obviously Dwemer made. "We should get out of here and make our way back to Winterhold. I want to get back as soon as possible," she said as they walked back out of the cave.

"It's getting late though," Ra'shall pointed out.

"Do you want to stay here for the night?" Katla asked already knowing the answer.

The feline grimaced. "No thank you," he said.

"Then let's go take another swim. We can at least make our way back to the main land," the brunette said. She could hear Ra'shall's groan in response to that and chuckled softly.

…

It was an hour or so after Harry had been led into the dinning room of the Hall of Attainment. He was back in the room he'd been given, and the two Mages were there with him.

"We are going to put you to sleep through this," Phinis said calmly.

The teen nodded. "Alright," he said a bit nervously. He hated ending up in the hospital wing and this wasn't much better. He really wanted to get rid of his sight problems.

"If you would drink this," Colette said and held out a vial filled with a strange shimmering blue sludge.

Harry reached out and took the vial. "Here goes nothing," he mumbled before downing the contents. It took effect almost immediately. If he had been capable of seeing normally the world would probably look really woozy right about now, but since he couldn't see, it didn't really affect his vision any. He could, however, feel how his limbs became heavier and heavier until he simply didn't have enough power to keep himself upright. He felt his head hit the pillow at the head of the bed before his eyes closed and he knew no more.

Colette looked at her colleague. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

Phinis brow furrowed. "You need to make sure that what I do doesn't kill him. I need you to monitor him," he said.

Colette nodded as she sat down next to the teen. She placed her hands on top of the boy's chest. She watched as Phinis lifted a dark purple stone up. It was a black soul gem. He sat down and reached out to place a hand on the boy's forehead.

For what seemed like hours they simply sat there. Magic pulsed around them. It swirled and fizzled. Their breathing got more and more laboured as time passed. If someone else walked into the room it would look like they weren't doing anything. Neither of them moved.

Breathe in… breathe out.

 _26th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Fredas_

It was well past midnight when Phinis finally moved back from the teen. The soul gem in his hand did not gleam like they would usually do when filled. It looked like it was filled with some kind of black sludge.

Colette stayed connected to the boy for a moment longer to make sure that he would be alright. When she looked up at her colleague, her eyes widened. "That does not look healthy," she whispered.

"No it doesn't," Phinis said. "I'm glad we could rid him off it. It could have really hurt him if it had stayed there long-term." He stood up slowly. "We should get some sleep," he said tiredly. "Is he in any danger tonight?"

Colette looked down at the teen. "He'll be fine," she said.

* * *

Katla walked into the Hall of Attainment. She had been told that Harry was there. Passing the gleaming blue well in the middle of the hall, she walked over to the stairs and went up them. She passed a dark haired woman who was muttering to herself, "Blasted turnips won't stay away from my research."

A brown eyebrow rose in slight confusion, but Katla quickly brushed it off. She was there to see Harry not get involved in College politics. She placed a hand on one of the closed doors in the tower and knocked.

"Please come in," Harry's muffled voice sounded through the door.

Katla pushed the door open. "Hey **_kulsezii_** ," she said. "How are you doing?" she asked as she walked up to the bed.

"O.K." Harry said with a shrug. "I still can't see anything because Colette found something that was blocking her magic and she had to get Phinis, and he told me that I had a soul piece in my head."

"WHAT!" Katla exclaimed. She reached out worriedly and placed her hands on either side of his face.

"I'm fine now," Harry said softly. "Phinis and Colette spent hours last night getting rid of the soul piece. It's gone now and Colette said she'd heal my eyes later today."

Katla breathed out a calming breath. "Thank Mara," she said. "We know the name of where we have to go next but I'm going to have to do some studying before we can find it."

"Can I get some time here to learn a bit more?" Harry asked. "Colette said she'll teach me Lesser Ward and Healing. It's two Novice level Restoration spells. I think they would be really good to know."

Katla nodded. "Why not," she said, "I've paid for us to stay in the inn for almost two weeks so that should be no problem. Why don't you ask the other teacher if they are willing to teach you the Novice spells in their School as well?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "I would really like that," he said. Then he picked up the coral claw from beside him on the bed. "But we'll go find the place that this belongs to as well right?" he asked.

"Sure, we will."

…

The rest of that day went by rather slow for Katla she spent a few hours in the Arcanaeum figuring out where they needed to go next. As far as she could determine Alftand was the closes place that led down to Blackreach. They were going to travel through Dwemer ruins. She wasn't to sure how she felt about that.

The fact that Harry wouldn't have those inconvenient glasses would be a good thing. She wondered if she should try to get a hold of a sword for him though and some armour. Chances were that any blacksmith she might talk to would think she was insane for wanting to equip a fourteen year old with proper weapons. At least he'd know some more spells before they went there.

Later that day Colette joined Harry in his room and she started working on fixing his eyesight. It wasn't hard work like the night before, but it was far trickier for her than the previous evening had been.

 _27th of Heartfire, 4E 201. Loredas_

The day after his eye surgery, or whatever you want to call it, Harry didn't do much – mostly because he wasn't allowed to. Colette had told him to stay away from any kind of bright light, and he wasn't allowed to strain his eyes so he couldn't read. It was slowly driving him crazy.

It became a bit easier once Katla showed up and started entertaining him with tales of hers and Ra'shall's exploits over the years. To be honest he couldn't stop laughing.

That Sundas was spent learning Restoration spells in the morning and sword training after lunch. The rest of that week looked very much the same. Harry would train with the Mages in the morning and with Katla or Ra'shall in the afternoon.

* * *

 _6th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Morndas_

Harry ran ahead of the two adults as they travelled down among the abandoned houses in Winterhold. They were going to see if they could find Yngol Barrow where the Coral Dragon Claw Katla had bought belonged. He found a slope and rushed forward before making himself fall over so he'd slide down. He turned around as a howl tore through the air. There was a pack of wolves down there. _'Oh, my,'_ he thought. He breathed in and shouted at them, **_"Kaan!"_**

The wolves stopped in their tracks.

Harry stood up slowly. He moved carefully and kept his eyes on the canines. If he had to he could probably scare the beasts of with his Flames spell.

"You found some wolves I see," Ra'shall said as he walked up next to the teen.

"Yeah, it would seem that way wouldn't it," Harry said cheekily. He stumbled forward as the feline man attacked him.

When Katla joined them the teen was lying in the snow laughing hysterically. "What am I going to do with the two of you?" she asked with a sigh.

"Hug," Harry said and held his arms out towards her.

She rolled her eyes and bent down to fish the boy up. "You don't really want to hug me right now," she said. "I'm wearing full body armour."

"I guess not," the raven said with a shrug. "We'll just have to pile it up for later." He smiled at her as he started walking.

For some unknown reason they had decided to go off-road for the trip.

Katla was starting to regret that decision when they reached an area that required them to jump from ice floe to ice floe. Ra'shall went first, then Harry and after him she went so that they could help the teen if something happened. She didn't breathe calmly again until they were safely ashore on the other side.

It wasn't long after that when it stopped snowing. They walked along the shore of the Sea of Ghosts until that was no longer possible. The shoreline disappeared among high rocks. So they turned up among the mountains and headed south. They only thing they knew about the barrow they were heading to was that it lay northeast of Windhelm.

Katla would continuously look down at the map and hold her compass up to make sure that they were heading in the right direction.

They were forced to almost climb at times because of the uneven terrain. It had started snowing again as they walked onwards, and the wind was strong enough that it dragged the powder snow of the ground, blowing it towards them.

They continued walking until they reached a precipice. Katla closed her eyes. "Of course where we need to go is on the other side of the White River," she muttered. She turned to the other two. "The only safe passing is the one we used on our way up to Winterhold. We might as well find our way back to the road."

"Or we can head straight for Windhelm," Harry said and pointed towards the city in the distance.

"I don't know if there is a way into the city from here though," Katla said.

Ra'shall shrugged. "We might as well try it out," he said. "It can't get much worse, and with any luck we can come by a fisherman that will help us to the docks."

Katla nodded. "Yeah, why not," she said.

They decided that since the city was close enough for them to see it they would wait until reaching it before taking a lunch break even if that meant they would eat later than usual.

They were lucky when they reached the city walls. While there was no fisherman out to help them and no gate facing northeast, the outer wall was reinforced with stone steps which they used to get around to the docks.

They would eat lunch in Candlehearth Hall.

…

An hour or so later they set out once more – on the right side of the White River this time.

Passing one farm after another, they headed east. It wasn't long until they were forced off-road.

Katla stopped in front of an altar. "What do you think?" she asked and turned to Ra'shall. "This could be Yngol Barrow right?"

The feline man nodded. "Definitely possible and most likely true. There isn't much else out here after all," he answered.

"Either way we might as well check it out right," Harry said. He walked forward slowly. "It will be warmer in there. I'm getting cold." He entered the ice filled cave slowly, his senses on high alert. He almost slipped and fell as he turned a corner. His eyes rose from the floor to a stone wall. Next to the opening in the wall there was a strange cyan orb. He moved forward slowly and held a hand out towards the orb. He could feel something akin to magic flowing from the little orb. "What are you?" he asked softly.

The orb bounced down from its seating place before approaching the teen.

"Hey little guy," Harry said and crouched down. He smiled as the orb bounced around him. "Come here," he said and held his hands out. The orb jumped up in his palms. It was strangely warm. Green eyes looked up at the opening before him as he felt a tug in that direction. "You want me to go there, huh?" he asked the orb. He felt warms spread out over his fingers.

"Harry what are you doing?" Katla asked as she walked up behind the teen. She looked down at the light that spread from his hands. "What is that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Harry answered. "But it wants me to go further into the barrow." He looked up at the brunette. "Should we follow?" he asked. "It isn't dangerous." He didn't quite know how he knew that, but he was certain he was right. The small orb felt safe.

Katla sighed. "Considering that it is the only path forward we'll have to go that way if we want to get through this place," she said.

"What is going on?" Ra'shall asked.

Katla turned to face him. "Harry has found a little friend," she said. "He says it wants us to travel into the barrow."

Ra'shall walked around the teen so he could see what he was holding. "And you just picked it up," he said not too happy with the boy. "It could be dangerous Harry. You can't just grab every little pretty thing you see," he said.

"I sensed it before I picked it up," Harry said affronted. "I'm not dumb. I know there could be dangerous things about, but this isn't one of them. I checked before I picked it up." He walked past the feline and into the next section of the tunnel. _'Why does he have to get so angry with me,_ ' he wondered grumpily. It didn't take long before he stopped once more. There was another orb lying in an open casket in front of him. "Hey," he said amiably. "Do you want to join us?" He watched as the orb bounced out of the casket. The one in his hands jumped down and they danced around each other, making him laugh.

Another orb joined him before Harry walked into an actual room. There was a lever in the middle of the room in front of a closed gate. He could see another orb stuck on the other side of the bars. Then his eyes fell on the body of a dead man. He backed off holding a hand over his mouth. He could hear Katla's footsteps as she came closer to the room. "Katla," he called out distressed. The footsteps speeded up.

"Is something wrong sweetheart?" she asked as she reached him. She could see the half-disgusted half-terrified look on the boy's face and wondered what had made him so upset.

"There is a dead guy in there," Harry whispered and pointed towards the next room.

Katla turned around. "Ra'shall come here and stay with Harry. I need to go and check on something," she called. The feline showed up quite quickly. He looked down at the somewhat shaken teen. "It's O.K." he said softly as he reached out and pulled the boy into a hug. "Maybe you shouldn't walk first, huh." He looked up at Katla as the woman walked into the room Harry had backed out of. She kneeled down next to the dead man. She had four little cyan orbs dancing around her, making little bell-like sounds. She shook her head and smiled a small smile.

"Who are you?" she asked as she shifted the dead man around. He was stiff from cold. She thanked the heavens that it was that cold though because he would have been decomposing otherwise. She moved her hands through his pockets searching for anything that might tell her who he was. She found two books. One was a children's story and the other was a note book. On the cover it said: _Notes on Yngol Barrow_. She opened it us and looked inside.

 _What a peculiar place the barrow turned out to be._

 _I hadn't explored for very long before reaching this_

 _elaborate room and gate locking me from going further_

 _into the crypt._

 _I confess it - I'm relieved! This place puts the fear of_

 _Oblivion into me. There are some carvings in this room._

 _I'll attempt to transcribe them for the College so I have_

 _something to show for this effort._

 _'_ _He was a Mage at the College,'_ Katla thought. _'We should let them know what happened to him.'_ She looked down at the transcript below the journal entry.

 _All was so in Atmora_

 _land of truth and our home_

She scanned through the text.

 _Fascinating, these ancient Nords. I wonder what other_

 _secrets are hidden here? Surely there can't be any_

 _harm in trying to go a little further, and there is a lever_

 _here which must open the gate beyond._

Katla looked up from the text and looked around the room. There were three engraved pillars and a high chair in the room. _'Why didn't he put the pillars right when he figured the puzzle out?_ ' she wondered. Light shone down from outside and a snake was displayed beneath the light. She walked up. "Eagle in Sun's Sky," she mumbled as she turned the stone around. "So should he be." She walked to the left and tilted her head. "Snake in the weed," she turned the pillar to show the snake, "so should he be," she said. She turned around to face the last pillar. It displayed a snake, but there was water pouring down behind it. "Whale in the sea so should he be," she mumbled.

On the throne lay a skull "Man in his throne, so should he be." Katla turned towards the lever and pulled it. "Sorrow! For the Sea-Ghosts took Yngol Prize Brother of Sail from Atmora's Fleet and none on land, nor sky, nor sea would ever again be as should be," she repeated what the text in the book had said. She moved back out of the traps reach in case she was wrong. She wasn't. The gate opened up with a creak. She walked back out to Harry and Ra'shall. "We can move forward now," she informed them. Then she reached out and placed a finger under Harry's chin. "He was a scholar at the College," she said. "I think we should burn his body so that nothing else happens to it."

Harry nodded slowly. "Will we do it in there?" he asked.

Katla looked over at the body. "We might as well," she said. Then she looked back down at the teen. "Are you up to this?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry said and nodded slowly. "I'll be alright." He watched as Katla walked back into the puzzle room. She reached the body and grabbed his shoulders so she could pull him over to the throne in the room. She didn't want to burn him in the middle of their path.

"Let me do it," Harry said softly. He walked forward and raised his hands. A stream of fire flowed from his hands towards the body. He closed his eyes and turned so his face was hidden against Ra'shall's chest.

"On this your last journey, we send thee," Katla said softly. "May Arkay watch over thee and guide thee through the crossing."

"That's enough," the feline man said after a while. He pulled the boy closer to himself and backed off from the cadaver before pulling a vial out of his belt and threw it at the body. The vial broke and the fire went wild. "We should get out of here now," he said. "Before that really picks up." He led Harry out of the room into another frozen part of the barrow. He didn't stop until they went through a door and down a set of stairs. He sat down pulling the somewhat distressed raven with him. He looked up at Katla as she closed the gate behind her. "I'll make some dinner," she said.

"Don't make any meat," Ra'shall said. He wasn't so sure that the teen could eat it.

The brunette nodded.

That evening all of them curled up together. It was the only way that the grown-ups could get the teen to actually fall asleep.

…

 _7th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Tirdas_

That night had been restless.

Harry had been tossing and turning. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a dead man. He'd even killed a man before. Back then, though, he hadn't really been allowed to feel anything about it. The fear and the horror he'd felt back when he had fought Quirrell off in his first year at Hogwarts had come back to him. He's been suffering from nightmares to-and-fro all night.

Now he was walking down a wide staircase to a set of open sarcophaguses. They hadn't seen a single draugr yet though. He wondered if that was a good thing or not. He turned his head to the right and a small smile spread over his lips. He could see the door they needed the Dragon Claw key for. He looked over his shoulder and waved Katla over. "There's the door," he said and pointed. "Can we go there?"

"Sure," Katla said. "There's no point in waiting for Ra'shall to get done with whatever it is he's doing. He'll catch up with us." She wrapped her arm around the teen's shoulders and they walked over to the door.

The little cyan orbs followed them and their faint light spread through the dark corridor.

Harry smiled at them and held a hand out. A light rose from his palm and settled over their heads. He looked up at the door and grabbed a hold of one of the stone circles that acted as the lock. He turned it until it showed a wolf. He smiled up at Katla as she grabbed the topmost circle. "What is it supposed to be?" she asked.

"A snake," Harry said as he placed his hands on the last one. He turned it until it showed a picture of a dragonfly then he picked the claw out of his backpack and placed it in the lock.

The door made a loud scratching noise as it opened slowly.

"Wait," Katla told Harry as the orbs bounced into the next room. "There is something there," she said and pointed towards a throne standing in the middle of the next room.

Harry nodded and backed off. He held his hands out and his familiar appeared before him. "Attack," he told it and pointed into the room.

The griffin moved into the room quickly. Katla followed not far behind her elven greatsword drawn and ready.

.

Ra'shall made his way down the wide stairs. He bent down and pushed an overturned chest open. "Nothing good," he muttered. He continued through the darkness following his companions.

Then he heard it.

Harry screaming, "KATLA!"

He started running. "Shit!" he exclaimed as he reached the brunette. "You foolish woman," he said. He pulled at the straps holding her armour together. He could see how a golden light spread from the raven's hands.

"Heal her damn it," the boy cried. There were tears running down his face as he tried to force his magic to work on the woman in front of him despite the fact that he'd only been taught how to heal himself.

Ra'shall finally managed to get the breastplate off Katla. He threw it to the side and pulled a bottle out of his backpack, which he'd dropped down on the ground as he reached them. He uncorked a red bottle. "You are bleeding all over the place," he said. He didn't even know where to start.

"Just calm down… and do what has to be … done," Katla said weakly.

Ra'shall breathed in and pulled himself together. He would not let her die because he froze up. He placed the bottle against her lips and tilted it so she could drink the potion down. Then he placed the bottle on the ground before ripping her shirt apart. There were several long gashed running over her chest and abdomen. He grabbed the bottle once more and started pouring the liquid over the wounds. "You are loosing too much blood," he told the semiconscious woman somewhat strained.

"It… will be … alright," Katla said as her amber eyes closed.

"No," Harry whispered. "No Katla you can't die," he cried. "Work damn it!" He placed his hands on her stomach.


	11. Down to the Darkest Depths

**Down to the Darkest Depths**

 _10th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Fredas_

Ra'shall walked into Frozen Hearth Inn. He shook snow out of his fur before turning to his left. He gave a curt nod to the innkeeper before he walked into one of the bedrooms. His tail settled in a happy hook behind his back.

Harry was still sleeping.

Not that he could fault the teen after everything that had happened, and the nightmares that had followed. He sat down next to the teen and ran a hand through his hair slowly. "It's time to wake up now," he said quietly.

The teen rolled over on his stomach and mumbled something incomprehensible.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "That won't work," he said as he placed a hand on the back of the boy's head. "You know I'll carry you outside and throw you in the snow if you don't get up now." He combed his fingers through thick raven locks. The boy had been letting his hair grow wild. Katla had asked if he wanted to cut it, but he'd said no. "Up with you," he said.

A bright green eye looked up at him. "Do I have to?" the teen mumbled.

"Yes," Ra'shall said. "We need to get going. We have a long road ahead of us and most of it will be underground." He stood up. "I'm going to order breakfast, and you better be out of here when it is served," he said.

"Sure whatever," Harry said tiredly.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. _'Impudent child,'_ he thought.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. _'I better get up before he gets back here,'_ he thought. He was well aware of the fact that Ra'shall was serious about his threats, and he did not want to get thrown out in the snow. He sat up slowly and looked down at the floor. _'Now where are my clothes?'_ he wondered. Standing up, he looked around searching for his pants. He ran a hand over his chest. A small smile spread over his face. He'd only been in Skyrim for about a month, but his physique had improved a lot. He wasn't buff or anything, but he felt much better.

Finally he found his shirt crumpled up in a corner. He grabbed the dark-blue cotton fabric and pulled it over his head. He combed his finger through his hair to get rid of a few knots. Hiding a yawn with his hand, he pulled the door open.

"So you managed to get up," Ra'shall said. "You look like a scarecrow."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I need a comb or something to fix that," he said. He yawned again, walked over to their usual table and sat down. "You're not joining me?" he asked as he looked up at the feline man.

Ra'shall shook his head. "I've eaten already," he answered. "I'll be waiting out west when you're done. We're probably not coming back here so you better pack everything you need."

"Sure," Harry said before going back to his breakfast.

…

Snow was falling like always in Winterhold. It covered everything in a soft white blanket. Sound was muffled and heat only found by the roaring fires in the houses. The College was the only place where people in the area actually wanted to be. The Mages didn't want to leave something the few citizens in the city did not share with them. Only the Jarl seemed to be stubborn enough to stick around in the actual city.

Amber eyes moved over the nearby mountains. A sigh disappeared with the wind. It had been far to close.

~ Katla opened her eyes slowly. She felt like shit. "Ra'shall," she said croakily.

"Hush, Katla don't move," the feline man said softly as he moved up next to her. "You still haven't healed fully."

The brunette nodded slowly. "Where's Harry?" she asked.

Ra'shall smiled softly. "Look to your left hon," he said.

Katla turned her head. She was surprised she hadn't realised that the weight settled against her was even there before she saw the teen lying next to her with his head on her shoulder. She turned back to her old friend ready to ask a question, but he beat her to it.

"He worked so hard to get his magic to heal you last night that it completely exhausted him," Ra'shall said. "But you would have died if he hadn't managed." He placed his hand on her stomach. "Don't ever do that to us again," he said. "It isn't just Harry that has to be careful." ~

"Katla… Nirn to Katla."

Amber eyes turned to a dark furred Khajiit. "Lost in thoughts, huh?" the man said.

"You could say that," she answered. She moved the hand that had travelled up to lay over her stomach away. Thanks to Ra'shall's potions and Harry's magic she had healed just fine. She sighed and shuffled her feet. "Harry's on his way?" she asked.

Ra'shall nodded. "He'll be here as soon as he's finished his breakfast and packed what little he has left," he said. "Do you really think it's a good idea to bring him along down there?" he asked.

Katla looked skywards as she answered, "He can handle himself. If he hadn't been around down in the barrow I would be dead now. We need him with us." She looked back down at Ra'shall meeting his eyes. "We'll just have to make sure that we don't split up again," she said. "If the two of us had fought that spectra then what happened wouldn't have occurred."

"Never split up," Ra'shall said. "If we work methodically through the place with that in mind, we should be alright."

"I should hope so," Harry said as he walked up next to the grown-ups. He was wearing a set of mage robes that had been altered to fit him. Colette had given them to him when she'd heard that they were travelling down into Dwemer ruins. She had muttered something along the lines of wanting to see him return to the College one day. The robes were enchanted with some kid of health regeneration which would help him heal. He wasn't really sure how that worked though.

Katla looked down at her map. "We need to get here," she said and pointed. "Unfortunately we have no clue what the terrain is like because of the snow."

"We'll just have to hope we'll end up in the right place," Ra'shall said.

"Yeah, cause that ended up so well last time around," Harry said cheekily. He started walking down the hill.

"Now see there a rich boy, eh," a male voice said.

The raven turned around and ducked down. He lifted his hands and sent a cloud of ice towards the man. A purple mist gathered in his palm and an angry griffin sprung forth. He moved to the side quickly and kicked at a set of bare legs.

"Harry," Katla called.

"I'm here," the teen responded and stood up. He brushed snow from his clothes before walking up to the brunette.

"Damn bandits," Ra'shall said irritably. "Don't they get that they would live longer if they don't attack us?"

"Ra'shall shut up," Katla said as her arms tightened around Harry. She did her best to keep him away from the dead bodies as she guided him further down the mountain.

…

The sky cleared up as they reached Alftand. They'd stopped to eat after climbing a rather steep slope. It was heavy work to walk through the snow and had taken them much longer than what was normal for them, so it was nice to finally see the sun again.

"Wait," Ra'shall hissed suddenly as he crouched down.

"What?" Katla breathed back.

"There is a giant up ahead," the feline answered.

"And a dragon," Harry said quietly.

"What no there's no…" A roar cut Ra'shall off. "O.K. so there is a dragon," he said. "Great."

Katla pulled her bow from her back. "Come on Harry let's see if we can't deal with this from a distance," she said. She placed an arrow on her bowstring and pulled it back before moving up. She could see the teen join her out of the corner of her eye. "Tell me when you have a shot," she said calmly. She didn't have to wait long.

"Got it," Harry said determinedly.

"Fire."

The arrows flew across the white expanse covering the ground. They buried into the thick skin of the giant. It staggered back and the dragon descended upon it before closing its giant jaws around the large man's upper body. Great wings beat quickly as the dragon took of with its prey.

"That's fortunate," Ra'shall said softly. "At least he won't come back to attack us." He moved up from their hiding spot and looked towards a makeshift camp that had been set up by the base of a Dwemer tower sticking up out of the snow. Obviously someone had tried to build houses there, but considering the state those houses were in, they hadn't made it.

They moved through the first house together. Harry disappeared into the second one.

"Shit," Katla breathed.

"What?" Ra'shall asked.

"Look at that," Katla said as she pointed towards a number of charred bodies partly covered by the snow.

"I found a journal," Harry said as he walked back out of the house. "And a locked chest." He gave the feline a pointed look.

"What does the journal say," Katla asked as she walked up to the teen. In an attempt to guide Harry away from the bodies, she turned him back around so they could walk through the house to the place they needed to check out next.

The raven opened the journal and looked down at the sloppy text. He tilted his head to the side and his eyes widened before he squinted. "Whoever wrote this is not good at writing so it's visible," he said. "We've managed to secure the site and hold off any others who may try to steal our discoveries so far, especially those from the College of Winterhold, who seem to think the glory of exploring every ruin should be theirs alone," he read.

"Treasure seekers or fame seekers," Ra'shall said. "They probably would have been better off letting the Collage deal with this."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Then it lists off the members of the crew. There were seven in total," he said. "Sulla writes that they need more labourers because it's difficult to get through the ice down there. 'We've set up shelter and scouted the area. The small ruins on the lower plateau of the glacier don't seem connected to the main structure and we haven't managed to find a way into the tower parapet we've found here. Yag mentioned spotting a fissure in the glacial wall that may lead into the ruins so we are going to try find a way to get down there with the gear. Looks like a storm is coming,'" he read.

"So the ruin might be full of explorers who will not be happy to get company," Katla said.

"I can deal with them without killing them if we find them in there," Ra'shall said. He didn't look forward to meeting these people either. The big question was if the bodies they'd seen were a part of the crew or if they had been intruders. He followed Katla and Harry as the brunette led the teen down towards what seemed to be an entrance into the ruins. She had placed herself so that Harry wouldn't see the bodies half buried by the snow.

What had looked like an opening turned out to be nothing but stone. But the wooden bridge they had walked down continued until there was an opening in the ice.

"O.K. remember we stay together," Katla said. She'd stopped by the entrance. "When we get to a new room we make sure that it is clear, and you don't open any doors without at least one other person there and only after the room is clear. Got it?" she asked.

Harry nodded and Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "We got it, Katla," the feline said childishly. He ducked as the woman took a swipe at him.

They walked into the frozen cave. There were wooden beams and signs of people working everywhere as they went. Passing an overturned cooking pot, they could see blood smeared out over the frozen ground before them.

Harry breathed in deeply and tried his best to keep his stomach in check. There was nothing that could be done to change what had happened so there was no point in getting upset about it. At least that was what he tried to convince himself. Walking past the blood on the ground, he noticed several empty wine bottles. "They've been drinking a lot," he said quietly as he pointed down at the bottles.

"Probably has something to do with all the blood," Ra'shall said. "There's nothing here so we might as well move on." He walked first as they continued. "I'm really starting to wonder who's been bleeding like this," he said as they reached another smear of blood. "It can't be healthy."

They followed the blood smear down a steep hill and through a tunnel.

"Where is it? I know you are trying to keep it for yourself J'zhar. You're always trying to keep it for yourself," a rough voice drifted through the tunnel they were walking through. "No! There's got to be more Skooma. Shut up J'zhar! You hid it you're always trying to steal it from me."

Ra'shall held a hand up to stop the other two. "It's a Khajiit," he said.

"How do you know?" Harry asked quietly.

"Speech pattern and Skooma," Ra'shall said. "While other races drink Skooma as well, it's much more common among the Khajiit." He walked forward slowly. "Just let me knock him out and then you can come in," he said.

Katla nodded and pulled her bow from her backpack and lined an arrow up. "Just in case," she whispered.

Ra'shall shrugged before he started walking forward slowly. He walked through a dark corridor. As he reached a turn, he waved Katla and Harry over. There was no point in having them that far back if the person they had heard was further up the way. There was a possibility that what they'd heard was an echo or that it had travelled through a wall. He continued walking and came upon dripping water that was slowly covering the floor. He sniffed at it. It smelled clean. "We can refill our water here," he whispered to Katla.

The brunette nodded. "You go on ahead, but don't go too far," she said softly.

The feline man nodded. They seemed to have entered actual ruins now. In the distance he could hear Dwemer machinery still going at it. He passed an unmoving Dwemer spider. The little creatures did maintenance work and guarded the Dwemer's machines. It was a wonder that they could still move around considering how long the Dwemer had been gone. The place was far from well taken care of though. A large piece of pipe lay on the ground where it had fallen from the conduct above. There were piles of rocks and gravel all around. Icicles hung from the ceiling dangerously. Most of them seemed to be melting slowly. Ra'shall stopped and sat down. He didn't want to get too far away from the other two. So far there seemed to be no one around but the Khajiit who had spoken earlier, but one could never be too careful.

Footsteps approached slowly. They were quiet. He was smiling softly. Katla had gotten better and better at moving silently with her armour on, and Harry was wearing softer boots so his steps were not all that loud to begin with.

"Still haven't found anything?" Katla asked.

Ra'shall shook his head. "He must have been on the other side of the wall up there," he said. He stood up slowly. "We should move on," he said.

They continued down a rubble filled corridor into a larger room. There was a table with the pieces of two Dwemer spiders on it and a barred entrance. They scanned the area so they wouldn't get surprised by anything as they looked closer at the things in there.

Harry walked up to the table once he knew that the coast was clear. He moved the metal parts of the spiders around a bit. They were quite fascinating. Then he saw a book. _Dwarves v.2_ , he read. He sighed. He didn't want to read the second one before the first one. Then he saw another book. It looked like research notes.

 _If only Umani would have left one of these Dwarven machine_

 _creatures intact for me to study. The fact that they almost_

 _killed those Khajiit brothers in the middle of the night doesn't_

 _mean we couldn't have found a way to disable one. We_

 _dragged some stuff in front of the pipes they came out of to_

 _stop them from coming back._

 _They are simply fascinating! It is just as Calcelmo described in_

 _Dwarves, V2. Their appearance does, in fact, resemble that of_

 _an arachnid. I had thought that to be an embellishment given_

 _by his source. The inclusion of the soul gem into the design of_

 _the apparatus is quite remarkable. It could explain the focus_

 _for the lightning that he describes._

Harry closed his eyes. To understand the notes he would have to read parts of the book about Dwarves. He grabbed the other book and opened it up. It told about the Dwemer and their weapons and armour. He continued reading until he found something that seemed to be useful for his understanding of the research notes.

 _The most simple of which is the standard "arachnid"_

 _design used to ward off trespassers. We are so far_

 _uncertain as to how the dwarves were able to bring to life_

 _these remarkably intelligent machines, but I have witnessed_

 _one stalk a highly trained thief for several hours, only to_

 _ambush him as he was dealing with a lock to some room or_

 _treasure trove - I admit to have forgotten the details past the_

 _point at which it began spouting lightning at him._

 _'_ _O.K.'_ Harry thought. _'That does not sound so good.'_ He looked down at the text again since it told about more of the enemies they might find down there. _'There is a ball monster that turns into a warrior. And a Centurion which can be from twice the size a normal man, to several hundred times a normal man's size.'_ His brows rose. _'Great,'_ he thought. _'And we might meet these.'_

 _Oddly enough it doesn't appear to be the main power source_

 _for the apparatus. Perhaps some sort of harmonic resonance_

 _with the energies contained in the soul gem to bring heat to a_

 _small boiler? Too early to say conclusively. That does raise the_

 _question of where they get the liquid for the boiler however._

Harry tilted his head to his side. He might actually look into how the machines worked when he was older. It seemed like an interesting thing to research. He looked back down at the book.

 _Huh, that was strange. I thought I just saw something moving_

 _beyond the barred door. It looked vaguely humanoid._

 _I wonder if it could be an undiscovered automaton? I'm going_

 _to move my bedroll down here to see if I can catch another_

 _glimpse of it. This is all so exciting!_

"Interesting?" Katla asked as she placed her hand on the teen's shoulder.

Harry looked up at her. "Yeah, sort of. I would like to look into this when I get older," he said. "The author writes that he saw something humanoid that he wanted to look into down here," he told her.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "We'll have to be careful then. Humanoid creatures down in dungeons are not a good thing," she said. "It is either an undead or something worse than that."

Harry nodded. "It doesn't sound much better than the humongous centurions that could be down here," he said.

"Yeah, those are a bit annoying to deal with," Ra'shall said a bit distracted. "These bars don't open from here," he said. He walked up to the table and looked down at the spiders. He shook his head before he continued down the next corridor.

"Spider!" Harry called out.

Ra'shall turned around as he drew his sword. He smirked as he saw the raven raise his hands as fire spread from his palms. Turning his blade around, he rammed it straight down into the metal arachnid's body.

The spider shook helplessly for a short moment before collapsing to the ground.

Ra'shall pulled his sword back up and turned to leave again. He really wanted to make sure that there was nothing to worry about up ahead. He found a lantern and a burning torch on lying on the ground. There were several more pieces of fallen pipe lying about as he continued. Another spider appeared. It passed right by him, and he waited just long enough that it would be completely turned away from him before he stabbed it. He could see Katla and Harry down by the start of the incline he was standing in.

It was starting to get late. They really needed to find a place to settle down for the night in.

"We should probably head back," Ra'shall said as he looked down a frozen corridor. "That is not healthy for us to sleep in." He pointed at the ice.

Katla grimaced before she nodded. "You're right let's go back," she said.

…

They had settled down for the night. It was late and they were tired.

Harry yawned where he lay with his head resting against Katla's shoulder. The brunette was leaning back against some rubble but hadn't lain down yet. "This place is strange," he said softly. He looked up at Katla. "There are things down here that people would never have been able to come up with on Earth, but of what I've seen, a lot of it would also be considered crude."

"That sounds a bit… strange," Katla said. "How does that work? How can they both be more advanced and less advanced?"

"Well it is mostly because magic doesn't exist so that the ones who use science know about it. So they don't work together. Unlike the Dwemer, the scientists on Earth do not have access to magic," Harry said. "So they use other things to build their machines. And magic users don't build things like that at all."

"Why on Nirn not?" Ra'shall asked. "I mean I know that the non-magic people don't know about magic, but why aren't the magic users using the knowledge that the non-magic people have come up with?" He couldn't understand why they wouldn't use the knowledge.

Harry chuckled. "Witches and wizards aren't that smart," he said. "They don't know anything about newer stuff. If you bring in any kind of technology they'll get all confused." He shrugged. "Magic users on Earth are that way," he said. "I promise that I won't turn out like that O.K." He looked up at Katla. "One theory is that magic kills the stuff that non-magical people use to work their inventions. I'll have to look into that."

"Can we please stop talking about this now and sleep," Katla said softly. She tightened her hold on the teen. "I don't want to talk about you leaving **_kulsezii_**."

"Sure," Harry said. "We can stop." He moved off the brunette so she could lie down. "Are you coming over here?" he asked Ra'shall.

The feline chuckled and moved over to the other two. "I'm here," he said. "Can I snuggle up too?"

Katla rolled her eyes. "Come here," she said. "Move over Harry so he can get closer."

The raven giggled and moved down until his head was resting on Katla's stomach. He could feel Ra'shall moving up behind him. It was to make sure that they would keep warm during the night. If it hadn't been that way, he might have felt awkward. His eyes closed as his breathing slowed down.

* * *

 _11th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Loredas_

Katla stopped as she saw a Khajiit. It was most likely the one that had they'd heard the day before. He looked up from where he was hunched over. His voice was scratchy as he said, "What, who is this? Another one of those smooth skins looking for food? But this one wasn't trapped with us." He was obviously talking to himself. "No… no! You must be the one who took my skooma," he said crazily.

The brunette turned around. "Ra'shall come down here and deal with your kin," she called before she turned around and caught the knife that the Khajiit was trying to stab her with. She twisted his arm back so he would have to drop the dagger. She didn't want to kill the man unless she had to.

The feline-man came rushing down the icy slope that they'd looked down the evening before. He pulled a vial out and opened it before dumping the contents over the Khajiit. The gray furred feline back off and shook himself, trying to get rid of the liquid that had been splashed over him. He felt how something crept up at him. _'What is going on?'_ he thought. He stumbled back. His yellow eyes flickered back and forth quickly. "Don't touch me," he cried out. "Stay away from me!" He backed off from the two beings before him.

"Disappear."

The feline turned around … and screamed. There was a ghostly figure standing behind him. Fear grabbed a hold of him and he started running. "J'darr hasn't done anything wrong. Please leave J'darr alone," he whimpered.

Katla rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing that works so well," she said.

"Of course it did," Ra'shall said.

Harry hummed. "Sure just don't get too cocky," he said. Then he pointed down at the corpse of another Khajiit. "He killed his own brother," he said. "Can we burn him?" He walked up to the feline's body and bent down to pick a small journal up.

"Of course we can dear," Katla said.

"It's more sanitary," Ra'shall said. "I'm all for it." He moved his ears down. There was a loud noise from some sort of Dwemer machinery working most likely, and it really grated on his nerves. He did his best to shut the sound out. Walking forward, he pulled another vial from his belt and poured it out over the dead feline's body. "If you set fire to that now it will burn him to ash," he told the teen.

Harry looked up from the journal and nodded in Ra'shall's direction. He was trying his best not to think about what was going on. He knew somewhere deep down that he needed to get used to seeing dead people. It wasn't a pleasant realisation to have. "J'darr was trying to help his brother away from a skooma addiction," he said as he looked back down at the book in his hands. "The guy we scared off was already hallucinating before you dozed him."

Ra'shall nodded. "I'm not surprised," he said. "It is not a pleasant thing to try and get rid of a skooma addiction." He looked down at the body. "We need to continue. What happened here is sad, but there is nothing we can do about it." He walked up to the raven and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Harry looked up at him and smiled softly at him before his expression turned serious as he held a hand out towards the Khajiit's corps and sent a jet of flames towards it. "Let's continue," he said as soon as he knew that the body had taken fire.

"Of course," Katla said.

They continued down towards the loud noise.

 _It's been about a week since Valie went missing and now_

 _Endrast is gone too. We found blood leading over to the_

 _barred off doorway, but Sulla seems to think that they_

 _found a way through and that they are trying to cut him_

 _out of the discovery._

 _He keeps saying that we need to press on. We've manage_

 _to break through into another section of the ruins, an_

 _"Animonculory", where the dwarves would produce their_

 _automatons._

 _We learned the hard way that the metal creatures are still_

 _alive in there and it hasn't improved Yag's mood at all. She_

 _holds that the Khajiit brothers aren't involved with the_

 _disappearances and has been keeping a hard eye on Sulla._

 _The rations have all but run out and we are going to have_

 _to decide soon whether to brave the storm or try to push_

 _further into the ruins. I don't know if the echoes of screams_

 _I've heard in my sleep are those of our missing comrades,_

 _or my own nightmares._

They fought two Dwemer Spheres along the road, and passed a forge that had Katla swearing about not having any metal to make a sword for Harry with. Since there was no other tools for blacksmithing around she accepted that it would have to wait.

By about midday they had found an old sleeping quarter and settled down for lunch.

It wasn't long after they'd eaten that they arrived in a room filled with what could have been intended as traps or could just be bad construction.

There were several big metal nail-like things moving in and out of a metal tube.

"Dwemer are insane," Harry muttered. "Their architecture is amazing and their weaponry and armours are great but this is insane." He ran by another of the strange nails before it shot out behind him.

"At least they aren't that difficult to bypass if you're just a bit patient," Ra'shall said. He moved up in front of the other two, pulled his sword and killed another Dwemer spider.

They passed through a big set of double doors an then another set. Spiders and Spheres and big piles of fluorescent blue eggs.

"What are these?" Harry asked.

"No clue," Ra'shall said. "But they would be interesting for potions making." He reached out and picked a few of them up before following after Harry as the teen moved forward. "Be careful not to step on the pressure plates," he said and pointed towards the floor.

"That's a long drop," Harry said as he looked over the edge of a railing free bridge.

"Don't get that close to the edge please Harry," Katla said. She didn't feel comfortable with him that close to falling. "Just take my hand will you. You might not be scared of heights, but I really don't want you that close to certain death," she almost begged.

Harry looked over at the brunette and smiled softly at her as he moved away from the edge and took the hand she was offering. "The Dwemer were crazy," he noted.

Katla looked down at him. "Yes, they were," she said.

They made their way down as quickly as possible. Katla might not have problems with climbing mountains, but she really was unnerved by the fall that existed all around them. "And that's why I don't like these places," she said and pointed down at a dead woman. The pathway seemed to have collapsed under her as she walked down it.

"O.K. maybe we should be more careful then," Harry said softly. He hadn't considered that the path might fall down from under him.

"I hope that there is another way down," Ra'shall said.

"Well there's a locked door here," Harry said. He'd walked over to another set of big double doors. "Why are all the doors so big?" he asked. "It is really unpractical."

Ra'shall snorted. "That is a good question," he said. "Maybe they made them that big so it would be easier to transport big things through them."

"Sure O.K. that makes sense," Harry accepted. Everything around the ruins was huge so why not.

Ra'shall got the locked door open. He moved into the new room and found a locked gate. _'They really seem to like locks around here,'_ he thought. _'And apparently our excavating friends aren't that good at lockpicking.'_

Harry moved around the room. There seemed to be nothing animate in there. But there wasn't another way down either. He walked back to Katla who was watching Ra'shall unlocking a chest.

"There's a pair of Orcish gauntlets in here Katla. Do you want them?" the feline-man asked.

The brunette looked down at her gauntlets. They were in pretty good shape, but she knew for a fact that orichalcum was stronger than steel. "Yeah bring them down with you. They're better than the ones I have," she said. She pulled her gloves off and dropped them on the floor. "Harry says we have to take the broken path down," she said. "How do we do that?"

Ra'shall grimaced. "That is going to be annoying," he said. "Harry," he called. "Harry what are you doing?"

The raven had walked over to a place where there was a pipe jutting out a bit below the path they'd walked down. He dropped down just as he heard Ra'shall call. He turned around where he stood and looked back up. "I'm fine," he called back. He had after all ridden down a huge sewage pipe knowing that there was a giant snake at the bottom when he was twelve. He walked down the pipe and slid the last part before landing next to a burning torch.

Katla looked down at him. "You're nuts," she said. "If I could ground you right now I would."

Harry tilted his head to the side. "Why don't you come down here and give me a hug instead," he said. He looked to the side and did his best to avoid looking at the Orc's corpse lying only a few feet away from him. "You do realise that there is no going back if you guys come down here," he said. He watched as the two adults made their way down to him slowly. Katla did not look like she was having fun. It was probably a good thing that she and Ra'shall were coming down at the same time.

Once the brunette was down next to the teen, she reached out and wrapped her arms around the boy. "Don't do that to me," she said.

"I'm sorry," Harry said. He bit his lip and looked up at her. "We needed a way down so I found one," he said. "I guess I didn't think it through very well though." He felt really bad for worrying her, but they needed a way down so… He guessed he should have pointed it out to them before trying to go down.

"No you didn't," Katla said.

"Falmer," Ra'shall called up.

"Well of course there are Falmer down here," Katla called back. "Are you killing it or not?" she asked.

"It's dead," the feline called. He had disappeared just a bit down the next ramp they had to walk down.

"What are Falmer?" Harry asked.

"Snow elves that were forced underground. They are blind but their other senses are heightened," Katla said. "And they will kill you instantly if they find you, or possibly worse enslave you."

"So it is another elven race," Harry said.

The brunette nodded. "They're fallen enslaved elves," she said. "And unfortunately we have to kill them because they won't spare us. And it is almost impossible to scare them off."

The raven sighed. "I understand," he said sadly.

They passed the Orc's corpse and set her aflame like the Khajiit before her.

They continued down the stone ramps killing the Falmer they came across until they reached a set of big Dwemer doors.

Katla turned around and looked over at the constant stream of fire they had passed by to get to the door. "Let's just rest here," she said. "This place is relatively safe and clean in comparison to the rest of the ruins. And it is easy to defend."

…

It was several hours later.

Harry was sitting awake looking at the fire shooting out of a pipe overhanging the path they had come down. Katla and Ra'shall were asleep. He knew that he should be sleeping as well, but he was having trouble falling asleep. His mind kept repeating the scenes of death he'd seen that day. He felt sorry for those people - even the Falmer. He knew fully well why they were killing them, but it wasn't really fair, was it?

They just came here barging in and killing everything in sight when the Falmer had lived down in the ruins for ages. He really wanted to learn how to hide his presence so that he wouldn't have to kill people like the Falmer.

The bandits they had faced just after leaving Winterhold the previous day were different. They had attacked them for no reason, and while he didn't like the thought of them dead, he didn't regret attacking them.

Sighing he laid back in an attempt to get some actual sleep. He didn't want to stumble around the next day.

* * *

 _12th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Sundas_

As they continued down into the old Dwemer ruins, they noticed more and more signs of Falmer. There were little tents set up along the path they walked. Both Katla and Harry travelled most of the way with their bows at the ready. It was much easier to take the Falmer out from a distance then get up close and personal.

It had taken the raven-haired teen a while to accept what he was doing. Knowing that the beings would either kill or enslave him if he didn't kill them did help, but he still didn't want to do it.

A couple of hours after setting out they found what looked to have been some kind of official office once upon a time. It could have served as a registration desk or recordkeeping room or something. The shelves in there were filled with old unreadable books. Time had made them fade. Just down the stairs from the office they found several torture devices and a lot of blood.

Katla moved up and wrapped her arms around Harry just so he would know she was right there and wouldn't let anything happen to him. The devises made her uneasy as well, but she knew that the Falmer wouldn't get her or anyone she travelled with.

"Let's not stick around here," Ra'shall said quietly once the Falmer who had inhabited the place were dead.

The other two fully agreed with the feline-man, and they moved onwards quickly. Spider webs started covering the walls and the floor as they kept going. Eventually they found at least one of the spiders responsible. Now, there was a creature Harry had no problems what-so-ever killing. He really didn't like spiders. The floor started looking strange, and there was a smell in the air that didn't feel healthy.

They reached a door, walked through it and closed it behind them. The smell wasn't present in the new corridor.

"You know what?" Harry said. "I'll be really glad when we get out of here. Deep dark dungeons are not my favourite thing."

The two adults couldn't help but agree. Neither of them particularly liked exploring old Dwemer ruins.

They eventually came upon a big open cave. At least that made them feel a little better. Though mostly, they missed the sky and trees and grass of the above world. They cleared the place out quickly and found an Orcish helmet in the process that Katla quickly checked for anything unmentionable before putting it on instead of her Blade helmet.

There were big cogwheels spinning on the walls of a fort of sorts in the room. The fact that the wheels still turned effortlessly seemed rather strange to Harry. Shouldn't they have like clogged shut or something without maintenance?

"There is a centurion up there," Ra'shall said as he made his way down a set of stairs that had been blocked by heavy iron bars when they got there.

"Great," Katla said. She looked back up to the lever that she'd just pulled to open the path up for her friend. Then she turned back to the feline. "Can you lure it out here?" she asked. "If you get it out here then Harry and I can attack it from above with our bows. It will be way less risky then trying to attack the thing head on," she explained.

"And my familiar can help as well," Harry said. "Once you get out of there or even before that she can make sure that you don't get killed." He held his hands out and the griffin appeared in front of him.

Ra'shall nodded. "O.K. that's good but not until I'm back out here or call for her because I might be able to do some lasting damage before the stupid machine realises I'm there," he said. He walked back over to the gate and sneaked up towards the metal man carefully.

The plan went off without a hitch. No one got hurt and the centurion was felled.

They had some quick lunch after that since they'd been feeling hunger gnawing at them for a little while by then before continuing. Frankly all of them just wanted to get the Scroll and get the hell back home for a while.

"Sulla let's get out of here. Hasn't there been enough death?" a female voice said up ahead.

"Oh, of course you want me to leave. Just waiting for me to turn my back so you can have all the glory for yourself," a male voice answered. Then there was a short pause before the man exclaimed, "Nhag!"

"Let them fight," Ra'shall said. "We'll deal with whoever is left. I don't trust having either of these maniacs at my back at this point."

Katla nodded gravely. Normally she wouldn't be quite so morbid, but the feline was right. These people had been around the ruins for far too long, and she was not about to trust them.

Harry looked up at the grown ups. He wasn't too happy about their decision, but since he couldn't come up with a better solution that wouldn't put them at risk, he stayed quiet. Reaching up he placed his hands over his ears so he wouldn't have to listen to the two former friends going at each other. He could feel how Katla placed her hands on his shoulders in a try to sooth him. After a while Ra'shall disappeared past a big Dwemer construction of some sort. The raven didn't remove his hands from his ears until the man was back. There was a strange grating noise coming from up ahead. "I sent her out of here," the feline man said. "She seemed to be the more with it of the two. I didn't see any reason to kill her. She most likely won't return."

"Thank you," Harry said softly. He knew why the man hadn't killed her. He didn't really care about the woman. He'd done it for his sake.

Katla smiled softly and shook her head at the man before looking down at the strange thing in front of them. A number of metallic rings and three blue stones sat upon what could be considered a table. But it was probably one of the more insane locks she'd ever seen. "And this is when we thank the madman for giving us a way in," she said as she removed the strange orb that Septimus had given her. She placed it into a pedestal, and they could all see as the circlets started spinning.

"Aaaahh," Harry screamed as the floor he'd been standing on disappeared beneath his feet. He whimpered as he turned over. Pain flared up his side. He'd only stumbled really but as the floor moved and created stairs he'd landed badly. He could feel arms wrap around him before someone lifted him up. He guessed that it was Katla because he was pretty sure that the one swearing in front of them was Ra'shall. A door was opened and there was a collective intake of breath.

They had reached Blackreach.


	12. Skyless Stars

**Skyless Stars**

Harry was sitting against the front door of a small stone house. It had once been the base of a researcher that had made his way down to Blackreach. Katla and Ra'shall were searching the immediate area. None of them really knew where to go now so they were trying to figure that out.

He leaned his head back and looked up. Blackreach really was beautiful. He hadn't understood how the Dwemer had lived this far down until they had reached this place. Little blue and white lights glimmered from the cave ceiling. It looked like stars in the night sky. He sighed. _'Hope they'll be back soon,'_ he thought. The grown-ups had left him by the house because of his injured hip, but not before Ra'shall had made sure he drank a healing potion. He'd been healing himself as well.

As he sat there, he came to think about all the things he'd learned magic-wise so far. He could cast fire and ice and lightning. He could summon a familiar that would fight beside him, and make light and magic armour. And then he could make people less scared and really angry – he honestly didn't understand why he'd ever want to do that though. And he could… he tilted his head to the side. He moved forward a bit on the step he was sitting on and held a hand out. Closing his eyes, he did his best to focus his mind towards the Elder Scroll they were looking for. It took him several tries since he had never actually used the ability before. A smirk spread over his lips as he managed. A glowing blue trail spread out before him. It turned to his right and disappeared of in the distance. He knew where they needed to go… or at least in which direction they had to go to get there.

He looked up at one of the big glowing mushrooms that seemed to grow down there. It was quite the sight to see. The glowing shrooms and the stars in the cave ceiling seemed to be the main sources of light down there.

The raven stood up and backed up against the door as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He pulled his bow and placed an arrow in the string. A shape moved in the darkness to his left. He turned towards it and aimed. Then he felt how something grabbed a hold of him, and he dropped the bow and arrow as he was pulled to the side. He turned and without thinking he sent a jet of flames against his attacker.

He could smell burnt hair.

"I did tell you it wasn't a good idea," he heard Katla say as she walked up next to him. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good job," she said. "And hopefully that will teach you that he isn't incapable of handling himself."

"I could have killed him," Ra'shall said.

Katla rolled her eyes. "He's fourteen he'll get better at it," she said. "Your expectations are way too high." She took the teen's hand and started heading down the stairs. Ra'shall followed them, muttering darkly to himself.

"We're going the wrong way," Harry said after a while.

"Huh?" Katla looked down at the teen.

"We're supposed to go the other way," Harry said. "Look." He held a hand out and focused on what he was looking for. It took him a little while to get it right still. Then a blue mist spread from him and back down the road they had travelled up. "It was one of the first spells I learned," he said. "I haven't even considered using it before now because it has always been pretty obvious where we're supposed to go." He let the light fade.

"And this will lead us to the Elder Scroll?" Ra'shall asked.

"Yeah, I certainly hope so since that is what I focus on," Harry responded.

Katla threw her head back and laughed.

Once she'd calmed down, she smiled down at the raven. "Show us the way **_kulsezii_** ," she said. She looked up at Ra'shall. "This is much better than having to search through the entire place looking for the right path," she said.

The feline man nodded. "Definitely," he said.

…

That night - or whatever - they settled down in a tower. It had probably been built to overlook the road below once upon a time. It also served as a pathway to another level of the cavern. From up there they could see for quite a way. The big glowing mushrooms grew like trees, spreading their cyan light over the ground around them. In the distance they could see a strange green light spread from big spheres hanging from the cave ceiling.

Katla smiled at Harry as he warmed up a section of stone by their feet with his fire magic so she could use the heated stone to cook. She looked over at her armour. It could really use some mending, but she didn't have the right metal with her. It wasn't like she randomly carried ingots around wherever she went. At least the cave wasn't cold. The other two didn't need an insane amount of clothes down there to keep warm. She placed a couple of potatoes against the warm stones between her and Harry. She hoped they wouldn't be down there for long because then they would have to ration the food and she didn't want to cut back on how much the teen ate. He was still far too thin.

Amber eyes moved up as the sound of boots approached them. Katla had instinctively placed one hand on her sword and Harry held fire in the palm of his hand. "Ra'shall," the brunette murmured and let go of her sword as she saw who it was that came up the ramp.

The feline man sat down next to Harry. He tilted his head to the side so he could look at the boy before raising a hand and ruffling the raven's locks.

"Hey, stop that," Harry exclaimed and slapped the man's hand away. His voice echoes eerily through the air around them.

"It is a good thing that the echo bounces like that," Ra'shall said. "It becomes impossible for anyone to locate where it originated from." He wrapped his arms around himself. He really didn't like this place. Surely the spores floating around in the air couldn't be good for them in the long run. He was glad that Harry had been able to shorten the amount of time they needed to be down there by figuring out the closest path to where they need to go.

"We stink," Harry noted out of the blue.

Ra'shall snorted. "Yes we do," he said. "And my poor nose has to deal with that. I'm far more sensitive to smell then you are." He poked the teen's ribs. He looked out over the landscape. "I don't think we should trust the water down here though," he said.

"That sucks," Harry said and lay back on the hard rock.

"The world is going to end," Katla said dryly. "We've managed to get a hold of a teenager who actually wants to keep clean."

"It's a good thing we're down here then," Harry said. "If the sky falls up above we'll be fine."

"That is the silliest thing I've ever heard," Ra'shall said.

Harry shrugged. It wasn't like he cared about that. His thoughts wandered back to the subject that had crossed his mind earlier that day. Earth. He wondered what was happening back there. He definitely didn't think of it as home anymore. He wondered if they were trying to find him or if they had declared him dead. He knew he would get anywhere with thoughts like that. He'd simply have to wait until he was taken back. He couldn't help but think about it though.

 _'_ _I've changed a lot,'_ was his next thought. It had only been a bit over a month, but he'd learned new magic and he knew how to use a bow and sort of how to fight with a sword. His view on the world had changed drastically. It really put things in perspective to have people that cared about you. People that you cared about and then almost losing one of them. The world he lived in now was nowhere near as comfortable as Earth. Despite that he liked it better on Nirn. He reached out and placed his hand on top of Ra'shall's furred one.

The feline man looked back at him his ears tilted towards him and his tail sweeping in to tickle under his nose.

"Food's ready," Katla said softly. She thought it best to avert the two males before they started wrestling up there. It wasn't the safest thing to do after all.

Harry, who had launched forward to tackle Ra'shall, dropped down next to the man and held his hands out to accept the plate of food that Katla was handing him. "Thank you," he said. He looked down at the plate as he placed it in his lap. Potatoes, and leek and some dried meat. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Ra'shall placed a mead bottle down next to him. He dug into his food hungrily. Lifting the mead bottle to his lips, he washed the food down before he looked over at Katla. "What do we do after we've found the scroll?" he asked.

The brunette swallowed her food before answering, "Well since Paarthurnax doesn't want you to learn the Dragonrend shout there really isn't any reason for you to come with me there," she said. She looked over at Ra'shall.

The feline man nodded. "Why don't you and I go through the dungeons that Katla has already been to and found Word Walls in?" he asked the teen. "You need to learn them and in most of those places we've opened up shortcuts so we can pretty much go straight to the Word Walls."

Harry smiled at them. "Sounds good," he said.

"Do you remember where all of them where?" Katla asked the feline.

Ra'shall looked thoughtful for a moment. "I believe so," he said.

Katla nodded. "So we'll split up after we've gotten the scroll," she said.

"Or whenever we're forced to split because we're heading different directions," Ra'shall said.

"Yeah, that's true," Katla agreed.

They finished their food before Ra'shall pulled Harry to his feet and grabbed his own training sword. "Let's make sure you're not getting rusty," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes, but he welcomed the practice. He wanted to get good at it so that the grown-ups wouldn't have to worry so much. He took a step back as Ra'shall aimed a swing at him. He liked this. No theory - Ra'shall taught by the principle that if you couldn't learn by doing you would die. Theory was great and the feline had mentioned making sure that the raven would get to learn from some other people when they found them, but he wouldn't train the raven that way. Harry preferred it like that. Just talking about things didn't help him learn. That was one of the reasons he'd had problems in school. He needed practical training, and one-on-one training was way better than having classmates. He snorted as his mind produced a picture of Draco Malfoy in his position. Katla and Ra'shall would have dumped the boy off as soon as they could because of his attitude. And Ron would have died a long time ago. Hermione might have been fine if she'd ended up close to the College. Strangely enough he thought that Neville might be the one in his year group that would have made it the best in his stead. When he returned he would do something about the brunet's lack of close friends. It wasn't fair that he was left alone so often.

The raven staggered back as he was hit. He shook himself out of his thoughts and refocused on the feline swinging his sword at him.

…

When they went to bed they didn't cuddle together like usual. It wasn't all that cold down there so they would just overheat if the did that.

Harry looked up at the little blue lights in the cave ceiling wondering what it was that created the light. He fell asleep trying to come up with an explanation - every new one more unlikely than the last.

* * *

 _13th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Morndas_

It was harder to create and hold the Clairvoyance spell then he'd first thought, Harry realised as he let the spell go. Fortunately they'd reached some kind of city with high walls surrounding it. There were plenty of enemies around so Katla and Ra'shall had taken the lead. They killed everyone in their path be it Falmer or human. They moved slowly to make sure that they weren't discovered.

"Where do we need to go?" Ra'shall asked suddenly.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A glowing trail appeared before him for the other two to see.

"Looks like we aren't actually supposed to be in here," Katla said.

Green eyes opened. The trail was leading out through another opening in the wall surrounding the city they were in. He let the spell drop. "That is really difficult to do hold for a long period of time," he said.

"You'll get better at it," Katla said cheerfully.

"Yeah," Harry said, "practice makes perfect right?"

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "It does," he said.

They headed down a staircase and stopped as they reached the road passing by the city. Harry focused his magic again, and they saw the blue light heading southwest.

Long thick roots climbed over their path as they walked on. They reached a bridge that led over a lake to a tower that seemed to reach all the way up to the cave ceiling.

"A lift out," Ra'shall said in relief. "It has to be a lift out."

Harry nodded. "I got a mental image of one of these the first time I used the spell," he said.

"We'll get to beneath real, proper air again," Ra'shall said happily.

"Don't get too excited," Katla said. "The lift might take us up into another section of Dwemer ruins."

The feline groaned. "Please don't say that Katla," he whined. He looked over at the tower where Harry had just thrown the doors open. There was a lever at the centre of the floor and big wheels in the four corners of the room. Briefly the raven wondered what powered the elevator, but he quickly decided that he didn't want to know. He walked up to the lever and crouched down before grabbing it with both hands. He waited until both Katla and Ra'shall had joined him and closed the door before pulling the lever to the side.

A loud rasping sound filled the room, and Ra'shall covered his ears as well as he could. The platform they were standing on started moving upwards. It picked up speed as it went. Harry was glad that he was already so close to the ground; he'd chosen to sit down on his knees instead of standing up when the lift had first started moving because the speed by which the walls passed by them could probably kill a person.

The lift started slowing down, alerting its passengers that it was going to stop soon.

The hall they ended up in was dark so Harry held out his hand and created a glowing ball of light. He looked down at a gold and red carpet. The red was dirty, almost brown in places. The carpet moved out to a big room. There was a broken pipe leaking some kind of greenish gas. Beneath the pipe an old sleeping bag lay. The light from several gas lamps lit the room up with a blue glow.

Ra'shall walked over to one of the shelves lining the walls. He found a chest with some jewellery which he packed down in his bag.

Katla and Harry continued through the room. They weren't all that interested in searching for valuables. Instead they headed straight through the room and past two blue and gold urns on pedestals. Katla pushed the next door open.

"What is that?" Harry asked confused. He was looking at a huge golden something or another… well it was most likely dwarven metal.

"Yeah," Katla said, "I've got no clue what it is." She moved up closer to the globe and placed a hand against it. "It is probably some kind of Dwemer invention," she said. There was some sort of green stones attached to the side of the contraption to her left. She watched Harry as he walked around the orb.

"There is a ramp over here!" the raven called back.

"O.K." Katla called, "wait for us before you head up." She turned around and walked back over to the previous room. "Ra'shall come on we want to keep going," she called. She didn't wait for the feline to join her. Instead she walked back and headed towards the raven. It didn't take long for Ra'shall to catch up, and they headed up the ramp slowly.

When they reached the end of the ramp, they could see the top of the orb that they'd walked around. There were little blue stones decorating the orb's side, and desks with old books lining the area around it. The ceiling held a collection of metal bars that each ended with a glass plate. From the look of it the bars could move and switch the jade glass around.

"There's a skeleton up here," Harry said. "And a note book." He came walking back with a small book in his hands. He bit his lip as he started reading from the book, "I weren't never one for writing about my life. The king-priests of old deserve their stories told, but Drokt is a simple man. So this isn't no journal and I'm not telling any stories here. But this infernal machine done worked its way into my brainspace and I won't leave till it's figured out." He looked up at Katla. "He isn't very good at writing," he said.

Ra'shall snorted out a laugh. "Does he say anything important?" he asked.

"He talks about how to unlock this thing, but he never managed. There are five rings that are needed to unlock this thing and a block of some sort. He says that we have to line the lights up to open the lock up," Harry explained.

Katla had walked up behind the teen so she could read with him. "It sounds like someone sent this man here to unlock this thing and add it to a lexicon. They probably sent him because he isn't all that bright so he can't go blind from reading the Elder Scroll," she said.

Ra'shall nodded. "That makes sense," he said.

"So we should try to get this thing open then?" Harry asked.

"Definitely," Katla said as she reached down and took the raven's hand. They walked up to a set of strange golden stands. There were four buttons, a strange screen showing something and a stand were Katla placed a cube down. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said.

…

Katla sighed in frustration. "I'm done with this," she said. "Nothing is happening." She walked and sat down next to Ra'shall. She didn't mind puzzles, but this one didn't make any fucking sense to her. She leaned back against the wall behind her. A smile spread over her lips as she watched Harry walk up to the buttons.

The raven pressed one of the buttons and the orb spun around. Then he pressed the same button again and again. The orb kept spinning. He smirked as he tried to push the button and nothing happened. He moved on to the next button and repeated the process until he could no longer press that one. He smirked as he saw one of the other two buttons freed. He walked over to it and pressed. The long bars moved the glass panels around, and Harry heard how Katla whined. "Why didn't that happen for me," she said and Ra'shall laughed.

Harry kept pushing the button until the bars moved away and freed the area above it up. He reached out and pressed the last button. A jade crystal descended from the ceiling. It stopped perfectly for someone to walk up to it and be level with it.

Click! The crystal opened up and something was displayed in its centre.

"I did it," Harry said. He turned around and almost skipped back to where the grown-ups were sitting. "You can go and get the Scroll now," he told Katla.

The brunette smiled as she stood up. She ruffled Harry's hair before walking up to the stand and grabbing the lexicon. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get back to the crazy man with it, but she wouldn't leave it up for grabs. She took her backpack off and placed the cube in there as she walked down to the centre of the top of the orb via a pier that lead out to the open crystal.

She took a deep breath before reaching out towards the scroll. Her fingers tingle as she closed her hands over the old roll. The stand clicked as she pulled the scroll out. She realised as she backed off from the stand that the scroll looked exactly like the scroll that Harry carried with him – well, the gems were a different colour.

"Let's get out of here," Ra'shall begged. "I want to breathe fresh air again."

Katla chuckled. "We have everything we need from here," she said. "We can leave now."

Harry looked up at them. "Can we eat first?" he asked. "We've got no idea what the weather is like out there."

The grown-ups stopped. "He has a point," Katla told Ra'shall.

The feline sighed. "Fine," he said dejectedly.

They settled down quickly to eat, but since Ra'shall really wanted to get out of there, they decided not to cook the meal. There was cheese and apples and dried meat with Honningbrew mead on the side. Harry hummed happily as he ate even a meal as simple as this tasted great when you'd been walking around all morning.

To get out after they'd finished eating they had to travel up with another elevator. Using his experience from last time Harry sat down on the ground. He smiled at Ra'shall as the man joined him.

"This is definitely safer," the feline-man said after the lift had started picking up speed. They could feel how the air got colder and colder as they kept moving up. The air turned crisp and cool. Snow started whirling around them.

"See it was a good idea to eat before we got up here," Harry said as she stood up.

The ground outside was covered in snow.

Katla walked over to a lever and pulled it. The bars covering the opening out to the snow moved with a scratching noise. There was a small unoccupied camp right outside the small Dwemer tower. They all moved out to the camp breathing deeply.

"It looks like it's a bit past midday," Katla said softly.

Harry nodded. He took his backpack off and opened it so that he could pull his coat out of it. He was getting cold and the thick fur coat would warm him up. He wrapped it around himself tightly. "I really hope we can find a place to clean up," he muttered.

Katla hummed. "That would be good," she said.

"I guess that we should actually find a path down from this mountain," Ra'shall said. He looked around trying to get his bearings straight. He wasn't quite sure where they were really. It wasn't until he'd wandered around for a bit and realised that he could see the Throat of the World,, that he got some sort of idea of their location. "So that's…" he looked up at the sun, "pretty much south," he mumbled.

"I think this might be the way down from here," Harry called. "I mean it is all covered in snow so it's really hard to tell." He waited until the two grown-ups joined him before he slid down the hill.

A roar tore through the air.

Green eyes looked to the sky. It was a dragon. "Shit," he cursed before raising his hands and conjuring his familiar. He grabbed his bow from his backpack and lined an arrow up. He'd gotten a lot better at hitting his target as he'd continued using the bow.

The dragon closed in.

 ** _"_** ** _Yol toor shul,"_** Harry shouted and fire left him. He jumped out of the way as a fiery breath was aimed his way. He raised his bow once more and fired another arrow. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ra'shall come rushing down towards the dragon. He assumed that Katla had drawn her bow because the dragon was acting like something was hurting it, but it wasn't him or the feline. He slid down in the snow around him and got stuck. _'Oh, Mara what do I do now?'_ he wondered. Looking up, he could see the dragon approaching him. He raised his hands and conjured his familiar again. He placed his hands on the spectral form. "Help me," he whispered desperately.

The griffin moved so it was standing over him before spreading its wings wide.

"Harry!" Katla called as she made her way down the hill so she could attack the dragon once more. She dropped her bow on the ground and pulled her sword as she ran through the loose snow towards the scaly beast. She wasn't about to let an oversized lizard harm her kulsezii. She reached the dragon's side and rammed her sword straight into it, tearing through skin, flesh and muscles. The dragon roared in pain.

 ** _"_** ** _Yol toor shul,"_** Harry's voice echoed through the mountains as he roared. The sheer power of it had the dragon's body lifting just the tiniest bit before it fell to the side. He felt how the dragon's power started moving towards him to join with his soul.

 ** _"_** ** _Vaat vahzah wah onikaan do wuth, malsedovah,"_** the dragon's voice sounded throughout the raven's entire being. And somehow he knew what it meant. **_"Zu'u vaat,"_** he whispered back.

"What?" Ra'shall asked. He had helped the teen out of the snow as the boy had been absorbing the soul and was now standing with a hand on the teen's shoulder.

Harry looked up at the feline. "The dragon wanted me to swear true to wisdom of old," he said. "I swore I would."

Ra'shall shook his head. He wasn't going to comment on that. He had no clue what it was like to go through gaining a dragon soul. As far as he was concerned, the important thing was that they were all unharmed. He looked up at Katla. "We should try to get down to the main road today at the very least," he said.

The brunette nodded.

Short steps were taken through deep snow. True winter was on its way and in the mountains it was already showing quite well. The weather had been colder that year than what was normal though. Snow had started falling earlier than it would usually do too.

Reaching an old fort the three adventurers realised just a tad bit too late that the place was inhabited. Bandits attacked them with arrows and swords of steel. The foolish men and women weren't long lived though. Blood soon coloured the snow red.

Ra'shall disappeared into a house that stood inside the fort. He came back out with two humans walking in front of him. He looked up to see were Harry was. Noting that the teen was busy he quickly killed the two. He was not going to have bandit surprises in the middle of the night if he could help it.

Katla walked up to him. "How is the house?" she asked.

"Clean enough," he answered.

"We should ask Harry if he's up to warming some water. He's right we could all use some cleaning up, but as far as I know there is no really good place to do that the way you are going," Katla said.

"Sounds like a good idea, and if we do it right we can get our clothes clean as well. The fireplace in there seems good enough to get a good fire going," Ra'shall said. "Where is Harry anyway?" he asked.

Katla shrugged. "Around," she said. She looked down at the two bodies that lay next to the feline. "We should gather all of the bodies up in a pile so we can burn them," she said. Then she noticed Harry as he came walking into the courtyard stopped next to one of the dead bandits before bending down and grabbing a hold of the person's arm.

"It looks like your protégé had the same idea," Ra'shall said softly.

The brunette nodded slowly. "It looks that way," she said with a sigh. She didn't know what she thought about that. A part of her wanted the young man to stay a child. She didn't want him to grow up. She wanted to protect him yet that wasn't what she was teaching him. She was teaching him to be self-sufficient and be capable of dealing with difficult situations so she felt pride as well. Realising that she was just standing there, she walked over and picked one of the persons that Ra'shall had killed moments before up. She started walking to where she could see smoke rising into the air. Harry had been smart enough not to place the pyre right next to the house they would be staying in. Human flesh burning didn't smell that good after all.

…

Harry sighed as he poured a bucket of hot water over his head. Katla had taken the lid of a barrel and then they'd filled it with warm water before pouring soap into it. He'd blushed like crazy when she'd helped him get into the thing. It didn't make him uncomfortable per say, but he definitely wasn't used to having a woman help him. He was pretty sure that it wasn't normal back on Earth. The two grown-ups had left him to himself after they'd left a bucket next to him so he could rinse his hair out. He combed his fingers though the black locks, wondering just how long he was going to let it get. It was actually easier to manage now than it had ever been before so maybe longer was better.

It felt good to finally be clean again.

"Are you done now?"

Harry opened his eyes. He could feel a blush spreading over his cheeks and down his neck as he looked up at Katla. She was still wearing the undergarments she had when wearing armour, but the knowledge that he wasn't wearing anything was enough for the raven. At least he didn't get sexually affected by her anymore. He was pretty certain that didn't happen because he'd started thinking of her as a mother. The first time she'd gotten naked in front of him he'd barely known her. He felt a hand land on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" the brunette asked.

Bright green eyes refocused and the blush deepened. Harry nodded his head self-consciously. "I'm done," he said softly.

"Then I'll help you out of there," Katla said. She grabbed a hold of his waist and waited until he'd placed his hands on her shoulders before lifting him out of the barrel. He heard how she pulled her clothes off behind him. "Ra'shall could use some help with the food upstairs," she said calmly. The raven nodded. "O.K." he said. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around himself before grabbing the bucket he'd used before heading upstairs.

The stew cooking by the fire smelled really good and made the teen's mouth water. He walked up next to the feline-man and sat down on a chair as he placed his bucket down.

Ra'shall looked up and smirked at him. "Feels better now, huh?" he said, receiving a nod in answer. "We still have some apples that we could add to this. Could you cut those up?"

"Yeah, sure," Harry said. He moved over to the small table in the room and grabbed the knife lying there. Ra'shall handed him a couple of wrinkly apples and he started cutting them apart. A tickle of juice dribbled down his hand slowly. He cut the seeds out of a quarter apple before placing it down in a bowl.

"You are O.K. with going with just me, right?" Ra'shall asked.

The raven looked up at the feline. "Yeah it'll be fine," he said. He held the plate filled with apple quarters out to the man.

"Thank you," Ra'shall said as he accepted the plate. He dumped the apple pieces into the stew. "That is good to know," he said.

Harry shook his head. Apparently he wasn't the only one with issues. "I trust you as much as I trust Katla you know," he said. "I have no problems with going with just you somewhere." He leaned back in his chair and looked over at the fire.

The two males sat there in comfortable silence listening to the pot bubbling and the fire cracking.

"Ra'shall it's your turn now don't forget some warm water," Katla called from downstairs.

A loud splash sounded from the lower floor.

Ra'shall stood up slowly and grabbed onto a metal pot filled with water and dumped it into a bucket before picking it up and heading downstairs.

Harry grabbed onto his backpack and found a pair of clean pants that he could put on. The fire had dried him up. He pulled them on as he heard the boards of the stairs creak. Katla was on her way up. She smiled at the raven as she reached the top of the stairs. She tilted her head to the side. "You need to shave," she said as she realised how much peach fuzz he was spotting.

Harry reached up and rubbed a hand against his chin felling soft hairs against his fingers. "Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea," he said.

Katla chuckled. "Do you want me to help you?" she asked.

The raven nodded. "Please," he said with a pleading expression.

The brunette walked up to him and sat down in the chair that Ra'shall had vacated. She reached down and grabbed her backpack. Rummaging around in it for quite some time, she eventually pulled out a switchblade and a bottle. "I considered this before we left actually," she said. "You're old enough that I assumed that you'd need to start shaving soon so I packed some things that you'd need." She placed the things down on the table next to the teen. "Since we don't have a mirror handy I'll do this for you, but you need to learn how to do it yourself," she said. She grabbed the bottle and opened it up before pouring a thick white liquid into her hands. She smeared it out over the raven's chin before wiping her hands of on her towel. She'd brought a thin dress with her downstairs so she would have something to change into after cleaning up. Then she picked the switchblade up. "Relax," she said calmly.

Harry breathed in nervously, but he did relax as best as he could. He could feel how the thin blade touched his cheek and scraped up it slowly. He did his best to let Katla do as she pleased since he didn't want to get hurt. His eyes closed.

Katla tilted his head back so she could get at the underside of his chin. She moved her hand carefully so that she wouldn't hurt him.

Ra'shall walked up the stairs and froze. It looked like Katla was about to slice Harry's throat open. He sniffed the air and relaxed. He'd after all created the shaving cream that the brunette was using to shave the raven. He walked up to them and checked on the stew. "This is done now are you finished?" he asked.

"Soon," Katla said. She tilted the teen's head to the side so she could finish up. "There you go," she said and let go of him.

Harry reached up and ran hid fingers over his now smooth chin. "Thank you," he said.

"So we can eat now?" Ra'shall asked.

"Definitely," Katla said. "Let's get set up."

They cleared the small table and placed three bowls on the wooden surface. Hot stew was poured into each bowl before they all settled down around the table. Hot steam rose up into Harry's face. He was glad he wasn't wearing glasses anymore. They would have fogged up something awful.

The meal was consumed quickly before the real work began. Katla started working out kinks in her armour as the men cleaned their clothes. The wet fabrics were hung up near the fire so they would dry overnight.

There was a double bed downstairs and a single bed upstairs. They had cleaned the furs that had been there before they'd started cooking and bathing so they were dry when they lay down for bed.

They slept well that night.

…

 _14th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Tirdas_

"Good luck and we'll see you back home," Ra'shall said as he patted Katla on the shoulder.

"Yeah, you two remember to go to Morthal and buy some food O.K." the brunette said.

"We will I promise," the feline-man said.

Harry walked up to the woman and sort of half hugged her since she was wearing her armour, he couldn't hug her properly. "I'll miss you stay safe," he said softly. He and Ra'shall would be travelling to Ustengrav, Bleak Falls Barrow, Ancient's Ascent and Shriekwind Bastion before going home while Katla travelled to the Throat of the World.


	13. Armed and Ready to Go

**Armed and Ready to Go**

 _16th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Turdas_

The sun stood high in the sky. Its golden rays warmed the cooling ground. The grass was yellowing slowly and snow gathered at times when it wasn't cold rain falling.

An eagle flew through the sky overhead.

Katla breathed in deeply. She was happy to be home. She could see their little manor house from where she stood. So much had happened in the past few days. She didn't quite know how to wrap her head around it all. Hopefully Ra'shall and Harry could help her spread some light on it. She started walking up towards the house slowly.

 _'_ _It's good being home,'_ she thought happily as she placed a hand on one of the corner beams of the house. She walked by the animal pen and smiled at Dora. "Hey girl how are you doing," she asked. The cow looked up at her uninterested. "I guessed Harry and Ra'shall are back huh?" she said softly. "You wouldn't be this calm otherwise." She walked up to the front door and placed her hand on one of the handles. The door was locked. _'So they aren't here then,'_ she thought disappointedly. It had only been a few days, but she'd missed them. _'Hopefully they'll be back soon,'_ she thought as she pulled her key for the house out of her bag so she could open the door.

When she opened the door she could see Ra'shall's backpack lying on top of his bed so he couldn't be that far away. He and Harry could be in Shriekwind Bastion or on Ancient's Ascent. Either way chances were that they would be back before the end of the day. She walked through the house and dropped her backpack. She walked over to the basement and opened the cellar hatch. Once she had climbed down, she started taking her armour off. The poor thing needed to be treated. She could use a bath though. _'Maybe I should do that now?'_ she thought.

Thought and done; she would have a bath.

The armour was placed down next to her burnt out forge. She didn't want to leave it burning when she wasn't home since there was a risk it would burn the house down if she did that. She would have to fix the armour later.

The brunette got back upstairs and went up to the top floor so she could pick some fresh clothes before travelling down to Lake Ilinalta. Luckily the sun was still shining. The weather had been turning colder for awhile by then so it was a good thing that the sun was out. The water would have been really cold otherwise. Not that it would be warm now.

She walked out into the water slowly so her body would adapt at least a little bit to the cold before she cast herself forward. _'Oh, brrr, cold,'_ she thought as she swam to the surface. She made it back to shore and picked up a bottle of soap so she could clean up. She stared untying her plait slowly. _'I should cut this,'_ she thought calmly as she let her hair fall free around her. It reached half way down her bum something she didn't think was all that practical. She cleaned up quickly so she could get back out of the cold water. She dried up and pulled a dress on for once. Normally she didn't like wearing dresses, but that was mostly because the skirt just got in the way all the time. She stepped into a pair of boots and walked back up to the house.

The house had stood empty for a while by then and was in obvious need of cleaning. With nothing else to do, that is what Katla would be up to for the upcoming hour or so until the front door opened and hurried footsteps made their way through the house.

"I'm up here!" she called down.

"Katla!" Harry cried as he attacked the woman, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"One would think we've been apart for ages with that reaction," the brunette said softly as she hugged the teen back. "I've missed you too," she whispered. She loosened her grip on the boy so she could look at him. "How have things been going?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "We went to Shriekwind Bastion yesterday," he said. "It was filled with Vampires." He rubbed his left arm.

"You got bit?" Katla asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I did," Harry said with a nod. "But Ra'shall cleaned the wound out and I don't feel any different today so he thinks I'm fine. We're keeping an eye on it though," he said.

Amber eyes closed as Katla managed her anger. She did not want to get angry with Harry, and Ra'shall had handled everything already. The teen would be fine. It wouldn't have made any difference if she'd been there. She placed a hand on the teen's head and combed her fingers through his thick black locks.

Harry hummed happily. He leaned closer to the brunette, and his eyes travelled over the room unhurriedly. "What is that?" he asked as his eyes fell on a strange table with glowing blue marks on the table top. He could see the signs of the five schools of magic surrounding a sword with magic swirling around it.

Katla turned her head to see what the teen was asking about. "It is an Arcane Enchanter," she said. "You can use them to enchant weapons and armour." She let go of the raven so he could walk over to the table. "I can teach you how to do that, but I'd rather wait until after I've dealt with Alduin," she said.

There was a bright smile on Harry's face as she turned towards her. "Really? That would be awesome," he said excitedly. He loved learning new things.

Katla laughed joyfully. "I'm glad you think so," she said. She reached out and grabbed the broom she'd been using for the floor so far and held it out towards the raven. "Right now however we're cleaning this place up," she said. "Help with the sweeping."

Harry pouted at her. "Why?" he whined childishly as he took the broom from her. He was well aware of why he needed to help and why they needed to clean the place up.

They spent a good deal of that day cleaning up. None of them wanted to live in the dust and dirt that had accumulated while they were gone.

…

That evening after supper they sat together by the dining table. "So how did things turn out for you?" Ra'shall asked Katla. He reached out and grabbed her left arm. "Whatever happened you obviously got hurt." He studied the remnants of a burn that had once covered the woman's arm. "It's a good thing I sent some healing potions with you," he said.

Katla nodded. "Alduin attacked Paarthurnax and I," she said. "It was after I had used the Elder Scroll to learn the Dragonrend shout. He showed up and challenged us, but I managed to force him to retreat."

"What are the words?" Harry asked. He was sitting with an inkwell in front of him and a small journal that he had bought in Thaumaturgist's Hut an alchemist's shop in Morthal. The owner had been horrified that he didn't have any way of making notes of new things he discovered. She had made sure that they'd bought a notebook for him.

"What?" Katla asked confused.

"The words that make up the shout," Harry said as if it was obvious. "What are the dragon words?"

"Ehh, **_joor_** , **_zah_** and **_frul_** ," she said. "Why does it matter?" she asked. "Paarthurnax didn't want you to know the Dragonrend shout?"

Ra'shall shook his head as he could see Katla about to ask another question. "He's been taking notes whenever we found a Word Wall," he said. "I think he's actually trying to learn the language."

Harry looked up at them after he'd noted the words down in his notebook. "The shout sort of means to make mortal temporary," he said. "But the words in themselves mean mortal, finite and temporary." He held his little notebook out and showed what he'd written to Katla. "Each Word Wall we've been to sort of has its own little story. Like the one we went to today." He turned a page. "Here see," he said. He held the book out and Katla took it. There was a section of dragon letters and then beneath that is said written out in Aldmeri script:

Qethsegol vahrukiv key

Sarvirra zok krin raan

alun wah fonaar odus frod

ahrk ofan ok sil fah ok drog

On the next page there was a translation into common tongue:

Stone commemorate horse

Sarvirra most courageous animal

ever to charge snowy field

and give his soul for his lord

Katla's eyebrows were raised high. "This is good work," she said. "It doesn't really make sense in common grammatically but still."

"Oh, that is because I haven't added the usable translation yet," Harry said. "The last section would say: This stone commemorates the horse Sarvirra, the most courageous animal ever to charge over snowy battlefields and give his soul for his Lord," he said. "But you don't write plural with dragon letters."

Katla nodded slowly. "That is very nice," she said. "I doubt there are a lot of people around today who knows dragon tongue well enough to read things like that apart from the Greybeards. The College will be very interested in getting their hands on a way to translate the old texts."

Harry shrugged. "I'm just doing it for me really," he said.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes playfully. "We've been saddled with a little scholar. What are we gonna do?" he said teasingly before moving out of the raven's reach as the teen took a swipe at him. He looked over at Katla. "What are we supposed to do now? You said that Alduin has retreated for now. So how do we reach him and where is he?" he asked her.

"According to Paarthurnax we have to trap a dragon in Dragonsreach," she said. "So we have to convince Balgruuf that it is a good idea."

The feline snorted before he burst out laughing.

Katla sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

 _'_ _What is going on?'_ Harry wondered. He was really confused. He didn't get an explanation until Ra'shall had finally calmed down.

The feline breathed in deeply and tried his best to clam down. "Mara," he said breathily. "All you have to do is wag your hips and wink at him and he'll do whatever you want."

"Yeah, right," Katla said irritably. "He's a Jarl, Ra'shall. He has to think about his people."

Harry still wasn't sure what was going on. They were talking about the Jarl of Whiterun that much he understood. But why Ra'shall thought it was funny that Katla had to convince the man, and why Katla was getting more and more irritated as the feline continued, he didn't get.

The brunette stood up suddenly and walked over to the hatch that led down to the basement. She needed to work her frustration out on something. She pulled her dress off and got dressed in her blacksmithing outfit. She grabbed her hammer and walked over to the bags she stored her metal bars in. She grabbed two ebony bars and placed them down next to the forge. **_"Yol toor shul,"_** she shouted at the coal. Her voice lit the forge up with an orange glow. Heat spread through the room. Ra'shall did go just a bit too far at times. She did not like it when he got involved in her love life. Balgruuf and her had been close years ago. But then he had to get married, and she hadn't been the type to settle down. He had begged her to stay but…

She sighed.

Seeing him again at the start of the dragon mess had been … she didn't even know how to describe it. His wife had died a few years before then, and he had a couple of kids. She wasn't sure if getting involved with him again was a smart idea. She heard the hatch open and hoped that it wasn't Ra'shall coming down because she wasn't in the mood to deal with him at the moment.

"Are you O.K.?" Harry's smooth voice drifted over the forge to her.

The brunette walked around the forge and hugged the teen close. "I'll be fine," she said. "Ra'shall just doesn't know when to shut up sometimes."

Harry nodded. "I'm gonna go to bed now," he said and looked up at her. "Don't work all night O.K."

"I promise," Katla said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Harry said before turning around and climbing back up the ladder to the main floor. He walked past the dining table where Ra'shall still sat and headed up to the second floor so he could go to bed.

* * *

 _17th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Fredas_

Harry stepped back and raised his wooden blade. He caught the blade coming his way and sidestepped before dealing out his own blow. He couldn't say he was surprised when he missed.

Duck

Strike

Block

Strike

Duck

Ra'shall and Harry had been going at it for hours. It was cloudy out that day and the air was chilly. They hadn't seen Katla since that morning. She had disappeared back down into the basement directly after breakfast. She hadn't even come back up for lunch. There wasn't a tension in the air per se, but Katla had barely looked at Ra'shall at all.

The front door opened as Harry was forced back. He dropped down on the ground and rolled back before raising his hands and sending out a purple smoke that turned into a spectral griffin. He looked up into amber eyes before taking the hand held out towards him.

"Here you go. Try this out," Katla said as she handed him a thin black single edged sword.

Harry accepted the blade. He smiled as he felt its weight settle in his hand. It was perfect. Just the right length for him. He moved it through a couple of posses he liked. A bright smile played on his lips as he looked back up at Katla. "Thank you," he said happily.

The brunette reached out and ruffled his hair as she said, "You're welcome dear."

…

 _18th of Frostfall, 4E 201. Loredas_

"If I'm going to make an armour for you. You need to come downstairs so I can measure out the leather for you," Katla told Harry.

The raven got up from the dining table and walked with her over to the hatch that led to the basement.

"You're not going to give him a heavy armour right?" Ra'shall asked.

Katla rolled her eyes. "I'm not dumb **_vulkaaz_** ," she said. "He's going to get a modified scaled armour with moonstone plates covering the most important parts while not hindering his movements any. It will be custom made."

It took several days to finish the armour. The final result was one of a kind. Harry now had chest and back pieces made out of moonstone covering a leather and hide armour that like Ra'shall's shrouded armour covered his legs like pants rather then him wearing the regular skirt model. It was stupid to leave your legs unprotected after all. Katla had also enchanted the armour to protect the teen further.

* * *

 _23rd of Frostfall, 4E 201. Turdas_

Harry and Ra'shall were sitting by Lake Ilinalta with a fishing rod each. They were trying to catch some salmon for dinner and some Cyrodilic Spadetail for fear poison that Ra'shall wanted to stock up on before they left for Whiterun. They all had several things they wanted to do before leaving Lakeview Manor. The plan was to leave on the first of Sun's Dusk.

Katla had started building on the house again. She and Ra'shall had been talking about adding a greenhouse. She wanted to lay the foundation, but considering the weather, that was probably as far as she would get before spring came.

Ra'shall sighed. He'd really managed to step in it a week ago. He should have just kept his mouth shut. Katla wasn't angry at him anymore, but she was still far from happy with him. He should have known she still had feelings for the Jarl. He'd tried to apologise of course. Katla had even accepted the apology, but she wasn't interacting with him the way she usually did.

"Just give her time and don't piss her off again," Harry said softly like he could tell what the feline man was thinking about. He pulled his line back. "Yes." There was a big silvery fish hanging from the hook. He pulled it off and added it to the basket that stood between the two. He put new bait on the hook and cast it back out.

The sun was shining brightly. Its rays reflected off the lake. In the distance an eagle flew by.

While the men where fishing, Katla was carrying stone from the quarry next to the house over to where they wanted the greenhouse to be. It was heavy work, but she relished having something to do. She had no clue what they would come up with after all this was over. They had to come up with something though 'cause having nothing to do drove her insane. _'Hope Harry put on enough clothes,'_ she thought. It was quite cold out.

Winter was coming.

She kept carrying stone until Harry and Ra'shall returned with their catch.

They made lunch and Ra'shall disappear up to his lab afterwards leaving Katla and Harry to figure out something to do.

Life at Lakeview Manor was calm and quiet for the upcoming days.


	14. Whiterun

**Whiterun**

 _1st of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Loredas_

Armour straps were fastened and backpacks filled with food. They pulled on a thick fur coat each. Katla had taken the liberty to create a lighter armour for herself while they were home. She needed something that would go under her winter clothes. The heavy armour was left at home for now. She could work without it even if she preferred it. "Do we have everything we need now?" she asked. She opened the front door. It was snowing outside. The sky was darkened with thick clouds.

Ra'shall finished packing and slung the bag over his shoulder. "So we're heading through Riverwood but not through Helgen right?" he asked.

Katla nodded. "Yes, that's the plan," she said. She looked over at Harry. "Are you ready?"

The raven smiled as he pulled his backpack on. "I'm finished we can go now," he said. He walked up to the brunette and looked outside. "Great," he said. "Cold and snowing." He walked out and shuddered. It was a good thing that they'd be walking most of the day since that would warm them up.

They made their way down to the road that ran alongside Lake Ilinalta. It stopped snowing pretty soon after they'd left the house. It hadn't snowed enough to leave it lying on the path. They chased away a bear and fought some bandits off along the road.

Riverwood was quiet that morning. Only the guards were walking around.

"Steal anything here and you'll regret it," one of the guards said as they passed him.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes as Katla mumbled, "Racist."

Harry looked up at her. "He said that just because Ra'shall is a Khajiit?" he asked.

Katla nodded. "Unfortunately," she said.

"That's just not right," the raven said quietly.

"Hmmm," Katla sounded in agreement. "It's wrong and something we'll have to deal with eventually," she said. She hated how people treated the so-called beast races.

They moved through the town quickly. None of them wanted to stay there for any period of time with the greeting they got when they entered.

A dragon roared.

Harry stopped and turned around. The scaly beast had to be close. The roar had been loud. He continued down to the bridge leading over the White River.

There was another roar.

The raven spun around and pulled his sword as he conjured his familiar. "Bring it down here honey," he told the griffin. The spectral half-bird took off into the air. Harry looked over at Katla and Ra'shall. The brunette had drawn her bow and placed an arrow on the string.

Ra'shall had moved back and was pulling a vial out of his backpack. "Here Katla use this on your arrows," he said as he handed her the vial. Then he pulled his own glass sword and coated it with the content of another vial.

Out of the clouds a dragon dived. It sprayed the town of Riverwood with its cold breath before a small sharp projectile buried itself in its side. A roar tore through the air. The dragon turned towards the little jul. **_"Fo krah diin,"_** he roared.

Harry ducked down behind the railing of the bridge so he wouldn't get hit. He looked over at Katla and waited until she turned to meet his gaze. He opened his mouth in an imitation of a shout and pointed up towards the dragon before he held the hand out three fingers raised. He counted the fingers down and then he stood up. **_"Yol toor shul,"_** he and Katla shouted at the same time. Their combined voices tore through the air with a fiery haze, striking at the dragon.

The scaled beast landed on the ground between the adults and Harry facing the raven. _'Oh, great,'_ the teen thought. He lifted the hand not holding his sword. A blue and silver shield appeared in front of him, protecting him somewhat from the dragon's frozen breath. He moved forward and cut at the dragon's snout. As the dragon snapped at him, he jumped to the side and grabbed a hold of the thorns on the dragon's head and pulled himself up. He turned his sword around and slammed it down through the scaly neck beneath his feet.

"What is that boy doing?" Ra'shall asked as he nailed the dragon's tail to the ground.

"I don't care as long as he doesn't get himself killed," Katla answered as she pulled her sword out of the dragon's side. The beast roared in pain. Blood sprayed out over the ground with the dragon's heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered before he rammed his sword back down through the dragon's throat. A soft orange glow emitted from the dark scales beneath him. He dropped down from the beast and stumbled slightly as the glow travel towards his skin. **_"Ahkrin kiir,"_** the dragon's voice sounded through his being. His head went a bit woozy for a while, and he caught himself on the railing to the bridge.

Katla wiped her sword off before fastening it back to her baldric. She tried to see what had happened to Harry, but she couldn't see anything past the dragon. "Harry," she called.

"Yeah," the raven called back.

The brunette let out a relieved breath. The teen was alright. She looked over at Ra'shall. He seemed to be alright as well. Teal eyes looked up at her and the feline motioned for her to join him. There was a way past the corpse leading under one of the big leathery wings. Harry was standing against the railing of the bridge breathing heavily. He looked up at the adults as they walked up to him. "I'm O.K." he said softly. "Just a bit winded."

"No injuries?" Ra'shall asked.

"No," the raven said and shook his head.

"Good," Katla said. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did a good job," she said proudly.

Harry lit up from the praise. He moved away from the railing and looked over at the dragon. "What do we do about that?" he asked gesturing towards the corpse.

Ra'shall shrugged. "We leave it," he said. "Let the people here deal with it. We killed it and saved them. Now it's their turn to do something."

Katla rolled her eyes. Not that she disagreed with the man. "The magic that allows the dragon's to use the voice with the amount of power they do will tear the body apart much faster than normal decomposition. The scales and bone can be harvested and treated and theoretically one could make armour out of it, but I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet."

Harry nodded in understanding. "So we should just keep going then?" he said receiving nods from both adults.

They moved onwards; their path eastbound.

A troop of Imperials were escorting a prisoner along the road.

In the distance they could soon see the impressive form of Whiterun's great walls and Dragonsreach at the top. Down the sloping hill there was a set of big houses. The White River ran like a silvery band through the landscape with small streams joining it from the city. The grass had turned yellow. The flowers had died along the roadside. They wouldn't bloom again until the next spring. In the sky above the clouds were dispersing.

In the stables horses neighed as they passed. Jervar, the son of the stable master, was standing in the field next to the stable building. He greeted them as they passed.

Only one of the braziers lining either side of the gate was lit. The area beyond the first gate was the same as the land outside. It was as if the walls had simply been built and no other work had been done outside the city. The second gate had a drawbridge. Harry realised that the place was built like a proper fort. There was probably another gate leading into the city itself. The city was built to hold.

A young female guard walked out through the gate as they approached. Her eyes widened as she saw the party. "Katla?" she said questioningly.

The brunette pulled her hood down and walked forward. "Yes dear," she said. Most of the guards in Whiterun respected her for dealing with the first dragon she'd killed.

"I'm wondering if you could help me with a bit of …" she turned as another person came walking through the gate.

"We'll come over to the barracks after we've had something to eat and spoken to the Jarl," Katla said.

The woman lightened up. "Thank you Lady Katla," she said. "I'll see you later." She started walking down the path.

"We'll see you later," Katla said. She walked up to the double doors and pushed one of them open.

Adrianne Avenicci was working her forge as they entered the city. She owned the Warmaiden's which was Katla's go to place when she didn't make things herself. The dark-skinned woman was a good blacksmith. She'd been starting up her shop back when Katla had lived in the city. They had become fast friends sharing a rather cynical view of the world.

"Adrianne," Katla called. She walked up to the Imperial woman. They hugged tightly. "How are things going?" she asked.

Adrianne ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "The Jarl has ordered new equipment for all of the soldiers," she said. "I've got more work than I can handle right now."

"If you want me to I'll come and help you out later," Katla said. "I need to get up to the reach and talk to the Jarl. The dragon problem needs to be dealt with, and I need the Jarl's help."

Golden eyes clouded somewhat. "Are you finally going let him know you still love him," Adrianne asked. "He cares about you still, you know. It drives father mad."

"I stood him up," Katla said. She crossed her arms over her chest and moved back uncomfortably. "I left and disappear and then I was gone for years. He got married and had kids."

"Yeah, but he never stopped thinking about you," Adrianne said. "He loved his wife sure, but he's never stopped thinking about you."

"That is not going to make me feel better," Katla said. "I wish people would get off my case. Ra'shall keeps making stupid comments about it too. I'll tell him if I feel like it." She placed her hands on Harry's shoulders as the raven stopped next to her. "I'll be down later Anne and help you, but we need to get something to eat now before Ra'shall starts chewing on Harry," she said.

The Imperial woman looked down at the raven. "It is nice to meet you young one," she said.

"It nice to meet you too," Harry said with a small bow.

Adrianne chuckled softly. "Will you come back down with Kat later?" she asked. "We could use your help."

The raven nodded. "I'll help," he said and looked up at Katla. "Right?"

"If you want to of course," the brunette said. "But we have to speak with the court wizard and see if he has some spells he's willing to teach you as well."

Harry nodded. "But I can learn those come evening or something. We're staying for sometime right?" he asked.

"That was the plan," Katla said.

They said 'see you later' to Adrianne before they started walking up the street to the marketplace where all of the shops and stalls were gathered. They entered the Bannered Mare, and Katla walked up to the innkeeper Hulda. "Well if it isn't Katla, how nice," the older woman said. "And Ra'shall is back as well. Do you have the young man with you, hmm?"

Harry walked up to the counter. "Hi Hulda it nice to see you again," he said.

"There's the polite young man," the auburn-haired woman said. She looked between Katla and the raven. "Is this young man yours then?" she asked.

Katla nodded. "He's mine," she said as she placed her hands on Harry's shoulders. "We would like some lunch please Hulda."

"Oh, of course," Hulda said. "We have some salmon and some goat leg and some beef."

"I would like to have some goat," she looked down at Harry, "what about you" she asked.

"I'd like the goat too," Harry said.

"And I'd like the salmon," Ra'shall said.

"We'd also like some baked potatoes, grilled leeks, bread and cheese," Katla said. "Ra'shall and I'll drink Honningbrew mead. Do you have any milk for Harry?" she asked.

Hulda nodded. "We do. Is that all?" she asked.

"Yes," Katla said.

"That will be a hundred gold coins," Hulda said and the brunette placed a gold bar down on the counter. The older Nord woman was used to the bars and knew what they were worth. She smiled. "If you take a seat Saadia will serve you when the food is done," she said.

"Of course Hulda. We'll need two rooms for the night as well will that be possible?" Katla asked.

"Yes, that will be no problem," Hulda said. "You can pay me after you've eaten. I'll make sure the rooms are ready for you this evening."

"Thank you," Katla said before the party moved over to a table and sat down.

"So we're going to go up to the reach after we've eaten?" Ra'shall asked.

"I think that is for the best. It might take a while to convince the Jarl that catching a dragon in his home is a good idea," Katla said. She rubbed her face with the palm of her hand tiredly. "This is not going to be easy." She sighed. She felt a small hand take her own. A soft rubbing motion ran over the back of her hand soothingly. "Thank you sweetie," she said.

"Things will be alright," Harry said softly. "We'll convince the Jarl."

Ra'shall leaned back. He wasn't about to join in the conversation. He knew what the problem for Katla was, but he didn't understand what was so difficult. He had seen on the man's face that he was interested in his friend. The blond had given him some rather dirty looks even. It was all so obvious it hurt. But Katla was proud, and he was pretty sure that she didn't want to get involved with the man again because she didn't want to get stuck somewhere. She wanted to be able to move as she liked. He was sure that Balgruuf wouldn't mind if she wanted to travel a bit as long as she came back to him really. They guy couldn't keep his eyes off her after all.

Their food arrived and they concentrated on that for half an hour or so. In the background the local bard was playing the flute. It atmosphere was calm. There weren't all that many people in there. It wasn't like in the evening when the place was packed full. Almost everyone in the city gathered in the inn once the sun had set.

Once they had finished, Katla walked up to the counter and talked to Hulda for a bit as she paid for their rooms.

They ran into Ysolda, a merchant's apprentice, on their way up to Dragonsreach. Katla stopped and talked to her for a few minutes before they continued up towards the great hold. The tree in the Wind District caught Harry's eyes. It was big with long spindly branches. The bark looked sickly. "Is something wrong with the tree," he asked.

Katla glanced back at him. "I don't know," she said. "The priestess in the temple might know. You could always ask her."

Harry nodded. "O.K." he said.

The Talos priest Heimskr was preaching loudly.

"I wish he would just shut up," Ra'shall muttered.

"We are but maggots, writhing in the filth of our own corruption! While you have ascended from the dung of mortality, and now walk among the stars!" Heimskr shouted.

"It'll get too cold for him soon enough," Katla said. "Just don't listen to him."

"But you were once man! Aye! And as man, you said, 'Let me show you the power of Talos Stormcrown, born of the North, where my breath is long winter," the old man continued.

"The problem is that he'll move into the inn and blab there instead," Ra'shall muttered.

"I breathe now, in royalty, and reshape this land which is mine. I do this for you, Red Legions, for I love you.'"

 _'_ _Oh, please just shut it,'_ Ra'shall though irritated. He followed Katla and Harry up the steps leading to the reach itself. The place was surrounded by its own barricade so that Dragonsreach could be defended by itself in case the rest of the city fell.

"Lady Katla," a yellow clad guard said with a bow.

"Good day Henrik," Katla said. "I've promised Annika that I'll go over some two-handed skills and some bow skills with the guards later today."

"Sounds nice but you might have to wait until after supper," Henrik said.

Katla nodded. "That won't be a problem," she said. "I have promised Adrianne to help her as well." She took goodbye of the man before moving on towards Dragonsreach's great doors. She pushed one of the doors open and walked inside.

Harry's eyes scanned the great hall they entered. There was a grand staircase leading up from the entry hall to the place where the Jarl held court or whatever.

A young boy was walking down the stairs slowly. His dark brown eyes zoomed in on Harry and widened. He came walking down towards them and he noticed the sword hanging by the young raven's side. "You know how to use a sword?" he asked.

Harry was taken back. He looked down at the boy as he ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know how to use a sword," he said.

"Can you teach me? Father says I'm too young but…"

"Frothar… where are your manners?" Katla asked. "If you father heard you, he would not be happy right now."

The boy looked up at the tall woman. "Oh, I'm sorry Lady Katla," the boy said. He looked back at the raven. "I'm Frothar welcome to Dragonsreach what is your name?" he asked.

Katla placed her hand on the raven's shoulder before bending down. "Ra'shall and I will go talk to the Jarl if that's alright," she whispered in his ear.

"That's fine," Harry whispered. He didn't really want to listen to them talking with the man anyway, and the kid was polite enough. He turned back to the boy. "My name is Harry," he said. "You know if your father says you are too young we can't do much about that." He could see how the boy's expression turned dour. "But Ra'shall, the Khajiit, taught me with a wooden sword not a real one so maybe we could convince your father that you could be taught with that," he said.

Frothar's eyes lit up again. "Really?" he said.

Harry nodded. "Sure," he said. He opened his coat up. It was quite warm in there after all. He didn't need the coat. "Katla said that you have a mage here. We can't go talk to your father until after she's done. Could you show me where he or she is? I just want to get some new spells. You do that I'll do something for you, yeah," he said.

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he nodded slowly as he realised the benefits of the offer. "I'll show you to Farengar. He's father's wizard," he said.

"Thank you," Harry said.

"It's this way," Frothar said before he started walking up the grand stairs.

Harry's eyes travelled over to where Katla and Ra'shall stood by the Jarl, a man and an elven woman in armour. They all looked to be in deep thought. He hoped that things would go well.

"What are they talking to father about?" Frothar asked curiously.

"We need help fighting the dragons. To defeat the leader of the dragons we need to capture a dragon and the only way to do that is by using the old mechanics in Dragonsreach," Harry answered. "They are trying to convince your father that it is the only way to end the dragon problem." He saw no reason not to tell the kid the truth.

Wide brown eyes looked up at him. "Really? Awesome," the boy said.

Harry shrugged. "It could be really dangerous," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if your father says no." He turned the way they were walking. The room they entered was lit way brighter than the hall. There was a man wearing a gray mage robe with a big hood in the room. He turned towards them as they entered. "Frothar remember the rules. Don't touch anything in here," he said sternly. The only one of the Jarl's kids he allowed in his rooms was the oldest since he had proved that he would listen. Then his eyes moved up to the older boy and his brow furrowed. "And who might you be young man?" he asked.

"My name is Harry Potter, sir. I'm here with Katla. I'm wondering if you have any spellbooks to sell," the raven said.

"Ah, a young wizard how interesting," Farengar said. "Of course I will help further your education young man." He walked over to another room. "What are you interested in?" he asked.

Harry followed the man. "I'm interested in all Schools of Magic, sir," he said. His eyes widened as he saw the collection of spellbooks on the shelves. "I'm on apprentice level," he said. "I'm working my way up right now."

"Ah, of course," the man mumbled as he started rummaging through the shelves. "Here is some Conjuration books… and some Restoration books."

Harry moved forward so that the man could hand him the books. Then he walked out to the man's desk and placed them down before walking back accepting a new batch of books. There was a rather impressive pile of books on the wizard's desk once they were done.

"Are you going to read all of these?" Frothar asked disbelievingly.

"Probably not," Harry said. "There are a few books here I'm not interested in." He picked out a few Conjuration books that contained bound weapons of different kinds that he didn't want to learn. Then he started sorting the books he wanted out and piled them in accordance to School.

"That is still a lot of books," Frothar said his eyes wide. "Can you pay for all of those?"

Harry chuckled. "I can pay for them," he said. He looked up at the wizard. "How much are they?" he asked.

"Let's say about two-thousand," Farengar said after doing a bit of quick counting.

Harry grabbed a bag of gold from his belt and placed it on the desk before he started counting out gold bars. _'Darn it,'_ he thought when he came up short. "I need to go and get some more from my companions," he said. "I'll be right back." He disappeared into the great hall and moved up to Ra'shall slowly.

"I don't know Katla," Balgruuf said. "I will have to consider this. It would be very risky."

"I understand Balgruuf," Katla said. "I know this isn't easy."

Harry placed his hand against Ra'shall's arm then he tapped a finger against the Khajiit's money pouch. The feline man looked down, and Harry held out four fingers. He received a nod before picking four bars out of the pouch.

"We'll come back tomorrow," Katla said. "I know why you don't want to do this, but it has to be done. Just name your price. I'll see what I can do to make it happen."

Harry backed off quickly so he didn't hear the rest of the conversation. He rejoined the court wizard and the Jarl's son so he could add to his payment. "There you go," he said as he pushed the twenty gold bars forward.

"Thank you young man," Farengar said. "You might have some problems getting all of these with you."

Harry shrugged. "We'll manage," he said. "We're only carrying them down to the inn anyway." He moved the books into three piles: one for him, one for Katla, and one for Ra'shall. He pushed the piles together on the wizard desk. "Can they stay there until we leave?" he asked.

Farengar blinked and looked up from his papers. "Yes of course," he said.

"Thank you," Harry said. He moved over to Frothar. "So you helped me. What do you want?" he asked.

"You have been travelling with Katla haven't you?" the boy asked.

Harry nodded. "If you want to hear about that maybe we should get out of here so we don't disturb Farengar," he said.

"Oh, yeah that's a good idea," Frothar said softly. He looked up at the wizard. Farengar didn't like being bothered after all. He stood up. "We should go somewhere else…" he said.

"I need to be able to see the great hall so that I know when Katla and Ra'shall are leaving," Harry said.

"We can go up there," Frothar said and pointed up to a balcony.

"Looks good," Harry said.

They got up a set narrow stairs, walked past a big map with little coloured flags, and settled down on a fine gold threaded carpet. Harry leaned back against the railing of the balcony. "I will start this story from the beginning. I might not get through all of it now. It will take a while before we get to dragons, but I think you'll enjoy it anyway," he said. "The story is real by the way. It starts in a world far away from here. A dark and dangerous man was trying to take over the land. He had many a follower, and they did their best to kill those who did not accept their beliefs. Most were too afraid to oppose them, and those who did were hunted down. Late one Frostfall night the dangerous man named Voldemort travelled to a small village. He entered a house and killed the man living there before continuing to the upper floor where the man's wife was trying her best to escape with their son. He found them and, though, he did not wish death upon the woman she would not step aside and so in a fall of red she hit the floor. Voldemort raised his magic staff and in his wrath he sent a beam of green light towards the boy. But lo and behold the spell backfired and rained upon the man. The boy that survived many a story inspired. That is where the true story begins."

"That is lame," a girl said.

Harry looked up at her. "If you do not want to listen then you don't have to be here," he said. He could hear Katla's voice in the other room by the map. They must have moved up there at some point.

"Just be quiet Dagny," Frothar said. He looked back at Harry. "Please continue," he begged.

Harry sighed and settled back. "The boy grew up with his mother's sister and her family. When he was eleven a place of learning called Hogwarts sent him an invitation to the school.

.

.

.

… the boy woke up, he realised that he had been placed within the halls of healing where he spoke to Dumbledore…"

"We should get going Harry," Katla called. "Adrianne needs our help."

"Oh," Harry said. He stood up slowly and looked down at the jarl's children. "We'll have to continue this later," he said apologetically.

"Promise," Frothar said.

"I promise," Harry said.

The boy nodded.

"We'll be back later. After like supper or something," the raven said. "We can continue then."

"Sure that's cool," Frothar said.

…

Harry grabbed an iron knife and stroked it over the leather in the tanning rack. Katla was melting ore since she didn't think it was right for her to use another blacksmiths tools.

It was quiet. Everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Ra'shall had left to wander or gather ingredients or whatever it now was he'd get up to outside the city.

"Harry come over here!" Katla called suddenly.

The raven stood up from his pile of leather strips and walked over to the brunette. "What is it?" he asked.

"I need you to take those bars over to Anne. They are still a bit hot so you need to wear your gloves," Katla said. "You should hand her the leather as well." She turned back to the smelter. "I have some more to go before I'll help you," she said.

"O.K." Harry said. He walked over to the trough and kneeled down so he could lift a bar up. He carried the bar over to the forge and placed it down before heading back so he could repeat the action. He moved back and forth between the trough and the forge until he was breathing heavily. He felt a warm hand land on his shoulder. "You can sit down and rest, **_kulsezii_** ," Katla said softly.

Harry sighed happily. "Thank you," he said. He walked over and dropped down next to the Warmaiden's. He leaned back against the wall and grabbed a bottle of Honningbrew mead that Katla and he had taken with them. He lifted the spell book he had brought with him and started reading. The book was about how to hide sound - especially sound emitted from footsteps.

Katla smiled softly at the green eyed teen as she carried a couple of ingots from the trough to the forge. After a couple of laps she walked over to the front of the house where Adrianne was hammering out metal on her workbench. "I've melted all of your ore now. The last batch is cooling down as we speak," she said.

Adrianne put her hammer down. "Thank you Katla," she said with a smile. "Things will be much easier now." She moved over to the side of the house and looked at the pile of ingots. "That's lovely dear," she said.

Katla rolled her eyes at her friend. "I should grab Harry and head back to the inn so we can get something to eat," she said.

"Why don't you two stay with us? I'm sure that Ulfberth is done with supper soon," Adrianne said. "It's the least we can do." She took her gloves off and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

Katla chuckled. "If you insist," she said. "I guess we should get cleaned up first though."

Adrianne nodded, and Katla turned to Harry. "Come here **_kulsezii_** ," she called.

The raven closed his book and stood up slowly before walking up to the brunettes. "What is it?" he asked as he reached them.

"Can you run over to the inn and get us towels, clothes and some soap?" Katla asked.

Harry nodded. "Sure," he said. He didn't run though. He walked. Not that it took him that long to get up to the inn and back to the blacksmith's with the things he'd been asked to bring in a bag.

They headed out of the city and went down outside the outer wall where a small waterfall was formed from the stream that ran through Whiterun. People in the city were fined high if they polluted the water so the water was just as clean as any lake out there if not cleaner.

Being somewhat used to seeing Katla dress off and wash with him around, he wasn't quite as affected as he once had been. He was still uneasy with it, but he'd survive. Katla was the first to pull her clothes off and step in under the water stream. "The soap Harry," she said.

The raven picked a white bottle out of his pack before handing it over to her. He averted his eyes as fast as he could since he didn't feel comfortable at all looking at a naked Katla. He knew he'd feel even more weirded out when Adrianne was the one under that spray. He actually chose to turn around so there wasn't even a possibility of him seeing her. He didn't turn around until Katla told him it was his turn. Then he, without thinking, dressed off and walked in under the small waterfall. Katla handed him the soap and he cleaned up quickly. It was getting late and really cold. He was handed a towel by Katla and started drying up.

"This stuff is really nice," Adrianne said as she shifted the soap bottle in her hand. "Could you get me some of this?" she asked.

Katla shrugged. "I'll have to ask Ra'shall," she said. "He is the one who makes it."

Arianne nodded. "I'd really appreciate that," she said.

"Can we go inside now?" Harry asked somewhat miserably. "It's cold out here."

Katla smiled at him and held her hands out. "Come here I'll keep you warm," she said. She wrapped her arms around the teen as he moved closer before hugging him. "Let's get back up," she said.

They headed back up to the Warmaiden's and walked into the shop. Adrianne walked up to her husband and kissed him. "You're right on time, love," he said. "The food is ready. I've set up seats for your helpers as well."

"Thank you love," Adrianne said.

They headed in back to the kitchen and sat down. There was a big pot filled with a thick green goo. It had little red slivers in it that let Harry know it was apple and cabbage stew. With it there was some cooked beef.

They ate in relative silence. Harry didn't say anything at all. He was mulling over what he'd read in his spellbook earlier so he wasn't really listening to the conversation going on in the room. "Thank you for the food," he said when he'd finished. "It was good."

"It's nice to know you like it young man," Ulfberth said. He leaned back himself and stroked his beard. "We should probably leave the ladies for a little while," he said before pushing his chair back. "You can either help me or find something else to do out in the shop in the meantime."

Harry nodded and stood up.

…

The great hall of Dragonsreach was warm and inviting. Katla quickly moved through it and disappeared up to the Great Porch. Harry wasn't all that interested in being out there in the cold. Instead he found Frothar and Dagny so he could continue telling them his story. He spoke until Fianna, a young Breton maid, showed up and ushered the kids to bed. She had even thrown him a dirty look like it was his fault that the children were still up and awake.

Harry himself had headed back to the inn and buried himself in his rather big spell book collection at that point. He barely noticed when Katla showed up and lay down in the bed.


	15. A Treaty for Peace

**A Treaty for Peace**

 _2nd of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Sundas_

"Father is wondering how you sword trained without real swords. He says that wooden toy swords are useless to train with because they aren't heavy enough," Frothar said.

Harry shrugged. "The sword I used was pretty heavy," he said. "I can go get it if you want me to, and we can show it to your father."

"Can I come with you?" the boy asked.

Green eyes blinked in surprise. "If you are allowed to, then of course you can come along," Harry said.

They walked down from the balcony, into the great hall, and up to the throne that Frothar's father sat on. The young man walked forward. "Father can I go with Harry down to the inn and fetch the training swords he used to learn how to fight with?" he asked.

Balgruuf gave the young raven a hard look. _'So this is Katla's boy,'_ he thought. The child was obviously too old to be hers. He was standing there in front of him with a sword at his side. It showed that he knew how to use it. "Fine," he said. "But you will go there and come back again immediately." He looked up at Harry. "You better make sure he is safe young man," he told the raven.

"Of course sir he won't get out of my sight," Harry said. He placed a hand on Frothar's shoulder. "I've been taught how to stay safe. We're staying in the city so there shouldn't be much of any danger," he said.

"Well then," Balgruuf said. "Get going with you."

The two boys walked out of Dragonsreach. The sky was clear and the sun shining brightly. Yellow clad guards wandered along the perimeter of the reach slowly.

By the great tree in the Wind District the Nord priest of Talos was still preaching. "So rise up! Rise up, children of the Empire! Rise up, Stormcloaks!" he called out.

Harry shook his head. "What is screaming ever going to do for you?" he muttered.

"Embrace the word of mighty Talos, he who is both man and Divine!"

"But is it still Talos' words you speak or are they word invented by other men so they can gain power?" Harry asked softly.

Frothgar looked up at him. "Talos is considered a great hero and god," he said.

"For we are the children of man! And we shall inherit both the heavens and the earth! And we, not the Elves or their toadies, will rule Skyrim! Forever!"

"I don't doubt that Tiber Septim was a great hero. Hey, I can even go with him becoming a god," Harry said. "What I don't believe is when people use so called words of gods for their own gain." He walked down the staircase that led to the marketplace. "If I knew for sure what people like the guy up there say is true, I would go with it, but he is against the Empire and didn't Tiber Septim create the Empire and he promotes the Stormcloaks which will most likely lead to a bloodbath of some sort. I'm not so sure Talos would be pleased," he said.

Frothgar's brow furrowed in thought. He might only be twelve but he was the Jarl's oldest son so there were a lot of things he needed to know. He would be Jarl one day after all. He followed the raven-haired teen into the Bannered Mare deep in thought. He barely noticed the people in the main hall. A warm hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up at Harry. The raven was holding a wooden sword in one hand. "Cool," Frothgar said as he grabbed the blade. It was nothing like the silly toy swords he had played with when he was younger.

Harry chuckled. "Let's show that to your father and see what he has to say," he said. The two boys made their way back to Dragonsreach quickly. But when they walked up the stairs in the great hall they could see a whole group of people gathered by the Jarl.

Katla and Ra'shall were there together with the Jarl and his closest advisors.

The two boys slowed down.

"The only way I can see this happening Katla is if the civil war is over," Balgruuf said. "I can't risk something so dangerous as this with the threat of being attacked from both Ulfric and General Tullius still around." He looked up at the brunette. "I want to help you… Katla," he said. It was obvious to anyone listening that he'd wanted to say something else though. "But I cannot put the city at risk like that."

"I understand that Balgruuf," Katla said. Is there no way for us to end the conflict? You are way better at politics than me."

The blond man nodded. "All Nords respect the Greybeards. If they held a peace council then both the General and Ulfric have to listen," he said. "If Alduin really is back then we can't fight amongst ourselves, but these men won't simply listen to you."

Katla sighed. "So I have to convince a pack of old men to hold a council," she said. "Great."

"It could be worse," Harry said as he moved up to her. "They have to agree to this unless they want Alduin to win so it probably won't take that much convincing." He felt how she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I expected something like this," she said. "I know perfectly well why you can't just help us and I respect that." She shook her head. "I had hoped to stay a bit longer, but this needs to be done as soon as possible," she said. She looked over to Ra'shall. "Ready to set out again?" she asked.

The feline man shrugged. "You know how I feel about cities," he said. He was always ready to leave.

"Your boy can stay here if you wish Katla," Balgruuf offered. "There is no need for you to drag him along with you. It is dangerous out there after all."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the man.

Katla sighed. "You need some time to learn all of those spells that you've bought," she said as she looked down at the raven. "Ra'shall and I could travel up to High Hrothgar and then one of us could pick you up on the way to Solitude. We'd have to pass by here anyway. You can't bring all of those books with you and you know that," she said.

Harry thought about it for a moment. If he stayed, he wouldn't really miss anything. They were just going to travel up the Throat of the World and go back down. He'd already done that once and they would have to do it again for the council anyway. He wasn't that interested in climbing that mountain. "Fine," he said. "I'll stay but only for your trip to High Hrothgar," he said. "And I would prefer staying in the inn. If I'm staying so that I can learn; the palace won't work for me." He looked over at the Jarl. "Your children would hound me all the time, and while they are good kids, I can't study with the ruckus they make around," he said honestly.

Balgruuf nodded. "I will make sure that they know you are staying there on my expense," he said knowing fully well how his own court wizard liked it. He looked back up at Katla. "You don't have to leave immediately," he told her.

Katla shrugged. "But I'll get done quicker if I set out now," she said. "We'll eat an early lunch and then we are off." She looked down at Harry. "You'll come with us?" she asked.

The raven nodded. "Yeah," he said softly before taking the brunette's hand.

"I'll see you in High Hrothgar," Katla told Balgruuf, making it obvious that she was not going to return to Dragonsreach even if she passed by the city later.

"Good bye …" the blond man said quietly. Katla had already moved too far away to hear him even if he'd spoken up.

…

Later that day Harry sat curled up in his bed with his books spread out around him. It was the first time he was spending the night alone in Skyrim. He rolled over in the bed and sighed. It felt strange. He'd gotten used to having either Ra'shall or Katla around at all times. It felt empty without them even though the inn was full of people. He pulled his spell book closer. He was learning how to heal other people. It would be a good thing to know the future. He never wanted to repeat what happened in Yngol Barrow ever again. Turning another page, his eyes took the text in. His goal was to be done with pretty much all of the books before either Katla or Ra'shall came back to the city. Considering the fact that he had about thirteen to go, he had his work cut out for him.

* * *

 _3rd of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Morndas_

Katla pulled her hood off as she entered Windhelm. It was late; the sun had set long ago. She'd taken leave of Ra'shall some ways ago. _'I'll have to wait until morning to speak with the Jarl,'_ she thought. She walked in to Candlehearth Hall and ordered a room from Elda. Her thoughts turned to Harry. Hopefully the teen would be able to convince the general that it was a good idea to go to High Hrothgar.

At that moment in time Harry was fast asleep. Ra'shall had returned several hours earlier and told him what the plan was. They were to go to Solitude since the Stormcloaks were less likely to want to talk to him than the Imperials. He'd wanted to set out early the next day so they had gone to sleep early.

Harry had been very glad that he'd gotten faster at reading because of how quickly the man had returned. He still had about six books left, but they could carry those with them especially if they were going to take a carriage which was Ra'shall's preferred method of travelling for such a long distance. He'd discovered a few tricks to learn things faster, and he had found out that learning skills he already knew the basics for like Healing or casting elements was much easier than learning them for the first time. He'd spent pretty much the whole day with his nose stuck in a book.

 _4th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Tirdas_

The Palace of the Kings looked cold and unfriendly. Next to its gigantic walls Katla looked like little more than an ant. She didn't actually care about that though. She was not scared by the walls nor was she afraid of the man past those walls. She had stayed out of the war mostly because as far as she was concerned it was foolish. She held no love for the elves who wanted to force their beliefs upon the rest, but she held little love for the Nords who spewed hatred upon those who were not Nords either. She passed a guard and pushed the Palace door open before stepping inside.

The carpet beneath her feet was as blue as the sky. A long table filled with food stood in the middle of the great hall. A single man sat by the table eating.

The brunette walked up along the table until she reached the throne set up at the head of the room. "Ulfric Stormcloak Jarl of Windhelm," she greeted the man who sat there

"Only the foolish or the courageous approach a Jarl without summons. Do I know you?" Ulfric asked darkly.

Amber eyes narrowed just a fraction. "I cannot say whether you do or do not know me sir," she said. "We were both set to be executed in Helgen a few months past. The Imperials have strange ideas about what's wise." She shifted slightly. "That is not why I'm here though," she said. "I'm here to let you know that the Greybeards are calling a peace meeting. They would prefer that the war was put on hold until after the Dragon Crisis is dealt with."

Ulfric shook his head. "I have great respect for the Greybeards, but I cannot agree to such a meeting unless Tullius himself will be there," he said.

"There is a delegation on their way to Tullius as we speak," Katla said. "If you choose to go to High Hrothgar soon you will arrive there long before he does which will give you at least a bit of an advantage?" She straightened and tilted her head slightly. "Either way he would seem foolish to deny this summons. And I will guarantee you that me and mine will fight by your side should he not show up. I can even go so far as to say that I can convince the Jarl of Whiterun to join you should that happen," she said.

Ulfric raised an eyebrow. "You claim a lot of power ma'am," he said. "Where does this confidence stream from, hmm?"

"I am the Dragonborn," Katla said. "And I have been told that Balgruuf has feelings for me… we were lovers a long time ago."

The Jarl burst out laughing. "Ahhh, the stubborn fool has gotten himself ensnared in a strong minded lady, has he?" he said. "Wonderful," He nodded. "I will go to High Hrothgar and meet with the Greybeards." He leaned forward toward the brunette. "In either case I win," he said.

Katla nodded. "I will travel with you when you leave if that is alright with you, sir," she said.

The man smirked. "Of course my lady," he said. "We will prepare today and set out in the morn."

Katla gave a small bow before backing off. As she left the Palace of the Kings, Ra'shall and Harry were sitting in a carriage on their way to Solitude. The ride had been uneventful apart from some idiotic bandits that they'd scared off. It had given the raven a chance to practice his fear spell. It had worked perfectly. He and Ra'shall had the bandits running in fear from them in no time and the carriage didn't even have to stop.

The sun was setting as they approached the grand city of Solitude. "Thank you for the ride," Harry told driver as he walked by the seat of the carriage.

The man nodded and smiled. He'd found the teen's presence during the ride refreshing. It wasn't often that children travelled by his carriage.

The road up to Solitude was so steep that the carriage couldn't go up it, which meant that they had to walk the last part. Luckily for them the rain that had been threatening them for a while didn't start falling until they had started walking up towards the gates.

Ra'shall moved up behind Harry as they reached the big metal gates. The city was desolate. The weather had forced most people inside.

"We should just get over to wherever the general is and talk to him today," Harry said. "We're keeping up with Katla if we do that."

Ra'shall nodded. "The problem is that I don't actually know where the general stays," he said.

Harry shrugged. It can't be that hard to find someone who can help us," he said. "I think we should start in the inn." He ran over to the building and walked inside. There were quite a lot of people in there. Scanning the crowd he noticed a man that was most likely a beggar. He walked up to the man slowly. "Excuse me sir is this seat empty?" he asked.

The one-eyed man looked up at him with his good eye. "Well see here's a strong young lad," he said. "You see a man fallen on hard times, and you think he's been like that forever? I was there. I fought in the Great War. I was on the field at Anvil." He moved forward in his seat. "And when I was struck down, they left me. You understand? They left me for dead. I didn't leave them," he said.

"That's tough," Harry said as he leaned back. He looked up at Ra'shall as the feline walked up to the table. "Why don't you get the man something to drink and some food," he told the feline. "He looks like he could use a good meal."

Ra'shall shook his head. He knew what the teen was up to and he was proud. What surprised him was just how easily the boy had slipped into information gaining mode. It wasn't even something they had been talking about all that much. Sure he and Katla had given the teen a quick course, but that had barely included how to interact together with them. Never had they talked about the teen being in control of the situation. He walked up to the red-headed innkeeper and ordered a helping of food and some drinks for the three of them. Since the man didn't have any Honningbrew mead, he ordered milk for Harry. He was not going to give a high alcohol level drink to the teen. He knew for a fact that alcohol or drugs, like skooma, were not good for well anyone really, but they were really bad for children. For himself and the Imperial beggar he had ordered Nord mead. It was decent enough.

He took the mead and walked back towards the table. He handed one of the bottles over to the one-eyed man. He'd ordered another drink with the meal.

"Thank you sir," the beggar said as he was handed the drink. He turned back to the very nice young man sitting in front of him. The boy had listened attentively to him as he had spilled his heart out. He looked over at the somewhat stern looking feline now sitting next to him.

"Don't worry about him," Harry said. "Mother has ideas about my safety so she hired him to keep an eye on me." He rolled his eyes. "He can be really dour, and he's not much for conversation."

Ra'shall leaned back in his chair and scanned the room with narrowed eyes. He'd been given a roll and he better keep to it now. Thankfully it wouldn't be that hard to stick to the roll he'd been given. And Katla could easily play into it should they ever travel to Solitude together. The thing about using roles when you tried to get information was that it was best to keep as close to the truth as possible because they would have to keep to it forever. He listened in to the conversation between the teen and the beggar as he seemed to be keeping an eye on the crowd.

The food and second drink arrived, and Harry got some milk to moisten his throat with. He had gotten the man talking about the Imperial soldiers pretty easily and it didn't take Noster long to tell him that the soldiers hung out in the Castle Dour.

The two travellers stuck around for a while longer before they left the inn.

"Your bodyguard huh?" Ra'shall said as they walked out. The rain had blown over, and the sky had cleared. There was even a bit of activity out on the streets now.

Harry chuckled. "Well, I thought it would work the best," he said. "And you'd be able to play into it without me having to tell you anything."

They walked the path that had been described to them, passed two guards, and entered a sturdy looking fort-like building. They walked down a washed out carpet towards a smaller room. There was a man and a woman in there.

Harry walked into the room slowly. The woman turned towards him. "What are you doing in here child?" she asked sternly. "Out with you this is no place for kids." She walked up towards him and grabbed his upper arm so she could escort him out. The raven raised an eyebrow at her tone. "I am here to deliver a message from the Greybeards to General Tullius," he said.

The armour clad woman snorted. "What would the Greybeards what with a child?" she said. "Take you lies and go elsewhere unless you want me to throw you into the dungeons."

Harry narrowed his eyes. He turned towards the woman. **_"Fus,"_** he shouted sending her stumbling backwards. He grabbed the buttons on his coat and opened them up before he let the thick fur fall to the floor revealing the armour he wore beneath. "I'm not here to fight you ma'am, but I have a message, and I will deliver it to the general. He'll want to hear it because he will lose this war if he doesn't," he said.

"Why you little brat," the woman spat before moving forward. A dark figure moved in between her and the teen. "That is enough," Ra'shall hissed. "We came to deliver a message not fight," he turned to Harry, "You will behave cub," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "She started it," he said. "I was perfectly fine with acting civilised until she decided I needed to be thrown out. With that kind of behaviour shown to me I wouldn't really have any problems with joining the Stormcloaks." He shook his head. "I might be young, but that doesn't mean that I can't fight."

Ra'shall sighed. "You have been spending far too much time with Katla," he said as he let go of the woman. "Hot headed Nords," he muttered. He turned fully towards the woman. "We are here with a message from the Greybeards to General Tullius," he stated. He pointed down at Harry. "He is a Dragonborn that is how the old fools have an interest in him. Attacking him at this point will lead to your death. It is a warning not a threat," he said.

Rikke narrowed her eyes. "You are a fool for threatening a Chief Lieutenant of the Imperial Legion," she said her hand tightening on her sword.

"Calm Rikke," an elder man with short white hair said.

The woman turned to him. "General," she said with a shot bow.

Harry walked forward. "General Tullius," he said since this was obviously the man he was after. "The Greybeards have called a peace council in High Hrothgar. They are asking for your presence there together with Ulfric Stormcloak." He placed a hand on his hip. "Chances are that the Jarl of Windhelm has already agreed," he said.

The elder man raised an eyebrow. "I can't see what those old hermits can have to say about this war. But it is impossible for us to stop this while Ulfric is still at war against his rightful Emperor," he said.

"Ah, that might be true," Harry said. "But unless you agree to this there won't be any Skyrim or Empire for that matter left to fight for with all the dragon's coming back. We're trying to get rid of the dragon threat, but that can't happen as long as you and Ulfric are still fighting. A truce until the Dragon Crisis is over is all we ask for," he said. "Alduin is back and he is going to destroy everything and anything he can reach with his voice."

Rikke's eyes widened. "The World-Eater is back," she said.

Ra'shall turned towards her. "It was Alduin that attacked Helgen," he said. "The Greybeards called the Dragonborn, and she's been trying to deal with things but it is not easy. She has bested the great dragon in battle once, but he has flown out of our reach. The Dragonborn needs this peace until the Dragon Crisis is over so that she can deal with Alduin. What you people choose to do after that doesn't interest her," he said.

Tullius sighed. Normally he would play his Chief Lieutenant's reaction off as Nord suspicion, but he'd been there. He had been at Helgen when the dragon attacked. "You are sure that Ulfric will be there?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sure," Harry said. "Katla can be very persuasive when she wants to be."

"Fine we will travel to High Hrothgar and speak with the Greybeards," he said. "If only to make sure that Ulfric doesn't get too big a head."

Ra'shall grabbed the raven as they left the Castle Dour. "You have to think before you act," he said sternly. "What you did in there could have gotten you killed."

Harry looked up at the man with a levelled gaze. "She would have underestimated what I can do, and that would have been her fall," he said. "I wasn't going to attack her. I would have combined my magic and scared the crap out of her. I know the dragon word for darkness and I can make people feel unreasonable fear. I would have done something she could never have anticipated."

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. He was irritated with the boy, but unfortunately for him he didn't exactly have a right to reprimand him sine he probably wouldn't have done much better. "I'll let Katla deal with this," he said.

Harry groaned. "Great," he breathed out. The brunette would be soooo not happy with him.

"It will make sure you don't do it again," Ra'shall said.

They went back down to the Winking Skeever and rented a room before Harry disappeared out into the city so he could explore it. Solitude was definitely the biggest city he'd visited in Skyrim. Of course it was the capital so it made sense that it was bigger than most of the other cities.

.

It was getting late, and he would have to return soon. He and Ra'shall would travel with the Imperials to High Hrothgar. They would leave early the next morning and travel by horseback. He wasn't so sure he liked that idea but couldn't say much about it.

* * *

 _5th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Middas_

It was about midday when they reached Rorikstead.

Harry grimaced as he slipped off the horse he and Ra'shall had been sharing. He let his magic run through him slowly to help his sore muscles relax. They would stop by the local inn and get some food. The inn was built much like all inns in Skyrim. The furnace located in the centre of the room warmed the whole building up. Several tables lined the walls and customers sat on hardy wooden benches.

Rikke walked up to the innkeeper and ordered food for the company. They had chosen, despite the fact that they had the Jarl of Solitude with them, to travel light with only a few men. They did so out of respect for the Greybeards. It would also be exceedingly impractical to bring a large amount of soldiers to the Throat of the World since they couldn't travel up the mountain anyway.

They were in the middle of their meal when a loud roar tore through the air.

Harry dropped his fork. "That's a dragon," he said as he stood up. He pulled his bow from his back and started walking towards the door.

"What do you think you are doing boy," Rikke shouted as she got off the bench.

Ra'shall stood up as well. "Calm down," he told the woman. "He's fought dragons before." He himself might be a bit worried about the teen, but he would not stop the boy from fighting.

Harry ran out on the only street in the town. He placed an arrow on his bowstring and lifted the bow. A spray of ice had him turning north. He let the arrow fly before quickly adding a new one to the string. Seeing the great scaled beast about to land, he aimed his arrow and shot it off so he could switch to his sword. **_"Yol toor shul,"_** he shouted spreading a thick fiery wave of power out towards the dragon. He ducked and raised a spectral shield in front of him as a wave of icy spikes rained own over him. He closed his eyes and focused on another spell. His armour glowed a faint jade colour as the spell settled. He broke his shield spell and ran forward. Aiming he rammed his thin blade straight into the dragon's eye. He closed his eyes and made fire spread along his sword. **_"Drem kos voth hi,"_** he whispered softly. Light started emitting from the dragon's body slowly and the raven backed off. He bowed his head and lowered his sword. His body swayed lightly as he absorbed the dragon's knowledge.

"How can this be…? You absorbed its very soul," a shocked villager said.

Green eyes opened slowly. As Harry lifted his head, he could hear footsteps moving up next to him. "Good job cub," Ra'shall said proudly. He was rewarded with a bright smile. The raven stepped forward. He froze as his world started spinning.

The feline man caught the signs and moved forward fast enough to catch the teen. "Are you hurt?" he asked knowing fully well that Harry tended to react rather strongly to absorbing dragon's souls. The raven shook his head slowly. "Just dizzy," he mumbled softly. He looked over at the dragon's body. "Bye Nahagliiv," he said.

"Come on let's get you back inside so you can finish eating," Ra'shall said as he helped the teen back up on his feet. He placed the boy's right arm over his shoulders for support and half carried him back into the inn.

The feline-man tilted his head as the members of the Imperial Legion joined them inside. He was making sure that Harry ate the last of his food. The teen needed the energy.

"So he truly is Dragonborn then," Rikke said quietly. She couldn't deny it. She'd seen the boy absorb a dragon's soul with her own eyes.

Ra'shall nodded. "He's young still but in some ways he learns faster than Katla does, and she is the Dragonborn the legends speak off," he said. He placed a hand on the raven's back as he said, "This guy is here for another reason entirely." He shook his head. "Being exposed to the power in a dragon's soul knocks his senses sideways sometimes. I had hoped he'd stopped having that problem, but I guess it really has something to do with his age."

They finished up and got back to the horses soon enough. There was still a long way to go. They were lucky Skyrim wasn't a big country because it didn't take them longer than a day and a half to reach Ivarstead. They spent the night in Vilemyr Inn and set out for High Hrothgar the next morning.

…

 _7th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Fredas_

The mountain was cold and unfriendly. Snow fell on the party as they forced their way higher.

"Bloody mountain," Ra'shall muttered. "I'll be a happy man if I never have to walk up this path again."

Rikke looked at him with an inquiring gaze. "The climb up the seven-thousand steps is supposed to be therapeutic," she said.

The feline snorted. "You try going up and down this mountain four times in three months when winter is coming," he said. "It isn't calming in the least."

"KATLA!"

Ra'shall turned forward. He could see the brown-haired woman up ahead. He could also see Harry's snow covered shape trying to run through the snow towards her. Eventually the teen did reach the woman, and she hugged him tightly. "Come on inside," she said. "The Greybeards aren't much for heating the place up but at least it's warmer than out here." The party followed her up the steps into High Hrothgar.

"I take it that Ulfric is here already," Tullius said in a businesslike tone.

Katla nodded. "We arrived yesterday," she said. "I believe he has been gathering the calm of this place to him. He isn't all that unreasonable right now. But then again I am a Nord and a lot of the things I believe in are things he holds dear." She smiled at the group, and Rikke narrowed her eyes. She recognised those eyes.

"Excuse me ma'am but you wouldn't happen to be related to Arn Modigh?" she asked. She couldn't recall him ever mentioning a child or even a woman for that matter, but those eyes were unmistakable.

Katla was taken back by the question. "He was my uncle," she answered uncertain as to why the soldier asked her that question. She knew that her uncle had died in the Great War. It had been one of the reasons her father had been so against her leaving home.

Rikke smiled sadly at her. "I fought by Arn's side in the Great War," she said softly. "He was a good man."

Understanding dawned in Katla's amber eyes. "I see," she said. "I didn't actually get to meet him properly. I was about five or so when they came and told father that he had died… It was after the war was over." She straightened up. "I believe we might as well start the meeting," she said. "There is little point in standing around. We can always exchange pleasantries afterwards."

She turned and led the others into the conference room with its big table that hosted a fire in its centre.

Harry blinked in surprise as he saw Balgruuf standing in there already. "Sir," he said with a small bow as he reached the man. "Ah, I see that you have made it unscratched young warrior," the blond said. "I decided to see for myself what this council would yield." He looked over at Katla.

"She is stubborn, sir," Harry said softly. It wasn't like he hadn't picked up on things, and Ra'shall was completely incapable of keeping his mouth shut. "Don't try to force her, but let her know how you feel. She'll come around eventually," he said.

Balgruuf chuckled warmly. "Ahahhh, never would I have imagined the day when I would take advice from someone less than half my age when it come to matters of the heart," he said quietly.

Harry shrugged. "I know Katla quite well. Isn't that all that matters," he said. "Now let's see what kind of problems we can create with this meeting." He walked past the blond and made his way to Katla's left as Ra'shall sat down on her right.

The feline leaned closer to the brunette. "The Blades have arrived and want to take part," he whispered. "Arngeir is not happy."

Katla shook her head. "What on Nirn are they doing here," she whispered back. Then an elf walked into the room slowly. "Oh, shit," Katla hissed. "Thalmor. What in Oblivion is she doing here?" She looked over at Ulfric. She could clearly see the distaste on his face.

"We'll get rid of her if we have to," Ra'shall said softly. "If we have to I'll deal with her permanently."

Katla shook her head. "Not unless you can do it so she doesn't die here. The Greybeards are not happy about this meeting on their grounds. This place is a place of peace. They don't like bringing fighting men and women here. The make exceptions for me and Harry because we are Dragonborn," she said.

Apparently the Greybeards had decided to allow the Blades inside for the time being because Delphine and Esbern came walking into the room following the gray clad men. Everyone got seated slowly and the atmosphere turned serious.

"I hope that everyone has come to these negotiations with…" Arngeir was cut off by Ulfric. "I will not stand for this," he said. "The Thalmor woman has no place here. These are Skyrim matters not her's."

"I invited her to come," Tullius said. "You dare to decide who I may or may not bring to this meeting."

Katla stood up. "That is enough," she said sternly. She looked over at the Thalmor. "Would you please tell me why you are here ma'am," she said.

"I'm here to make sure that what is agreed to here is not breaking against the White-Gold Concordat. I have every right to be here," Elenwen said.

Katla looked over at Arngeir. "This has nothing to do with you or yours," she said. "You cannot force your beliefs on anyone here. As far as I am concerned and I am sure that there are others who agree with me you can leave." She turned to Tullius. "You should have spoken to the envoys before inviting her. They would have told you it wasn't a good idea," she told him calmly.

The woman stood up. "Very well," she said. "I'll leave I wouldn't dream about getting in the way of your Civil War."

"Oh, I'm sure you would be happy to see the Nords of Skyrim killing each other off," Harry said cynically. "The place would be so much easier to deal with if that happened." His comment had anything else anyone by the table had wanted to say remain unsaid.

Elenwen didn't even give an answer. Why should she gabble with an ignorant child?

Katla sat back down. "So, can we begin now?" she asked. She could see how Arngeir studied her. She had stepped in and was pretty much controlling the meeting by now.

The elder man decided to give her the chance. If their mere presence there could solve this then he was glad to not have any part of the actual talking. That way maybe they wouldn't trouble the Greybeards next time.

Not getting any objections, Katla said, "Well then we will start by…"

"I have something I wish to say first," Ulfric said.

Katla raised an eyebrow at him as she heard Rikke say, "Here it comes," as if she had expected the interruption. "Go ahead Ulfric," the brunette said.

The man gave a curt nod her way before he continued. "We are here today only to make a temporary truce unless the Empire is ready to release their hold and leave Skyrim alone. I have come because of the dragon problem and I am only willing to lay down arms until the Dragonborn is done," he said.

"Did you come here only to make speeches or are we going to get down to business?" Tullius asked.

"Are the two of you done now?" Katla asked.

"Can we get started?" Arngeir asked as he gave the two men harsh looks. He would obviously need to take control if something was going to happen. "General Tullius… Ulfric Stormcloak. This council is unprecedented. We have been gathered here at the Dragonborn's request. I hope that you will do your best to honour the way of High Hrothgar and begin the path to bring peace in Skyrim. Who would like to open the negotiations?" he asked them.

"Yes let's get down to it," Ulfric said. "We want control of Markarth. That is our price to agreeing to a truce."

"So that is why you are here Ulfric? You dare to insult the Greybeards by using this council to advance your own position," Elisif said.

"Jarl Elisif," Tullis said trying to stop her.

"NO, general this is outrageous. You cannot be taking this man seriously. I thought we came here to discuss a truce," Elisif said.

"Elisif I said I'll handle it," Tullius said.

Ra'shall did his best not to let any outwards signs show, but he was having big problems keeping his face straight. These people had no political knowhow that much was clear. He and Katla could get anything out of them.

"Ulfric you can't seriously expect us to give up Markarth at the negotiating table," Tullius told the proud Nord. "You hope to gain in council what you have been unable to take in battle, is that it?"

"I am sure Jarl Ulfric does not expect something for nothing," Arngeir said.

"Yes that'd be entirely out of character," Rikke said somewhat sarcastically.

"What would the Empire want in return?" Arngeir asked the general.

"General you…"

"Hush," Katla said sternly. "Listen and learn young lady." She had just cut the Jarl of Solitude off. The woman was starting to get on her nerves. "If you want Markarth Jarl Ulfric then you must be willing to lose something of equal value. Riften would be about the same, would it not?" she said.

Ulfric closed his eyes in thought for a moment. Then he nodded. "Fine," he said. "We will trade Markarth for Riften."

General Tullius nodded as well. "An equal trade with equal advantages," he said. "So be it. But we will not go on without compensation for Karthwasten."

Katla raised an eyebrow. "What about Karthwasten?" she asked.

"Ulfric's men murdered true sons of Skyrim there that is what," Rikke said.

"We would never…" Galmar, Ulfric's right hand man, said but he was interrupted.

Katla closed her eyes. "No," she said. "There will be no compensation unless you can prove without a doubt to me that it was Ulfric's men that did it. You believing it to be so is not good enough," she said. "I you can prove it then of course it will be a part if the agreement."

"I came there just as the Stormcloaks were leaving," Rikke said. "I have a good eye and I know they were Stormcloaks and I saw several higher up members of his so called army."

Katla leaned back. She looked over at Ra'shall. The feline nodded. Rikke was telling the truth. "Fine," the brunette said. "Ulfric will be required to compensate for the damage he has done." She turned to the Jarl of Windhelm. "Is that agreeable with you?" she asked.

Ulfric nodded slowly. "Fine," he said not too happy about it, but he would get what he wanted.

"In that case I have one last thing to discuss with you," Katla said. "I honestly don't care what you people do to each other. As long as the men and women that fight for you are willing, you can do whatever you want. But I am demanding that Whiterun is left out of your stupid fights from this day onwards." She looked up at Balgruuf. "Can Whiterun treat both Stormcloaks and Imperial soldiers the same from now on?" she asked. "That means either ignoring all of them or treating every soldier that enters the hold. But not joining on either side."

The blond leaned forward and placed his arms on the table. He understood the complications of what the brunette was suggesting. But he also understood how it would benefit him. "I am willing to make Whiterun Hold completely neutral," he said. "But how can I be sure that neither group will try to take over my city?" he asked.

"They'll die if they try," Katla said. "If they think the dragons are a problem. Then an angry Dragonborn will be worse."

Ra'shall moved forward. "And I will deal with the heads not the soldiers," he said.

"It is not the nicest thing to do, but if it is necessary, we will do it," Katla said. "Whiterun will be neutral in this conflict." It was her hope that other holds would join them eventually instead of staying with either of the other two. Hopefully they could create peace that way. "We will not accept military movement through the Hold. We'll help injured soldiers, but that is it, and you people are not welcome in."

"If you cannot keep to this we will either join the group that did not break the treaty, or we will do our best to take you both out," Ra'shall said. "Considering every single one of you need to drink the potion that Harry will hand you because if you don't you will die, maybe you would want to reconsider attacking us." He picked out a bottle filled with antidote and handed it to Harry.

The raven stood up and lifted the bottle before moving over to Rikke. He had snatched his own goblet up and poured some of the liquid into it. "See the potion," he said and held the goblet out to her. The woman nodded slowly so he drank the goblet down before showing it to her again. "I have consumed it showing that it is safe," he said. "I don't get how they thought this would be a good idea," he muttered. "Potentially killing everyone is just stupid." He poured potion up in her goblet before moving on. He walked around the table offering antidote to everyone but the Greybeards. "I am going to assume that we did not try to harm our hosts," he said.

"And you would be correct," Katla said. She looked up at Arngeir. "I am sorry for this, but it was necessary for them to understand that we are serious," she said. She wasn't looking for the man's approval since she knew she wouldn't get it.

The elder shook his head. The methods used in this council did not please him. He stood up and repeated the terms. Markarth was to be given to Ulfric and Riften to Tullius. Ulfric would pay compensation to the Empire for the massacre at Karthwasten and they would both stay away from Whiterun Hold.

Thankfully they agreed to the terms.

Harry walked away from the meeting room and yawned. Kyne that had been boring. He walked out of the building. He didn't really like how the grown-ups had handled things, but he could understand the reasoning behind it. He kicked the snow beneath his feet and wrapped his arms tighter around himself. It was really cold out there.

Suddenly he felt warmth envelope him as a heavy coat was placed over his shoulders. "That didn't turn out quite like anyone expected it to, did it?"


	16. Odahviing

**Odahviing**

Harry turned around to look at the man standing behind him. They had been talking for awhile by then. He hadn't told the man exactly how he'd ended up with Katla, but he had been truthful as far as him not having any family or anywhere else to go was concerned.

They had also discussed the meeting. Harry could with all honesty say that he did not enjoy threatening people like Ra'shall and Katla had. "At least Whiterun will be safer now," he said softly.

Balgruuf nodded slowly. "Having the Dragonborn swear loyalty to Whiterun is probably not something that either of them counted on," he said. "Katla is a force to be reckoned with."

"You forgot your coat Harry," Katla said as she made her way down the front steps of High Hrothgar. Her eyes turned to the blond as she noticed him. "Balgruuf," she greeted him with a small nod.

"I couldn't stand it in there anymore," Harry said. "Everyone was acting so dumb. I don't see why they have to be fighting in the first place."

A sigh escaped the brunette's lips. "It's pride Harry," she said. "We are a fighting people. Things like these happen far too often. Mostly it is between two persons so there is no war involved but when the people who try to guard their pride are powerful like the men in there then…" She shrugged. "War happens," she said.

"It's idiotic," Harry said.

"That won't stop people from doing it," Ra'shall's smooth voice sounded through the snow filled air. "The others are preparing to travel down the mountain," he said. "I would prefer leaving before they are ready, and I don't want to stay down in the village either."

"We'll take the south road and go by Helgen," Katla said. "And you are right we should just get going."

Harry felt the heavy weight of the Jarl's coat leaving his shoulders before he reached out for his own. He put it on quickly and pulled the hood up. Katla held out her hand to him, and he took it with a small smile. No matter how much he disliked her methods, he would never dislike her.

The party didn't talk much as they made their way down the mountain. Reaching Ivarstead, they stayed true to their decision not to stay there despite the late hour. "We can sleep in the alchemist's shack," Harry suggested. "It will at least give some protection against the wind."

Katla nodded slowly. "Sounds like a decent plan," she said.

"It beats trying to clear a cave out," Ra'shall said.

Balgruuf raised an eyebrow. He couldn't say he'd expected the young teen to have so much influence. His idea sounded good of course so it made sense to listen to him, but it was quite common in Skyrim not to listen to the young just because of their age.

When they reached the small shack it became obvious that they would have to do some redecoration just so they would fit in there. The bookshelves were pushed up in front of the open doors after the small amount of snow in there had been brushed outside.

They ate a quick meal in silence. Then Katla stood up and looked around the small space. They'd thrown the bed out the first thing they had done since they would fit better in there without it. It hadn't been much of a bed anyway. She knew that there was no version of sleeping arrangements where she did not end up next to Balgruuf. She moved over to where they'd placed their packs and started pulling furs out.

The blond Nord watched as his companions went through a routine that Katla and her feline friend had most likely created over years of travelling together. He could feel just a tiny spark of jealousy flare in his chest. It was completely irrational. He knew that they didn't have romantic feelings for each other; he'd done the mistake of blurting that out once already, and Katla had not been impressed. She had given him a rather thorough dressing down. Not even Irileth his housecarl had dared to interrupt her.

"Are you going to sit there and stare into the wall all night Balgruuf or are you joining us?" Katla asked bringing the blond man out of his thoughts. He blinked in surprise and looked down at her. "I will be warmer if you join us," she said softly before holding her hand out towards him. "Come here." He did his best to just not react to her invitation. It didn't mean anything and he knew that. She shifted around so she was facing Harry as he lay down next to her. She reached back. "I won't bite," she said as she grabbed him and pulled him up against her so they were essentially spooning.

Laughter danced in Harry's eyes as she watched them. He moved up closer to the brunette and placed one of his hands in hers. "Goodnight," he whispered before closing his eyes.

"Goodnight sweetheart," Katla said softly.

* * *

 _8th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Loredas_

Harry woke up slowly. He was really warm. Green eyes opened and looked around the dark shack. Ra'shall wasn't there. He felt a hand run up and down his side soothingly.

"He left just a little while ago to make sure that Haemar's Shame is still Vampire free," Katla said softly. "We don't want to pass that place in the dark if there are new bloodsuckers about."

"We'll meet him there then," Harry said.

"Yes," Katla said. She sat up slowly pulling the raven with her. "We should get something to eat in us and get going," she said as she turned towards the still sleeping man behind her. "Hmph, he's turned lazy," she said. "Being a Jarl and all he doesn't need to be up this early. When I lived in Dragonsreach we seldom slept more than a fourth of the day span. She reached out and poked the man. "Wake up Balgruuf," she said loudly.

The man grumbled and rolled over.

"Can I?" Harry asked as he stood up.

"Sure go ahead," Katla said. She knew how to wake the man up, but she had a feeling that the teen would not appreciate it. She wasn't so sure she wanted to go there either.

The raven moved forward and held his hands out over the man. He breathed in slowly. A small vortex of icy spikes started dancing in the palm of one of his hands. Then he held his other hand out over the first as fire spread over the palm.

Katla watched in amazement as water started pouring from the teen's hands down on the sleeping Jarl. She couldn't help but start giggling.

"What in Oblivion," the blond man exclaimed gruffly as he sat up. He saw the shimmer of magic around the teen's hand as they lowered down by his sides. "You little monster," he said as he shifted and threw himself forward towards the boy. A shimmering bluish shield appeared in front of the boy. He backed up against a corner of the house. "Oh, don't think I won't get you," Balgruuf said.

Harry's eyes narrowed. **_"Feim,"_** he whispered. He grabbed his backpack that was lying against the wall he'd been backed up to, let his shied fall and moved straight though the Jarl before making his way out the window of the shack. "Try to catch me now!" he called back before he made his way up to the road.

Balgruuf turned to look at Katla. "Is he seriously just leaving?" he asked.

The brunette shrugged. "He's got food in his pack. He'll be fine," she said. "Besides Ra'shall is up ahead already, and Harry has walked this path before. He knows where we're going." She walked over to her backpack and picked it up. "Here," she said as she held out a chunk of bread and some dried meat towards the man. "If you are worried about him we can eat while we walk," she said.

Balgruuf moved over to one of the shelves that they'd covered the doors with and moved it aside so they could get out. Then he turned and accepted the food that Katla had offered him. "Thank you," he said.

They caught up with Harry as they reached the mountains. He was standing next to a dead elk with two wolves right beside him.

Balgruuf pulled his axe from his belt, but he was held back by Katla. "They won't attack," she said softly. **_"Kaan,"_** she breathed and her voice spread to the animals. She didn't want to risk Harry getting hurt because the effect of his shout wore off. As she reached the teen, she placed her arm around him and started leading him off. They didn't get very far before a shrouded Argonian showed up from nowhere.

"Katla move!" Harry shouted. He pulled his sword and caught the reptile's blade before dancing to the side so she didn't hit him with her knife. He conjured his familiar quickly. He just needed to give Katla enough time to pull her sword. **_"Fus,"_** he shouted pushing the reptile back. He wasn't sure if Katla wanted the woman alive or not.

"Calm her Harry," the brunette said. She waited until the Argonian lowered her blades before she moved forward, grabbed one of the woman's arms and forced her down on the ground. She watched as Harry pulled the woman's weapons away. "We're going to need Ra'shall," she said.

The raven nodded and took off. He knew that the feline was just up ahead. He looked down at his familiar. "Find Ra'shall for me," he told the griffin.

The spectral half bird took flight. It flew over the rocky ground quickly and landed next to a cave entrance. "Kya," it shrieked.

It didn't take long before Ra'shall showed up. He raised an eyebrow at the griffin. "What have you done with Harry?" he asked. The griffin screeched at him before it jumped over to the road. "Do you want me to follow, huh?" the feline said as he started walking towards the griffin. He was really wondering what had happened. The half-bird half-lion kept going down the road. As Ra'shall followed it, the griffin moved faster and faster down the mountain path until it met its master.

"What is going on?" Ra'shall asked as he reached the young raven. He'd started getting worried that something was seriously wrong.

"Katla was attacked by an assassin," Harry said. "We've neutralised the problem, but I think that Katla wants to get information out off her. We need your help for that though."

A soft hiss escaped Ra'shall. "Did Astrid send the assassin?" he asked.

"I don't know," Harry answered. "Katla told me to go find you as soon as I had removed her weapons so I didn't really get much information."

They were walking pretty fast down the mountain. Both of them wanted to get back to the other two so they could get to the bottom of things.

As they got back to Katla, the brunette handed Ra'shall a piece of paper.

 _As instructed, you are to eliminate_

 _Katla by any means necessary._

 _The Black Sacrament has been_

 _preformed - somebody wants this poor_

 _fool dead._

 _We've already received payment for_

 _the contract. Failure is not an option._

 _\- Astrid_

The feline dropped the note. "I'll take that up with her," he said. "And with the Night Mother… Trying to kill you is just dumb, and I am not going to allow it to continue." He walked over to the assassin and slit her throat. "There are rules for us… I'm sorry," he said. "But you'll have to trust me with this."

"You simply killed her," Balgruuf exclaimed. "And then you want Katla to trust that you will deal with it." He sounded rather shaken and angry. It was one thing that some strangely clad person attacked the woman he loved. It was another to hear that the attacker was an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood.

Katla rolled her eyes. "I trust Ra'shall," she said. "He is important to them and he will deal with it. Besides I'll be on my way to Kyne knows where in just a few days time." She grabbed Harry and started walking up the mountain.

"I'll travel over to base and check it out while you are gone," Ra'shall said. "I'm sure that Harry can handle himself back in the house for a couple of days."

"Or he can stay in Whiterun while you are gone," Balgruuf said.

Harry listened to the grown-ups talk for a while before he just tuned them out. He hoped that they would let him decided what he would be doing when Katla left and Ra'shall headed to where the Dark Brotherhood had their headquarters.

…

Nothing else happened until they had passed Helgen. A shady looking man came up to the party and handed Katla a pair of enchanted iron boots. "Hold on to these. I'll come back for them," the man said. "If you snitch or double-cross me you will regret it." He crouched down and sneaked off quickly.

Katla looked down at the boots in her hand. "What am I supposed to do with these?" she asked. Laughter filled the air and she turned towards Harry.

The teen looked up at her innocently. "Why don't you just drop them?" he said. "I can't say I'm scared of that dude, are you?" He walked forward in the crisp morning sun. He heard a thump as the boots hit the ground.

"What can I say," Katla told the grown men. "He's right I'm not going to carry those around."

They continued down the path to Riverwood. In the distance they could see the ruins of Bleak Falls Barrow. Big stone arches led up the mountainside beautifully.

Another man came walking up the road. "Have you seen a man pass by?" he asked Harry since the teen had moved up in front of the rest.

"Yes," Harry said. "He went up towards Helgen."

"Thank you for your help young man," the man said before he started running up the hill towards the burnt down city.

The road split and they took the path leading east. It didn't take long for the road to start leading down. The hay of roofs could be seen between pines and rocks. They made the decision to stay in the village and eat some lunch before continuing. Thankfully no one recognised the Jarl as they settled down in Sleeping Giant Inn. They ate in peace and comfortable silence. As they didn't want trouble, they kept a low profile. Sure most people around there knew Katla and Ra'shall at least by looks, but they didn't know them well enough to start conversation with them at random. Or they knew them well enough to know that it wasn't a good idea.

The White River gleamed brightly in the sun. It was a beautiful day.

Since they weren't in a hurry they slowed down somewhat. The goal was to get to Whiterun before sunset, but they still had plenty of time before then.

Harry conjured his familiar and ran around laughing. It didn't take long before Ra'shall started chasing him back and forth over the road.

Katla chuckled as she watched them. She shifted slightly as a weight was placed against the small of her back. Amber eyes met blue.

"Katla," Balgruuf said calmly. "I am not going to chase you forever. That is not the kind of person I am. Back when we were together I should have known that you weren't ready to settle down – that you had far too much you still wanted to do, but I see you now with Harry. And it is so obvious to me that you want a family now. I'm not saying you have to stay in Whiterun all the time, but I… I would like to know that you'll always come back to me." They had stopped and he had placed his arms around her.

"I'm still not really ready to settle down," Katla said. She hesitated for about a second before she raised a hand and placed her fingertips against his cheek. "I don't want to make any promises when I might die within the next week," she said. "I'm trying to be positive, but I know the risks." She stepped away from him. "Give me until I'm back and I'll give you definite answer."

Balgruuf closed his eyes and sighed. He reached out and stroked her cheek softly. "You better come back," he said.

Katla rolled her eyes. "I'll do my best."

…

By the time they reached the city the sky was burning orange. They parted ways with Balgruuf by the inn with a promise to meet up in the morning. There was a lot of planning that needed to be done before they would call the dragon.

During the following couple of days Katla and Ra'shall spent their time planning with Balgruuf and his closest advisors. While the grown-ups were doing that Harry spent his time with the Jarl's oldest son. He was learning how to fight without any weapon. The Nord boy wasn't much smaller than him, and the kid was stronger so it was quite interesting to mock fight him.

A day before they were ready to let the trap fall Katla had travelled back to Lakeview Manor and fetched her armour. If she was going to fight Alduin she was going to do it in full heavy armour.

* * *

 _11th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Tirdas_

Harry walked out on the Great Porch of Dragonsreach. Everyone was ready. Katla and Ra'shall stood by the railing looking out over the great plain behind the city. Armed with his bow, the raven walked up a set of stairs and out on a balcony. He conjured his familiar next to him. If needed, he would attack the dragon from up high. Katla walked back a bit and Ra'shall crouched down where he stood.

 ** _"_** ** _Od ah viing,"_** Katla shouted clear and loud. Her voice carried far and wide.

At first nothing seemed to happen.

"Is that all?" Irileth asked.

"Patience," Katla said softly. "Even for a dragon it takes time to travel." She looked up at the cloudy sky her elven greatsword drawn.

Then there was a roar tearing through the air.

"Make ready!" Katla shouted. She met Ra'shall's eyes and took a deep breath. In the corner of her eye she saw the spectral form of Harry's familiar take flight.

Then the dragon flew down over the porch and grabbed one of the soldiers. The man was thrown out over the edge – a fall far too high for a mere man to survive it.

 ** _"_** ** _Dovahkiin,"_** the dragon roared. He flew around and sprayed the ground with hot flames. "I claim the glory of your defeat," he said. He flew up straight in front of Katla, and she smirked. **_"Joor zah frul,"_** the brunette shouted forcing the dragon to the ground. She started walking backwards slowly. Foolishly the dragon followed her. She rolled out of the way of a fiery breath. Clank! A wide smirk spread over her lips as she watched Odahviing struggle against the bonds holding him. The trap had worked.

 ** _"_** ** _Nid!"_** the blood red dragon shouted. " ** _Horvutah med kodaav_**! Caught like a bear in a trap… **_Zok frini grind ko grah drun viiki, Dovahkiin._** Ah. I forget. You do not have the **_dovah_** speech."

 ** _"_** ** _Tol aal kos,"_** Harry said slowly as he tried to get it right. **_"She cannot understand you but I do."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ahhhh, aan malsedovah,"_** Odahviing said. "How interesting." He had switched to human tongue. His dark eyes returned to Katla. "My eagerness to meet you in battle was my … undoing, **_Dovahkiin_** ," he said. "I salute your… hmm… your low cunning in devising such a **_grahmindol_** , stratagem. **_Zu'u bonaar._** You went through a great deal of trouble to put me in this – humiliating position. **_Hind siiv Alduin, hmm?_** No doubt you want to know where to find Alduin?

Katla nodded slowly. "Yes, that is right," she said. "Where is Alduin hiding?" she asked.

" ** _Rinik vahzah_**. An apt phrase. **_Alduin bovul_**. One reason I came to your call was to test your **_thu'um_** for myself," Odahviing said. "Many of us have begun to question Alduin's lordship, whether his **_thu'um_** was truly the strongest. Among ourselves, of course. **_Mu ni meyye_**. None were yet ready to openly defy him. I did not expect there to be a **_malsedovahkiin_** \- a little Dragonborn - with you as well."

"My **_kul_** is none of your business Odahviing," Katla said. "You were going to tell me how to find Alduin." She had moved so that the teen was standing behind her.

The dragon watched. The little one may not be her blood, but she acted like his monah. " ** _Unslaad krosis._** Innumerable pardons. I digress," he said. "He has travelled to Sovngarde to regain his strength devouring the **_sillesejoor_** … the souls of the mortal dead. A privilege he jealously guards… His door to Sovngarde is at Skuldafn, one of his ancient fanes high in the eastern mountains. **_Mindoraan pah ok middovahhe lahvraan til._** I surely do not need to remind you that all his remaining strength is marshalled there. **_Zu'u lost ofan hin laan_** … now that I have answered your question you will allow me to go free?

"Not until Alduin has been dealt with," Katla said.

"Ahh well **_krosis_** … There is one detail about Skuldafn I neglected to mention," Odahviing said.

"Of course there was," the brunette said. It didn't surprise her really.

"Only this. You have the **_thu'um_** of a **_dovah_**. But without the wings of one you will never set foot in Skuldafn. Of course. I could fly you there but not while imprisoned like this," Odahviing suggested.

Katla chuckled. "Well that is true," she said. "I will take you up on that offer."

"That is insanity Katla," Balgruuf said.

The brunette shrugged. "Maybe," she said. "But if flying is the only way, and he offers to take me there then I will go with him."

 ** _"_** ** _Aan onik komaan,"_** Odahviing said. "A wise decision."

"Harry," Katla said and turned to the raven. She hugged him tightly. "You take care of yourself," she said before looking up at Ra'shall. "I'll see you when I get back," she said determinedly. She let go of the raven and stepped up to the trapped dragon. "Will you please let him go," she said. She felt something grab her and she was yanked back. A warm hand settled against the back of her head and lips pressed against hers. She relaxed into the familiar feeling quickly.

Amber eyes opened once again when the kiss ended.

"You better come back here," Balgruuf whispered.

Katla smiled softly at him. "We'll see," she said truthfully. "I don't plan on dying." The trap lifted up from Odahviing, and she moved back before climbing up on the dragon's back. She put her helmet on and moved into position. "Let's go Odahviing," she said.

The great dragon turned around slowly and walked out to the open air before he spread his giant leathery wings. As they took flight, Katla could see Harry's familiar following them. She laughed at the sight. It was an amazing feeling to sore high in the sky. She could just imagine Ra'shall's reaction. The poor feline would wet his pants. She was rather sure that Harry would have loved it though. Considering how he spoke about flying.

Beneath them mountains and fields disappeared quickly.

…

Back in Dragonsreach Harry was forced to end his spell. He couldn't hold it any longer. "Good luck **_monahsedovah_** ," he whispered.

Ra'shall looked over at the teen and shook his head. Somewhere deep down he knew Harry was old enough to know that Katla might not make it back… so maybe it was his own foolish hope that she would make it back no matter what that clouded his head. He looked to the cloud filled night sky.

There was still a burning light at the horizon, but it was far too late for him to leave for the Dark Sanctum. He would have to leave in the morning.


	17. Falling Snow - End 1

**Falling Snow**

 _15th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Loredas_

Ra'shall arrived in Whiterun to fetch Harry before they moved on to Lakeview Manor. Days were spent reading old books and learning about plants. Ra'shall even tried to teach Harry alchemy, but it wasn't an easy feet.

It wasn't that the teen was thick. He could follow instructions just fine. He obviously wasn't interested though. When the feline-man had asked him why, the teen has responded by telling him about the rather horrible way that his former potions master had tried to teach him and his classmates. The man had effectively killed any interest that Harry had in the subject. Though the teen loved learning about the different plants used.

"What did that assassin say when you told her to stop sending people after Katla?" Harry asked one day.

Ra'shall had looked up from his plate. "She wasn't happy," he'd said. "The contracts for Katla give good money apparently. I asked her if she wanted to run out of assassins. She didn't seem to take me that seriously until I showed her the kill note. The order hadn't come from the Night Mother so she was out on thin ice. And she knows I'm good. She doesn't want to end up in a disagreement with me. Pretty much everyone else respects me quite a lot," he'd explained. He had removed a note from a pocket. "I found this Word Wall down in the Sanctuary and copied what it said for you," he'd said before handing the note to Harry.

The raven had gotten started on translating the text immediately.

 _ **Nonvul bron dahmaan daar rot do**_

 _ **fin fodiiz bormah vah krii ko**_

 _ **morokei kein los wah zin geinmaar wah dir**_

 _ **ko morokei kein los wah zin pah do Keizaal**_

Noble Nord remember these word of

the hoar father spring kill in

glorious war is to honour oneself to die

in glorious war is to honour all of Skyrim

He smiled down at the notebook he had. He loved getting new entries to it.

…

 _22nd of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Loredas_

Harry hummed softly on a tune he'd heard from one of Dudley's favourite shows. He had no clue what the show was about since he'd never seen it. He'd only ever heard the sound as he did whatever chore his Aunt wanted him to do. Cleaning, doing laundry, helping Petunia with the cooking, he'd done a lot of things for his so-called family. He'd never really been against chores. It was the amount he was forced to do, and the unfairness of his cousin never doing a thing.

He rolled up a snowball, lifted it and placed it on top of another shape. He was making a snow sculpture. Moving back, he tilted his head to the side. A sigh escaped his lips. It was lopsided. "Oh, well," he mumbled. "You can't be good at everything." He stood up slowly. He was covered in white powder. Snow had fallen in a thick coat for days.

The weather was turning warmer though. The snow might be melting so he had gone outside and started building. It was one of those things that he'd never gotten to do when he was younger, and at Hogwarts he hadn't wanted to seem that childish. Now he could do whatever he wanted. Ra'shall might tease him, but the man didn't really mean anything by it.

He walked into the house and let his hood fall. His cheeks, nose and hands were all pink from the cold. He kicked his boots off before walking in to sit down by the fire. His fingers were too cold for him to open his coat up.

In the fireplace the flames burned brightly in hues of yellow and orange. The rich scent of burning wood filled the room. Slowly the raven's fingers warmed up. He was quickly heating up and the coat was getting far to warm for him to keep it on. He pulled the coat off and hung it up next to the fireplace so it could dry.

"So you are finally back inside," Ra'shall said as he came walking down the stairs. He'd been up in his lab since breakfast that morning making heavens knows what kind of awful concoctions. "Will you help me once we've had lunch?" he asked.

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure," he said. The feline man had learned that he was pretty good at preparing ingredients so he had asked him to do that several times the past couple of days. "What are you going to make today?" he asked.

"Healing potions," Ra'shall answered. "They need a stock back in the Sanctuary."

"Yay, we need to make healing potions for murderers," Harry said unenthusiastically.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "You want me to be healed by my own potions if something happens to me, don't you?" he said.

The raven stuck his tongue out childishly at him in response before heading into the kitchen. "We're running out of meat," he said as a matter-of-factly. "We should hunt for more. There's plenty of game around here."

"We'll have to do that when we're done with the potions," Ra'shall said.

"Why am I not surprised you think that your potions are more important than our food supply," Harry said shaking his head. He poked the fire in the fireplace so it would pick up a little as the feline filled a pot with water. "Because you know me," the feline man said. He placed the pot down by the fire.

Carrots and potatoes went into the water in quarters. Tomatoes were cut up and placed to the side. They wouldn't add those until it was time to eat. What little meat they had left was cut into pieces and placed on spits that they leaned over the pyre in the fireplace. Salt and juniper berries were added to the boiling water for taste.

They worked around each other effortlessly until all they had left to do was wait.

…

"What are you thinking about?" Ra'shall asked. He'd noticed how the teen kept zoning out on him as they ate.

Harry looked up at the feline. He considered what to tell the man. Would it just sound stupid or…? "I was wondering how things are going back on Earth," he said. It wasn't the first time he'd been thinking about his home planet, but it was the first time he'd chosen to speak about it. "Do they even care that I'm gone or…" he fell silent.

Ra'shall's face softened as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. "Who knows what they are up to," he said. "I know you will have to go back some day, but since none of us know when that will happen there is very little reason for you to worry about it," he said. "You have grown so much these past few months. You weren't really a child to begin with, but you're not as unsure anymore; you've gained a lot of confidence."

Harry nodded slowly. "I guess so," he said. "It is a lot because you and Katla don't lie and you don't sugar-coat things either. If it is dangerous you tell me. If you don't want me to do something, you make clear why… you guys care more about me than anyone else ever has." He lowered his gaze.

"Of course we care about you," Ra'shall said. "Mara, you're like a son to Katla." He tilted his head to the side. "She can't have children you know," he said. "It might be her thing to say, but I think you deserve to know. I don't know if that plays in on how she acts around you … In some ways it probably does. Not to say that she would have acted any different if she could have kids herself."

Harry was actually surprised. He hadn't even imagined that Katla couldn't have children of her own. If he had learned that when he'd first arrived in Skyrim, there might have been a chance that he would have believed that was the only reason she wanted to take care of him, but he knew better now. Son of the spirit she called him. She'd been calling him that for quite a while now. He looked back down at his bowl. His food was probably cold by now. He forced himself to finish it anyway. He had been given way worse back at the Dursleys.

After they had eaten Harry brought the dishes outside and melted some snow so he could clean them off quickly. He brought the stuff back inside and placed it in the kitchen before heading upstairs.

Ra'shall had placed out several ingredients that they would use for the potions he wanted to make. Dried mountain flowers had to be crushed into powder. The little blue flowers looked so sad where they lay in bunch. Personally Harry thought flowers looked best where they grew.

Once done with the flowers he moved over to Monarch butterfly wings. A light hand was needed with those. Ra'shall only wanted the powder on the wings not the wings themselves. Harry carefully brushed the powder off into a bowl while Ra'shall cracked open Rock Warbler eggs. The yolk and white would ruin the potion, but were necessary for other concoction.

Harry looked away as the dead body of a chick fell out into the bowl that Ra'shall was emptying the eggs out in.

"You can set fire to that if you want to," Ra'shall said softly as he moved the bowl closer to Harry. The yolk and white was ruined now anyway. "We can pay them as much respect as we've given to humans we've found as we travelled."

The raven nodded slowly and fire sprung from the bowl. He did his best to keep smoke from forming by heating the fire up so much it burned the smoke out before it had a chance to form. He also had to make sure that he didn't set the room on fire. He watched as Ra'shall added the ingredients to his lab as the bowl burned down. "Can I go out and hunt now?" he asked. He knew it needed to get done before the sun set.

Teal eyes turned to look at him. "Will you be able to get the catch back here by yourself?" Ra'shall asked.

"I should be," Harry said.

"And you'll be alright with killing an animal?" Ra'shall asked. Considering how the teen usually reacted to dead creatures, he wasn't so sure that the boy should go out by himself.

"I have to get used to it at some point," Harry said determined.

"Don't go too far."

"I won't. I promise."

Harry walked out of the house and back into the whirling snow. He passed the lopsided snow creature he'd created earlier that day and walked down towards the lake. All animals needed to drink and the lake was one of the few water sources around that wasn't frozen solid. He moved slowly. The snow beneath his feet muffled his steps.

"Shhh I think I heard something."

Harry turned towards the voice. _'Great,'_ he thought, _'there are Conjurers by the altar.'_ He crouched down and hoped they wouldn't be able to see him in the snow.

"There are footsteps over here!"

Harry breathed in. He raised his hands slowly red glows spreading over his palms. One of the black robed people was walking up closer and closer to him. He held his hands out towards her and sent his spells off. The woman backed off her eyes widening in fear.

"Jane what's wrong? Did you find something?" another woman walked up to the first.

Jane turned towards her friend. "Make it go away!" she shrieked. "Make it go away." She raised a hand and conjured a Dremora. The dark skinned being pulled its sword and slashed it straight through the woman in front of it before turning towards the one that had summoned it. Warm, red blood splattered out over the thick white snow in front of Harry.

The dark skinned being turned and looked with its black eyes directly at the spot where the raven was hiding. "I smell weakness," it said.

Harry narrowed his eyes. He stood up slowly and pulled his sword. He breathed in calmly. A single mistake now could kill him. He waited until the Dremora was close enough to cut him before he moved. **_"Wuld,"_** he shouted and his dragon magic moved him through the snow in a whirling wind. In his unoccupied hand a purple orb appeared as he summoned a Flame Atronach. A burning lady-like being appeared next to him. "Please help me against my foe, my lady," he said with a small bow as he kept an eye on his enemy.

The burning Daedra turned towards the Dremora. She gave a short nod before raising a hand towards the approaching man. A solid ball of fire left her palm.

"Thank you," Harry breathed out in relief. Technically he knew that he could have forced her to fight for him, but he didn't want to have to do that. He moved down through the snow and ducked as he got close enough for the Dremora to swing at him with its greatsword. He turned towards the man. **_"Yol toor shul,"_** he shouted melting the snow in front of him and setting him aflame. He moved forward as the man was still confounded by the dragon shout and stabbed his sword through the man's intestines and stomach where his armour didn't protect him. He twisted the blade and pulled it out before moving back quickly. His foot caught on a rock and he stumbled.

His eyes widened as the Dremora started walking towards him. He raised a magic shield in front of himself hoping that it would be enough when his conjured Flame Atronach moved up in front of him and caught the Dremora's sword. Flames spread out around her. They bounced off the raven's shield. Heat slipped through and Harry hissed. His palms hurt.

The fire died out and the raven stood up slowly. The Dremora was gone and left of the atronach was only a charred corpse. He walked up to her and placed his hands against her. "Thank you," he said softly. He almost jumped back as the body turned to coal and a warm gust of wind hit him. He rose once more and walked over to the two humans that had been killed by the Dremora. He knew that it was his fault. He had made this happen. He breathed in slowly as he tried to keep his tears from falling. He still had to find and kill some kind of game.

He walked down from the snow clad hill slowly. He hoped that he could still find something to eat out there. He had brought a net to get some fish. The salmon was still around despite the cold so he'd figured that he could catch some of those.

When he hadn't seen anything walking both up and down the riverside, he gave up on finding game. He walked out on the ice covering a big part of the lake slowly. He held one hand out and sprayed the ice beneath his feet with Frostbite so that it wouldn't break under him.

He lowered his net and dipped it into the water. He had placed some bait in it so that fish would swim towards it.

…

It was quite some time later when the raven was finally making his way back towards Lakeview Manor. He had eight large salmons hanging from ropes slung over his left shoulder.

Then out of the corner of his eye he saw something moving in the white snow. He stopped dead in his tracks. It was a rabbit. Letting the fish fall to the ground, he went for his bow and an arrow. He could only hope that he would actually hit. Unlike Katla he wasn't that good at aiming yet. He was constantly improving though. And if he didn't challenge himself then how was he going to get better?

The bow rose and the string was pulled back slowly. Hands steadied. "Don't yank it just let it flow," Harry whispered as he let the string go. The arrow swam through the air. The rabbit disappeared out of sight.

Slowly the raven started moving forward towards where he'd last seen the mammal. A pair of fluffy ears appeared in the snow. _'Damn it I missed,'_ he thought. He stopped before placing a new arrow on his bowstring. He didn't want to miss again. Pulling the string back once more, he aimed carefully. Tchick!

 _'_ _Please be there,'_ he thought as he started walking to where the rabbit had disappeared. Green eyes widened as he saw his two arrows. They were sticking out off two different rabbits. He started laughing. He'd killed two rabbits. _'Arkay that is morbid,'_ he thought as he realised what he was doing.

He tied the furry animals up like the fish before he walked back to where he'd dropped the fish and picked the bundle up again. Then he began walking up towards the house so that Ra'shall could help him take care of the meat.

Snow grabbed on to his boots as he walked making his feet much heavier than normal.

"Ra'shall I'm home!" Harry called as he walked in through the front door.

It didn't take long for the feline to make it downstairs. "Now that is quite the catch," he said as he saw the fish and the rabbits that Harry had brought with him. He walked up to the teen and lifted the fish bundle off him.

"Thank you," Harry said as the weight left him.

"We'll place these up in the tower so no animal can get to them," Ra'shall said. He pointed at the rabbits. "We'll cook those up. You can take them back outside though because I don't want to remove their guts in here," he said.

The raven nodded. "I'll see you outside then," he said. He walked back out in the still falling snow. They had a spot where they usually dumped intestines away from the house. They didn't want wild animals too close to the house so they dumped it down a ledge.

Ra'shall was out the door only moments after Harry had reached the slaughter hill. He made his way over quickly with two sharp knives. He handed one to the teen as he reached him. "Are you up to learning this?" he asked. He knew that the boy had managed to handle a chicken not long after they had first met him, but the boy had cut the chicken to pieces and added it to a stew right away. He wanted to teach the boy how to remove everything that wasn't quite editable so that the animal could be preserved. He would deal with the fish later himself. He had a feeling that the rabbit would be more than enough for the teen to deal with at the moment.

"Yeah, I can do it," Harry said. He accepted one of the knives.

"Do as I do," Ra'shall said before he started cutting into the poor rabbit.

Heart, liver, spleen, and guts were removed in a bloody mess. Then they took the kidneys out as well.

Harry did his best not to throw up. He wasn't sure he wanted to get used to ripping guts out. After removing the insides of the rabbit they started cutting the fur off. If they handled the fur right Katla could created gloves or slippers or something similar with it.

Once they were done, they took the animal meat with the inside and started on supper.

…

"Ra'shall," Harry said softly.

It was late. He'd gone to bed quite some time earlier. Nightmares had woken him up. He'd tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't manage.

He walked up to the feline man's bed. "Ra'shall," he said again. Normally he would go to Katla, but since she wasn't there he had gone downstairs. He had told the man about what had happened with the Conjurers earlier in the day, and they had talked about it. But talking about things didn't help with the nightmares. Ra'shall had managed to convince him that it wasn't his fault. They had come to the conclusion that he needed to learn how to control his magic better though.

Moving up to the bed, the raven raised his voice as he said the feline's name once more. He didn't want to reach out and touch the man since that could lead to his death. Ra'shall wasn't safe when he was sleeping unless he'd fallen asleep with you there. That was the main reason he normally went to Katla. "Ra'shall," he said once more.

The feline man turned over. His bright teal eyes scanned the room. He wondered what had woken him up. "Harry?" he asked softly. "What are you doin' up?"

"I had a nightmare," the teen said. "They were talking to me… blaming me, and then they started bleeding all over the place." He was looking down at his hands as they twisted into his shirt. "They were saying they would drag me down with them. It was all so real I could smell the blood and dirt and…" He wiped tears from his face.

Ra'shall had sat up as the teen spoke. He could tell that the boy's nightmare had been bad. He could also tell that the boy was trying his best to keep himself together. "Come here," he said and held his hands out.

Harry moved forwards slowly and curled up against the feline. Before Katla and Ra'shall he had always needed to deal with his bad dreams himself. To be able to go to someone else was something he had slowly gotten used to with the two grown-ups that actually cared about him around. They had repeatedly told him that they wanted him to come to them if something happened.

"Tell me what happened from the start cub," Ra'shall said. He wrapped his arms around the teen to provide some comfort.

Harry didn't go back to his own room that night.

* * *

 _23rd of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201. Sundas_

Snow was falling slowly.

The landscape was covered in bright white powder. Sound was muffled. The air was cold. Small brides chirped softly amongst the trees. Their colourful coats and the big pine trees were the only colour to be seen.

Katla walked slowly. She had a lot to think about. She had been by Dragonsreach after returning from Skuldafn, but she'd spent several days just walking around before that. There were so many things that had happened in so short an amount of time that she needed some time alone. She was on her way home now though. She wanted to know that Harry was alright, and that Ra'shall hadn't done something stupid.

In the distance she could see smoke rising from the chimneys in Lakeview Manor. _'Home,'_ she thought happily. No matter what she had promised Balgruuf, this place would always be home to her. She and Ra'shall had travelled around for quite some time before deciding on the location in Falkreath Hold. They had made the Lakeview Manor their home, and she loved it. She would never fully leave it.

A track spread out behind her. It filled slowly as snow continued falling. It was heavy work to walk through three feet of snow for as long as she had. Thankfully she would be home soon.

Dora mooed as she saw her mama.

"Hey dear," Katla said softly. She walked in to the cow's enclosure and ran her finger through her thick fur. "I'll come out here and help you soon enough," she said calmly. "I guess that they have been taking care of you properly." She smiled softly.

"Katla!"

The brunette turned around and laughed as she watched the raven come running through the deep snow. She walked out of the enclosure and caught the teen as he threw himself at her. "Hey **_kulsezii_** ," she said as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

Harry didn't speak. He was far too happy that she was back. He simply held on to her tightly.

"Can we move inside please? I have been out here since yesterday sometime. I'd like some heat before I milk Dora," Katla said.

"Oh, you can just go in I'll take care of Dora," Harry said.

Katla smiled at him. "So you have been milking her huh?" she said.

"We've both been doing that," Harry said. "Ra'shall is in the kitchen making lunch I think. He's been making potions like crazy the past couples of days."

"He usually does that during the winter. He stocks up on potions in the winter and stocks up on ingredients during the summer," Katla said.

"Is that the only thing he thinks about?" Harry asked.

Katla chuckled. "Sometimes it would seem that way," she said. She hugged him a last time before she said, "I'll be inside when you're done," before she started walking towards the front door.

Harry on the other hand pulled up a bucket and sat down next to Dora. "There, there girl I'll help you hon," he said as the cow mooed at him.

Katla walked inside and dumped her backpack down on the floor in the outer room before walking into the dining room. She moved up to the fire quickly and pulled her gloves off so she could warm her fingers.

"Harry come in here and help me please," Ra'shall called from the kitchen.

Amber eyes turned toward the voice. She rolled her eyes with a smile. She wasn't Harry so she would respond. Slowly her hands warmed up so she could open her coat.

"Harry I asked you to come in here. Where are you?" Ra'shall asked a bit impatiently. He came walking out of the kitchen when he didn't get a response. Teal eyes widened as he saw the brunette standing by the fire in the dining room and not the teen. "Katla," he said in happy surprise. He walked up to his friend and hugged her. "It's good to see you again," he said.

Katla smiled as she stepped back half a step. "I'm back safe and sound," she said. "Your potions saved my life though. I wouldn't have made it without them." She slowly pulled her coat off and hung it next to the fireplace.

"So where is Harry then?" Ra'shall asked.

"He's milking Dora," Katla answered. "He'll be in soon enough. What are you making?"

"Grilled fish and baked vegetables," Ra'shall said. "Harry made bread this morning as well, and we'll heat some of that."

"Can I get a jug?" Harry asked as he walked into the house with his bucket.

"Of course," Ra'shall said before disappearing into the kitchen for a second. He came back with a jug and held it out for the teen.

"We need to separate the fat from the milk before you cool it down," Katla said. She walked into the kitchen herself so she could get a sieve that they could use. Then she helped Harry pour the milk through the sieve and into the jug. "Please tell me that you've been doing this before now," she said.

Harry shook his head. "No, but I've mostly been baking or cooking with it not drinking it," he said.

Laughter filled the air. Katla placed her hands over her face. "Oh, I love you," she said. "It's a good thing I'm back I can hear."

"We're not that hopeless," Ra'shall said in defence.

"Yeah… right," Katla said sarcastically.

…

It was hours later. The three of them had gathered by the fire in the dining room, and Katla had told them about the things she'd been through the past week and a half. It was nearing bedtime.

Harry was sitting against Katla's legs, and she was running her hands through his hair, petting him. He'd placed himself down by the woman's legs so he could be as close to her as possible. "I'm glad you are back **_monahsedovah_** ," he said softly. It had been quiet for a while.

"I've missed you too dear," Katla said. Warmth spread through her at the moniker she had been given.

She and Ra'shall stayed up way past Harry falling asleep. In the end Katla carried the teen up to his room.

.

.

.

Green eyes opened slowly. It was dark. Harry sat up rubbing his template. He was tired. _'What woke me up?'_ he wondered sleepily. A yawn spread over his face.

There was a shimmer of light.

The raven-haired teen looked up. Something over by his stuff was emitting some kind of light. He moved out of the bed slowly. His steps thudded against the floorboards as he walked over to his low cupboard. He moved some magic scrolls to the side. "The Elder Scroll," he whispered. But he didn't want t go back. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out though. He placed his hands on the scroll pins and unrolled it slowly.

Blinding light flooded the room.

Harry fell to his knees. His head was spinning like crazy. He pulled in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. He had no idea for how long he stood there on his hands and knees. He could feel the snow beneath his hands and how the moisture was soaking through his pants' legs. Opening his eyes slowly, all he saw was white. He raised his head and sat down on his calves. He was sitting in a small clearing. There were trees all around him.

He stood up slowly and pushed his glasses up his nose. What was he doing out in the forest? Where was he? He started walking towards the treeline closest to him. Since it was winter there wasn't much of any vegetation. He moved past tree after tree until he could see a big stone building in the distance.

 _'_ _Hogwarts,'_ he though not sure if he wanted to be happy or not.

The castle looked just like he remembered it. Its high towers and spires were covered in snow. The black lake was frozen solid. He walked through the open field between the forest and the front doors of the school. His feet left a long trail.

Smoke rose from Hagrid's little hut.

As he reached the big front doors, he placed his hands against the coarse wood. He let his palms fall to the handles and pulled. Warm air hit him. He stepped in to the Entrance Hall slowly and looked towards the top of the grand staircase.

"Harry…" a female voice called. He turned towards the voice.

.

.

.

 **~End of Book 1**


	18. The Wedding Crasher

**The Wedding Crasher**

 _8th of First Seed, 4E 202. Loredas_

It was dark outside. Ra'shall had walked out of Four Shields Tavern and was looking up at the clear sky above. The stars were gleaming brightly. He was on his way to Solitude. It wasn't his idea of a good time, but he was the best man for the job. Astrid had gotten stingy with him after it had turned out that he was the Listener. It irritated him. They had been working together for years, and now all of a sudden she didn't trust him. Though, he guessed that in their profession it was hard to trust anyone.

He was glad that Katla and he didn't have problems like that. The brunette was working on his greenhouse back home. She did it better then he ever could. He knew that she would get some local help, and the Nords really didn't like him so it was better that he wasn't there.

In his backpack lay a set of finer clothes that he would have to wear despite how much he disliked them.

There was a brisk breeze in the air. The moon was only a small sliver. It was slowly waning.

Ra'shall was glad that he was a Khajiit. Darkness would never be a problem for him. His world was lighter, but it lacked some in colour if he was to believe Katla. He was walking slowly along the mountainside that led almost all the way up to the capital. He wanted to get there early so he could find a good way out of the city. Of course, he wanted to pull this off so he wouldn't have to worry about escaping. According to Astrid the kill had to extremely public. The more of a show it turned out to be the better. He preferred quiet kills. As far as he was concerned, the target shouldn't know that they're dead until it was far too late for them, and he was long gone. He preferred poison. It was less messy.

Grass was starting to return to its normal lush green state along the roadside. The pines grew high and little cones were lying all around. Small amounts of snow lay in piles next to the mountainsides. If the weather got colder it could still snow especially as far north as Ra'shall was now.

He walked right as the road split. The wedding wouldn't take place until that afternoon so he would have several hours to figure out the best way to deal with his assignment. By his count he should arrive in Solitude by dawn. Since he could already see the sky brightening his timing should work out.

Heavy guard towers rose towards the sky. The capital of Skyrim was built to hold. Thick walls ran around the city. A single tower stood further down the road. There was an open area between the outer wall and the city gates. In times of war enemies could easily be trapped in there and then taken out from the walls.

The feline gave a polite nod to the guard by the gates before he walked inside. He knew from experience that guards tended to be half asleep just before dawn. They were usually swapped out by dawn so it was a bit of a trick to arrive just before that happened. Teal eyes moved over the shops that were located just beyond the gates. No one was out. The streets were empty.

Ra'shall travelled to the Temple of the Divines. The courtyard was filled with benches and decorations in preparation for the celebrations. There were no good places to hide. _'My best shot is using an invisibility potion,'_ he though. He would have to wait up on the balcony where the lady of the hour would hold her speech. He knew himself well enough that he knew he could sneak into the temple an hour or so before the wedding started and then hide up on the balcony until the time was right.

He gauged the height of the balcony. He needed to know if he could jump down from it without anyone the wiser. He backed off a bit. _'It should work,'_ he thought.

Now, all he had to do was wait. He walked through the city slowly. He could see a nice array of nightshade plants growing by a house. It wasn't the safest plant to have inside a city like this. If a child got a hold of too much of that it could die. _'One would think that they would keep plants like these out of the cities,'_ he thought. Continuing up past the merchants' stands, the feline made his way to the Winking Skeever where he would get something to eat and change his clothes. He wanted to just blend in with the crowd after he killed the bride. It would take some time for people to figure out that he didn't belong there, but he was planning on being gone by the time they were with it enough to start figuring out who the guests were.

He settled down by a table in the inn. The place was quiet. A dark haired man in his twenties came walking up to the table. "What would you like sir?" he asked.

"Some bread, cheese and milk would be nice," Ra'shall said. He pulled some coins out of a pouch and handed them to the man.

It didn't take long before the man was back and placed a plate and some milk down in front of the feline.

Ra'shall ate slowly. His sharp ears listened to the innkeeper and his family lazily. He wasn't really interested in what they were talking about, but he had nothing else to do. The young daughter was arguing with her father. Apparently she wanted to take over the inn when her father retired. It was quite boring to listen to. As far as the feline was concerned, the girl needed to be told she couldn't get everything she wanted. Her childish tone and arguments got on his nerves enough that he did not stay after he had finished the food.

He spent several hours walking around the battlements of the city. He found a quiet corner where no one could see him around midday and changed his clothes from his Shrouded Armour to a set of fine clothes with fur laid over his shoulder and jewellery hung around his neck. He could with all honesty say that he hated big bulky clothes that served no real purpose. He couldn't understand why people wore that stuff. He would bite together and wear it to pass unnoticed, however.

Packing his armour into his backpack, the feline walked back down from the battlements and hid his pack from view. He started walking towards the Temple of the Divines slowly. Speed would only draw attention.

As he reached the courtyard, he did his best to blend in with the wedding fixers as he moved over to the building where the bride and groom would address their guests. He disappeared in through the door when no one was looking and made his way upstairs quickly. As he walked out on the balcony, he pulled a bottle out of is robes, crouched down and got ready for a long wait. He wouldn't drink the potion until later.

A gleaming green blade danced in a fur clad hand for a second before it disappeared into blue folds.

People started filing into the seats below. They were chattering quietly with each other. Then the sound died out. Ra'shall hopped that the silence meant that the bride and groom had arrived. There was some kind of commotion and a loud female voice reached the feline's sensitive ears. _'Oh, just shut up,'_ he thought.

The feline raised a white bottle to his lips and drank its contents down. He breathed in slowly as the strange almost melting feeling spread through him. The potion would hold for several minutes, but since he'd heard the door downstairs open, he hoped that his target and her husband-to-be were on their way. He shifted to the side so they would knock into him.

Invisibility potions wee something very special. When consumed they erected a sort of invisible field around the drinker. It hid clothes as well as the body of the consumer. He would have to be careful with his dagger so it didn't leave the field of effect.

The door leading out on the balcony cracked open. Two persons stepped through it and walked up to the railing. The man was a Nord with pulled back blond-hair. He wore common finer robes in green with the regular fur over his shoulders. His bride on the other hand wore a red cloak over a white dress. There were flowers in her hair. She looked quite stunning in the slowly setting sun. Gold embroidery followed the edge of her cloak. Blood spilled out over the white fabric. Vittoria doubled over and coughed. A dribble of red left her mouth and travelled down her chin.

"Vittoria!" her soon to be husband exclaimed as he saw the state of her. He reached out and grabbed her pulling her close to his chest. "Vittoria! No…" He looked down at the wedding party. "Somebody do something," he called out. He looked back down at his bride. Her chestnut brown hair fell away from her face. Her beautiful brown eyes closed slowly. There was a whisper of a voice in the air. "I love you."

"NOOOOO!"

In the commotion no one noticed as a well dressed middle-aged Khajiit walked away from the wedding. Dapper people were common enough in the city that no one that lived there thought anything of him wandering around. To them he was just another traveller. He wandered around the town for a few hours buying some things that could be of use before he picked his bag up and left the city through the front gate.

No one would ever figure out who killed Vittoria Vici even though they could easily tell how she had been killed. Her stomach had been cut wide open. And her organs had started melting by the time they had gotten her down from the balcony. There had been no saving her.

It didn't bother Ra'shall at all. Then again it wasn't his first kill. He had started a long time ago. If someone had to die he would kill them. He had some personal exceptions, but apart from that he would kill pretty much anyone.

As the wedding party started preparing for a funeral, the feline assassin was walking down towards Dragon Bridge. The sun was setting in the west. Teal eyes were narrowed as he walked straight towards the setting sun. The sky was painted pink and orange. It was a beautiful sight. Mountaintops and firs were silhouetted darkly against the light.

Half way to the small town Ra'shall was attacked by a female Nord. Why she attacked him, and what she had hoped to gain by doing so was unknown to him. He stabbed her with the same dagger he had killed Vici with. It would seem that there was still some poison on the blade because the poor woman doubled over. The poison was not nice. It delivered a big wave of pain to start with and then it ate away at the organs and flesh. If the stab didn't kill the victim then the poison would. It didn't matter how little poison was introduced. The result would be the same.

As the dying woman groaned, Ra'shall kicked her to the side of the road. There were enough wild animals around that she wouldn't be around for long. To help them along he bent down and pulled her armour off her. Thankfully the poison that was killing her wouldn't affect whatever carnivore came to eat her. The feline had made sure that no animals would be harmed. He saw no reason to poison them. They hadn't done him anything.

He took into the Four Shields Tavern that night. Faida greeted him as he walked up to the counter. He ordered a full meal and paid for a room before sitting down by a table. He was the only person in there at the moment. The only sound was the cracking of the fire behind his back.

Faida came walking up to his table with a plate full of food. "Here you go," she said.

"Thank you," Ra'shall said with a small nod.

"If you need anything else just give me a call," the brunette said before walking back to the counter.

"I will don't worry," Ra'shall said calmly. He ate his food slowly. He wasn't so sure he liked the contracts they had been given recently. There was just this little something that didn't feel right. The problem was that he couldn't speak to Astrid about it like he used to because he was pretty sure she was the reason he felt uneasy. _'Maybe I should have a talk with Babette,'_ he thought. The unchild, as Cicero called her, was far wiser than most would believe. Even Astrid tended to underestimate her. As a child turned Vampire, she had lived longer than most of them.

Either way he could not do anything until he reached the Sanctuary so he decided not to care about it until then. He finished the food, stood up and walked over to his room. Putting the lights out, he yawned. Who knew what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

 _10th of First Seed, 4E 202. Morndas_

Ra'shall pulled his cowl off as he walked up to Lakeview Manor. He was smiling softly as his ears picked up on the sound off hammers hitting nails and wood. He walked up to the front door, opened it up, and threw his pack inside before he walked around the side of the house.

"Ra'shall!"

The feline took a step back and braced himself. A teenage ram almost knocked the wind out of him. "Baan Dar! Calm down cub," he said as he wrapped his arms around the happy teen. "I have only been gone for a few days."

"So," Harry said. "I've missed you anyway." He moved back a bit. "Katla and I have been building. We're making walls now. She brought people over to help with the floor and the beams yesterday." He rolled his eyes as he said, "They kept looking at me strangely."

"Some of them think you are Katla's son and some are figuring you are not a Nord. For some of them that means that Katla has been with a Breton," Ra'shall explained. "They are way too prone to gossip for my taste."

"Like it is any of their business," Harry said. He tried to duck out of the way as the feline went for his hair. He failed.

"You need a haircut," Ra'shall said as he combed through the raven's hair.

The teen moved away from him. "Leave my hair be," he said. "I'll have it like I want it."

"Like a crow's nest," Ra'shall said. "I don't see how that is a good idea."

"Meanie," Harry said before he walked back over to Katla. "I don't want to talk to you any more." He picked his hammer up again and went back to hammering nails into the wall boards they were putting up.

Katla put her hammer down before walking up to the feline. "It is nice to have you back home," she said. She gave him a hug. "I'm glad you are back safely," she whispered then she backed off to normal conversation distance. "You better help us with this," she said. "We want it done as soon as possible."

Ra'shall chuckled. "Do I get to change into something more comfortable first?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Harry said. "You disappeared when we started building on your greenhouse and left us to do the hard work."

Laughter rang from Katla as Ra'shall rolled his eyes. The feline turned around and walked back into the house so he could change into normal clothes. His skin tight leather outfit was not meant for construction work. He pulled it off and threw it on the bed before opening a drawer to his dresser and pulling out a thick cotton shirt. Opening another drawer showed a row of folded cotton pants. The feline pulled out a pair not really caring what he wore and put them on. He went into the kitchen and washed his hands of in the basin before picking an apple up from a basket that they had standing on a counter. He bit into the juicy fruit as he walked back to the first room. It was time for him to join up with his family and help them out. It was his greenhouse they were building after all.

Walking back outside, the feline could see a Nord with a wagon making his way up to the house. He walked over to the corner of the house. "Katla," he called. "We've got company."

The brunette placed her hammer down and walked over to her feline friend. "Ah, that's our wall panels," she said. "We can actually get some proper work done now. It is a good thing you are back. I don't think Harry is strong enough to help me with these by himself."

Ra'shall nodded. "Think you can convince big and burly over there to help us set them up? It will be faster that way," he said.

"Oh, don't worry I'll try," Katla said before she started walking up to the wagon. "Hi Daniel. It's nice to see you again," she said. "You have another load of walls for us?"

Blond hair was moved out of dusky blue eyes. "That I do Katla," he said. "I've got some high quality stone with me." He nodded towards the house. "You've done a good job with this here place ma'am. It's come along nicely."

Katla chuckled. "That it has," she said. "We were wondering if you wouldn't mind helping out with the walls. They are quite heavy if I remember correctly. It would be nice to have them all up today."

Daniel ran a hand through his hair. He looked up at the sky to gauge the time of day. He wanted to get back home to his family, but seeing as he wouldn't manage before the sun set, he did consider her request. Knowing that she would pay him for his time, he was torn between getting home to his family as soon as possible and getting home with a bit more coin in his pouch. It was the fact that roads in Skyrim were far less dangerous during the day that made his decision for him. "I'll stay and help, but I'll need somewhere to stay for the night," he said finally.

"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem," Katla said. "Anything that will get this done quicker is worth it at this point."

"You have everything done for the walls to go up then," Daniel said as he got down from his seat.

Katla nodded. "We were doing fine adjustments as you came up the hill," she said. "We can fit the walls in just fine right now. Come over and I'll show you." She started walking over to the work in progress. "We had some help over yesterday, and we've done some reinforcements today."

Daniel walked up next to the brunette. "Well that looks good," he said as he saw the basic structure. "Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked.

"No go ahead," Katla said with a smile.

The newly arrived blond walked up on the tiled floor and looked around. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the still working raven-haired teen. The boy had not been around the last time he had delivered stone to the Manor. They boy seemed to be doing a good job securing some of the strengthening beams though. "I see you have gained a member since last time I was here," he said as he stopped next to Katla once more.

The brunette nodded. "We picked him up a couple of months ago. His parents were killed, and he didn't have anywhere else to go. He's like me, a Dragonborn, so I didn't want to leave him with anyone else," Katla said. "He was under nurtured and rather weak. We've managed to build him up pretty well."

 ** _"_** ** _Monahsedovah!"_** Harry called.

Katla turned towards him. "Yes, **_kulsezii_** ," she said.

"I'm done," the raven said as he walked up to the two Nords. "What do you want me to do now?" he asked. He was pulled into a hug.

"I think that someone needs to make us something to eat, and the rest of us will be busy trying to get the walls up. Could you cook something up for us?" Katla asked.

The raven nodded. "Sure," he said. "Any special requests?" he asked.

"No, dear just have fun with what we have, and we'll be one extra so take that into account," the brunette said. She reached out and ruffled the teen's hair. He laughed and took off towards the front door.

"The young man cooks," Daniel said a bit surprised.

"Yes, he does," Katla confirmed. "He could do that before we met him. We've only taught him a few things mostly he has just gone ahead and cooked when he feels like it. Considering that both Ra'shall and I cook it is nice that he likes to do it as well."

"Hnnn," Daniel said thoughtfully. "Well shall we get started? There is quite a lot of work to do," he asked.

"Yes, definitely."

"We're getting started?" Ra'shall asked as he came walking around the house.

"Yeah, come on with you," Katla answered.

While the adults started carrying big slabs of stone from the wagon Daniel had driven to the soon to be greenhouse, Harry was standing in the kitchen looking at the selection he had. _'What to do, what to do?'_ he thought as his eyes moved over the different ingredients. He wanted to do something different. It had to feed everyone though so it couldn't be too out there. _'Pie maybe,'_ he thought. He wasn't entirely sure how to do that, but he would figure it out. He knew that he needed filling and a crust. He wanted it to be a meat pie so he would need to cook some meat. "I should probably have some vegetables in there too," he mumbled to himself. It would be stupid to pre cook the vegetables. They would turn to mush if he did, so he would leave those be until he was putting the pie itself together. He walked over to a salt barrel with venison in it. He would have to boil the salt out before he could do anything else with the meat. He wondered briefly if there wasn't a way to create a fridge and a freezer. _'I'll have to think about that one,'_ he thought as he started cutting the venison. It would make things so much easier if he could make something like that.

Once the venison was boiling away in the fireplace, Harry started moving around the kitchen gathering ingredients needed for making pie dough. He dug some butter from the churn and placed it in a bowl. He started adding flour to the bowl a bit at a time as he worked it in. He had helped his Aunt Petunia make pie before so he knew what he was doing as far as the dough was concerned. It was the filling that he was a bit on the fly with.

He finished working the dough before cooling the bowl down with his frostbite spell. He moved over to his boiling meat and pulled the lid of the pot off. The red turning brown chunks needed to be cooked before he could add it to the pie. He didn't want anyone to get sick after all. Checking the meat and seeing that it wasn't done, he put the lid back on the pot.

He'd suffered some really irritating nightmares the past few months. He really hoped they would go away. He had a feeling it was his fear of being abandoned that was messing with him. He looked around. He needed something to put the pie in.

About ten minutes was spent searching for a suitable baking pan. Then two thirds of the dough was removed from the bowl and baked out to fill the bottom of the pan. The rest would be placed on top of the filling as a blanket. Harry picked out some carrots and potatoes to go in the pie. He would need to cut them pretty fine for them to actually cook in the pie. If he cut them too big the pieces would still be raw when the pie was done. He grabbed a knife and started chopping. It was a soothing motion being repeated over and over again.

Going back to the boiling pot, the raven picked his almost done meat out of the water and placed it against a metal plate so they could gain some surface. He had to be careful so the meat didn't get all chewy.

Ra'shall came walking into the kitchen with a curious look in his eyes. "So what are we having for supper?" he asked.

"Meat pie," Harry answered. "I will put it in the oven soon. Are you guys done?"

"Close enough," Ra'shall answered. "We're securing the walls now so they don't fall down on us. Katla is a fast worker when she decides something has to be done."

"Well maybe you should head back outside and help them then," Harry said. "I have no need for your lazy ass in the kitchen." He chuckled warmly as the feline grumbled and left the room. Picking the meat up from the fire, the raven could finally fill his pie and cover it with a blanket of dough. He carried the baking pan over to the oven and pushed it inside.

Soon enough rich scents filled the air.

Harry's mouth started watering as he set the table. Honningbrew Mead was placed down with the goblets and plates. He took the golden-brown pie out of the oven and placed it on the table before walking outside. All wall panels but one were secured to the wooden beams. He walked up to the extension. "Dinner is ready now," he said. He stepped into what would become the greenhouse.

Katla smiled at him. "That's good we're almost done here," she said. She turned back to the beam she was standing by and hit another nail in. "We just have to finish this piece. You don't have to stay," she said.

"O.K. I'll see you inside then," Harry said. He walked up to the doors they had installed that would lead him back to the dining room. _'Now why didn't I use this to get out here?'_ he wondered. He shook his head and chuckled at his stupidity. He walked up to the table and grabbed a kitchen knife. Placing the sharp wide bladed knife against the golden piecrust, he cut through the pie so he could serve it. Since it had come straight from the oven it was pretty hot. He could always serve it to everyone so it would cool down some before they came inside.

The raven walked back into the kitchen. He had some extra time so he figured he could cut some salad to have with the pie. He grabbed a couple of apples and a head of cabbage. He grabbed the knife he had used for cutting carrots and potatoes earlier. He cut the salad's head up, put it in a bowl, and went over the apples quickly. As the door to the greenhouse opened, he walked back into the dining room. Their stone delivering Nord was standing just inside the door. "You can clean off in the kitchen," Harry said. "You go through that door," he pointed, "and turn right and there is a washbasin in there filled with water."

"Thank you young man," Daniel said before heading over to get himself cleaned up. His wife would have his hide if he didn't. It mattered very little that she wasn't there. She always managed to find things like that out somehow. He walked up to the washbasin and dipped his hands into the cool water. He splashed some onto his face before reaching out for a towel hanging by the basin. He dried off before walking back into the kitchen. He walked forward and sat down next to Katla. The pie lying on his plate smelled delicious. He picked his fork up, cut into the crispy crust and steaming filling and lifted the food to his mouth. He had to admit he was shocked. When he'd first heard that the teenage boy would cook, he had not believed that the meal would be much better than a stomach filler - something that would keep him going. But now as he was eating, he realised that the teen actually knew how to cook. If he had put his oldest son to doing the same, the boy would never have managed. Not that his wife would ever allow the boy in the kitchen.

"This is really good, Harry," Katla said.

The raven blushed proudly. "Thank you," he said softly.

"There is no need to be so bashful," Ra'shall said as he reached out and ruffled the teen's hair. "You definitely deserve the praise."

Harry swatted the feline's hand away and looked down at his own plate as he continued eating. He still wasn't used to getting praised for things he did. It wasn't something that had ever happened in the Dursleys' household.

After supper the raven gathered the dishes and walked up in front of the house where he combined his Destruction magic to create hot water. He washed the stuff off, carried it back inside and placed everything back where it belonged. He walked upstairs and sat down in his bed with a book. He could hear the beats of the hammers hitting nails from the lower floor.

…

The next day Daniel left for home before the sun had risen fully, while the inhabitants of Lakeview Manor spent the next few days getting the roof up on their greenhouse. Goat horn chandeliers were added to the ceiling beams. They rolled a couple of barrels in there for storage purposes, and then they started building planters. Tiles were laid on the floor before three big rectangular troughs were placed on top of the tiles. As Ra'shall and Katla was doing that, Harry was adding shelves to the walls. He had to be really careful since he was attaching the shelves to the stone walls.

As days passed, they added more shelves and tables to the new room. Urns and pots were put in for more places to grow things. Katla had to make a trip over to Whiterun for more iron. She was gone for a couple of days so the two males had to find something else to do with their time.

* * *

 _31st of First Seed, 4E 202. Morndas_

About three weeks after the walls were fitted in; the room was finished and ready for planting. It was time for Ra'shall to decide what he wanted to plant in the dirt. It wasn't an easy decision to make. There were so many things that could be useful. He had to sift through his stock of seeds. Some things just weren't suited for growing inside. They either had spores that weren't healthy or wouldn't grow properly inside. After that he had to decide which properties to focus on.

"Why not healing?" Harry asked. "It's one of those things that is always good to have on hand."

Ra'shall nodded slowly. "The problem is that only blue mountain flowers and wheat are working…" he was cut off.

"Not if you count mushrooms," Harry said.

The feline started laughing. He reached out and ruffled the teen's hair. "You're right," he said. "Then we have Blisterwort and Swamp Fungal Pod." He dug the mushrooms up and placed them on a platter.

"Katla will be happy if you grow wheat," Harry said. "We can make our own flour from that." He looked through the little bags of seeds, spores and roots. "You could have poison as well I guess," he said. "Unless the plants are dangerous for the healing plants."

"That and some kind of magicka depleter," Ra'shall said. "Then it is probably full down there." He started digging through his stock, pulling seeds and other things to plant as he went. He handed the pouches and bags over to the raven. "The plants won't be dangerous for each other as long as we don't plant the mushrooms with the rest of the plants. Their roots will kill anything else."

They gathered the seeds together and headed down the stairs. They entered the greenhouse where Katla had filled the planters with soil. "Ready to get this place up and running?" she asked.

Ra'shall nodded. "We've selected what to grow. Now all we need to do is set the seeds," he said. "I'll be able to make healing potions and poisons that affect health and magicka." He placed his load down on one of the tables they had built. "We'll sow wheat in this trough," he said while pointing at the rectangular planter to the left. He turned to Harry. You can sow Blue Mountain Flower seeds in that urn," he said and pointed. "As a matter of fact you can plant them in the urn over there as well."

"So wheat in this one," Katla said as she placed her hands on the leftmost trough.

"Yeah, I want it as far away from the Deathbell and Nightshade as possible. The plants won't be dangerous, but I want it to be as far away as possible. We're going to eat the wheat after all," Ra'shall said.

The three of them went to work. Harry started by planting the blue mountain flowers for their healing properties. The soil they were using was moist so it stuck to his hands. He dumped several little seeds into the urns before he covered them with a layer of dirt. Behind him Katla was sowing wheat. She moved slowly over the much bigger trough. Wheat was something that could be used for more than just potion's making.

After he was done with the blue flowers, Harry went across the room to plant the Red Mountain Flowers in another urn. They could later be used for poisons to harm magicka and health. The flowers in themselves weren't dangerous though. Not like the Nightshade that Ra'shall was planting next to him. Those flowers were not healthy.

"We need to be able to seal this room from the rest of the house," Katla said. "You won't be able to fertilize the plants otherwise."

"Oh, I won't be using normal dung," Ra'shall said. "I'll be using something that doesn't stink. I have been thinking about that problem."

The brunette nodded slowly. "As long as you don't stink the house down," she said.

"You're telling me," Ra'shall said. "I have the most sensitive nose out of the three of us."

Katla rolled her eyes. "Don't I know that," she said. She stood up slowly. "How do you want the mushrooms?" she asked the feline.

"It doesn't really matter as long as you group them by sort," Ra'shall said. He was moving over the room with some Grass Pod seeds. It was another plant that would ensure that he could make poison that ravages magicka.

Harry and Katla gathered by the centre trough and started planting the mushrooms. It was dirty work, but it didn't take them long to finish. "We really need a clean up," Katla said as they finished. All of them were dirty from hands to elbows. Young Harry even had soil in his hair. She was pretty sure that she had smudges on her face too.

"Mmhmm," Harry hummed as he stood up. "How do we get clean clothes with us down there?" he asked. "We're all dirty."

Ra'shall laughed. "One of us will have to put gloves on and gather our things up before we leave," he said as he calmed. "I think Katla would be best to do it. She is way better than me when it comes to things like that." He chuckled at the dark look that the brunette gave him.

"Please Katla," Harry said.

Amber eyes rolled playfully. "I'll take care of it. You go on ahead," the brunette said.

"Great," the raven said. He walked through the dining room and the outer room before stepping outside. "Brrrr," he said softly. It was cold. It wouldn't stop him from making his way down to Lake Ilinalta slowly, but it didn't bode well.

The forest between the house and the lake was starting to bud. There were a few green leaves around. The altar down by the lake was empty for once. There was an old skeleton on the granite big stone slab.

The raven moved up to the cleaned off bones. Knowing about human anatomy was something that he could have great use for. It was a bit creepy though. He picked up a collarbone. It was so fragile. The bone was placed down and fingers ran over the ribcage. _'Wonder how he or she died?'_ he thought. He'd have to talk to Ra'shall or Katla about it. _'But not now,'_ he thought. He was way too tired for a lecture, and he was sure that he would get one if he asked about it. Instead he walked over to their usual spot by the water edge. He pulled his clothes of and shuddered from the cold air. He stepped into the freezing water. He walked out until he could sit down. Splash!

"Are you alright out there?" Katla asked as she walked up to the water edge. She had watched the teen walk out into the water slowly and though she wasn't too worried about the raven, but he had gone down so fast he could have tripped on something.

"I'm fine," Harry answered a bit strained. He was trying to heat the water around him with his Destruction magic. It worked quite well apart from the fact that the cold water around him cooled the water he was trying to heat. It was good training though. He ducked his head under the surface and rubbed his fingers over his scalp. Coming back up, he called over to Ra'shall for the soap. He wanted to be done as soon as he could manage. He cleaned the soap off and stood up quickly before heading back to shore. He averted his eyes as Katla passed him, wondering if he'd ever get used to seeing her naked. Grabbing his towel, he dried himself off before putting fresh clothes on. He ran his fingers through his thick hair. _'Maybe it is time to cut it,'_ he thought. His hair was getting a bit out of hand. "I'm going back up to the house to start dinner," he called to the adults.

"Good we'll be right up," Katla called back.


	19. Lady of Frost

**Lady of Frost**

 _25th of Sun's Height, 4E 202. Fredas_

It was late at night. Harry was looking up at the ceiling of Windpeak Inn in Dawnstar. He and Katla had been visiting the Jarl of Whiterun and his kids when a man had come travelling to the city. He had looked sick with big dark rings under his eyes. Katla had asked him what was wrong, and they had learned that the city of Dawnstar was plagued by horrible nightmares. So instead of going back home to Lakeview Manor, they had travelled to the seaside city. Since Ra'shall was out doing Dark Brotherhood things again, he and Katla had gone without him.

They had arrived a few days prior. It hadn't taken them long to figure out that the dreams were caused by the Daedric Prince Vaermina. They had travelled down into Nightcaller Temple with a man named Erandur. The three of them had travelled down through the dark halls and destroyed a Skull of Corruption which the Daedric Prince had been using to mess with people.

Now they were back in the inn. Next to the raven Katla was sleeping soundly. Green eyes looked down at the brunette. Her long hair was spread out over the sheets. They were going back home in the morning. He was glad for that. The war between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials had picked up again. Dawnstar's Jarl was on the Stormcloaks side. It was stable enough but the atmosphere was really tense. He sighed softly and lay back. He really should try to catch some shut eye.

…

He was walking through the Forbidden Forest. It was early spring and the trees were budding. He'd been taken back by the Elder Scroll. He hadn't wanted to go but he had no choice. Katla and Ra'shall – he didn't want to leave them. He lifted his glasses so he could wipe the tears from his face. Why was he back? He didn't want to be back.

"Harry… Harry wake up!"

The raven's green eyes opened up. He was still in Windpeak Inn. Katla was holding him. "It was the same one?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "It always takes me back," he said. "I don't want to go." He buried his face in her shoulder. He didn't want to leave the only family he'd ever had.

Katla started humming. The teen needed his sleep. Slowly but surely he relaxed in her arms. _'Why is he being tortured like this?'_ she wondered. She shook her head and sighed. Her poor kulsezii.

* * *

 _26th of Sun's Height, 4E 202. Loredas_

"So which way should we go?" Harry asked. There were two major roads out of Dawnstar. One led through the Pale down to Whiterun and the other led through the Pale into Hjaalmarsh and then through Whiterun Hold down to Lake Ilinalta. Neither path was longer really, it was more a question of which road they preferred to take.

Katla shrugged. "It really doesn't matter. Though I think there are two dragon altars on the way that passes through Hjaalmarsh," she said. "And as far as I know we won't pass by any down the other road."

"Well that settles it," Harry said. "I'll take two Word Walls over none any day."

The brunette laughed merrily. "Of course you would," she said.

They took right on the forked road, and started walking towards a burrow. Green grass spread out over billowing hills. Scattered all around were big rocks sticking out of the ground. The sky above was clear blue, and the sun shone brightly. Fir trees lined their path but there was no forest. The scent of mountain flowers spread through the air. Buzzing bees flew from flower to flower gathering honey.

Grrroooaaarrrr!

Katla spun around. She pulled her bow out quickly. Amber eyes moved over the sky trying to locate the dragon. "Bow at the ready Harry," she said softly.

"It's coming from the east," the raven said. He'd pulled his bow at the same time as Katla and was aiming it towards the bronze coloured beast. Slowly he started moving away from the brunette so they weren't standing right next to each other. He pulled the arrow back on the bow as the dragon came in closer. As the dragon stopped midair to roar at them, Harry aimed and fired.

Tchick!

Tchick!

 ** _"_** ** _Yol toor shul."_** Fire spread through the air heading towards the humans.

A translucent blue shield rose in front of Harry deflecting most of the heat. Katla on the other hand had rolled to the side. The dragon landed and the brunette dropped her bow as she reached for her sword. She could see the beast attacking something on the ground. Getting back on her feet, she moved forward quickly with the sharp blade ready to cut into the massive dragon's side. She was not above using the beast's distraction to her advantage.

Roaring the dragon turned his head towards the brunette. Sharp teeth snapped through the air inches from the woman's face.

Amber eyes blinked unfazed. Katla breathed in deeply. **_"Fus ro dah,"_** she shouted it pushed the dragon back. Raising her black blade, she stepped to the side as the dragon attacked again. He missed and dizzily passed her so she let her sword fall down upon the long scaly neck. Her blade cut through the thick scales slowly. Dragon scales were one of the toughest materials on Nirn, but untreated it was possible to cut through it. Treated dragon skin was so strong you would get bruises instead of cuts unless you were attacked with a daedric or dragonbone weapon.

Blood spattered out on the ground as Katla drew her blade back. A deep gurgle left the dragon's severed throat. The big leathery wings fell to the ground.

"Omph!"

"Harry!" Katla called out.

"Yeah," the raven answered his voice muffled.

"Are you O.K.?" Katla asked worriedly.

"Sort of," Harry answered. "His wing fell on me."

As light started spreading from the dragon, Katla walked around the corpse so she could lift the wing off the raven. She held her hand out towards him. A small pale hand settled in hers, and she pulled Harry to herself.

The raven breathed in slowly as the dragon's power settled within him. The distortion wasn't as bad anymore, but his head still started spinning slightly whenever he absorbed a dragon's knowledge. He blinked slowly taking his surroundings in. "Is that a cow?" he asked a bit confused.

Katla turned to look in the same direction as the teen. The boy was right. There was a cow lying next to the dragon's severed head. "Oh my," she said. "Those are tribal markings that farmers place on cows when they offer them to giants." She walked up to the cow slowly. "Hopefully we won't meet any angry giants."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Harry said. "The giant is right over there." He pointed down the road to the west. In the corner of his eye he could see a fox run through the long grass next to the road. "Do you think we can avoid it?" he asked.

Amber eyes scanned the area. "We should be able to go up among those rocks and give him a bit of a girth," she said. She was motioning to the left where low rock faces were warmed by the sun slowly.

They made their way up to the rocks. On the other side they could see the towers and walls of a Dwarven ruin. Walking amongst trees and around a rock, they made their way back down on the road without alerting the giant.

Somewhat further along the stony path stood a small Dwarven made building. Thick metal bars covered the opening. Down a set of stairs Harry could see a big dark opening. It was most likely an elevator hatch. He moved back to Katla with a small smile on his lips. It was getting way easier for him to keep up with her pace. He tilted his head to the side as two birds flew over their path. Their colourful feathers and cheerful twittering had the teen occupied as he and Katla continued down the road. He did his best to gather what feathers he could find. He even encountered a set of newly hatched little pine thrushes whose shells had ended up on the ground. He picked those up as well and placed them in an alchemy pouch. He had gotten one of those so that he could help Ra'shall gather some ingredients. He would only deal with ingredient types that wouldn't contaminate each other. The eggshells and the feathers would be just fine.

Suddenly the teen was pushed aside as Katla went for her sword. A big white-furred troll had showed up from nowhere. The brunette caught a heavy claw-clad hand on her blade before pushing the troll back. Her sword went up in a wide arc before it came falling down towards the furry being.

Harry stepped to the side quickly so he wouldn't be hit by the splatter of blood that shot out as the sword cut through the beast's jugular. Hearing a twig break behind him, he turned around. A blue-shimmering shield leaped up in front of him. His sword was pulled from his belt. There were two armoured men approaching him and Katla from behind. Considering that they were in the middle of nowhere. They were most likely bandits. The raven breathed in a calming breath. **_"Krii,"_** he shouted and a purple haze left him heading for the two men weakening them. Swift feet moved over the grass. The teen lowered his magical shield just before reaching the men. A ball of fire took form. Blood hit the ground and a haze of burnt hair had Katla turn towards the bandits. She narrowed her eyes before kicking the troll off her sword. She shifted the heavy blade around before taking a few determined strides towards the men. Her sword went through the air. A dark haired head hit the ground. Thump! –the body following shortly after.

A choked gurgle had her raising a brown eyebrow. An ebony sword's blade was sticking out of the second man's chest. He spotted a surprised look as he collapsed to the ground his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Harry was standing behind him. His knuckles were turning white around the hilt of his sword. What he'd just done obviously bothered him.

Something else that was evident to Katla was that he was trying his best to cope with it on his own. She wasn't so sure he wanted her to say anything.

Suddenly an angry scream tore through the air.

Green eyes looked up. Leading off the main path was a smaller road. It led past some trees and up to a short staircase. Both Katla and Harry were moving quickly. The scream had sounded like a woman in duress. As they walked into the shadow of a Nord crypt, they could see a gathering of people fighting. Katla walked forward quickly as she decided who to assist. A heavy punch to a man's jaw, and a swift stroke of her sword to another had a middle-aged woman standing alone. "Who in the Dragon's name are you? Speak or I'll cut you down where you stand," she asked as she turned to Katla.

The brunette raised an eyebrow at her tone. "My name is Katla. I hear a scream and went to investigate. What is going on here?" she asked.

The woman sighed. "A friend of mine went crazy and stole our boss' sword. Then blamed me for it," she said. "It's in the darn crypt. I don't care what you do with these idiots. I'm done here. You can mop the floor with them for all I care just leave me alone. I've had enough of this place I lost my friend in there to his own madness. He wouldn't stop talking about some Pale Lady. I'm done here," she said before she started heading down the road.

Harry looked up at Katla. "Should we head inside?" he asked.

The brunette shrugged. "I don't know if I care about some sword," she said. "But then again… experience tells me that there could be a Word Wall down there." She pulled her helmet off and shook her head. "We aren't in any hurry to get home. We could just as well go down there," she said.

"Well if there is a Word Wall down there I don't want to miss it," Harry said. "Do you think it is too dangerous for us to go down without Ra'shall?" he asked.

"No, it should be alright," Katla said. "We'll just have to be careful."

"Ahha."

The raven walked up the stairs leading to the crypt. He could see a burnt down fire with two cooking pots hanging over it. A single chair stood as close to one of the corners as it could get with all the rubble that was lying around. He walked forward and pushed the crypt door open as quietly as possible. A brazier was burning away slowly inside the ruin. He could see further light down a set of narrow stairs. Several sacks lay beneath a table. The raven walked up to the stone slab and tilted a potions vial back. He froze as he heard a chair scraping against the cave floor. **_"Laas,"_** he whispered softly. A myriad of red auras lit up downstairs. He counted nine bodies, but they were most likely on different levels of the crypt. He turned around slightly as Katla walked up behind him. "I can count nine animate bodies down there," he told her.

The brunette nodded slowly. "Are they spread out or gathered?" she asked.

"Spread out over several levels I think," Harry answered. "The auras are many different sizes."

Katla looked down the stairs herself. **_"Laas,"_** she said softly. Red glows spread over the walls. Her son was right the people in the crypt were spread out.

"I can scare the first group off at least," Harry said quietly. He received an approving nod before he started moving down.

A chair scraped against the stone floor.

"Is something wrong?"

"I thought I heard something."

 _'_ _Damn it,'_ Harry thought. He'd forgotten to muffle his steps. A red mist started whirling around his left hand as he moved into the room. The fear spell left his hand. It hit a dark-haired woman square in the chest. He started charging the spell once more as he moved out of the strike of an iron sword. He hit the owner of that sword with his spell.

Behind the raven, Katla walked down the stairs. Her amber eyes caught sight of a woman making her way into the room behind the teen's back. The brunette narrowed her eyes and moved forward. She grabbed the woman and punched her in the stomach hard enough to have her hitting the ground. Another punch ensured that the woman wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. She looked up at her son. The boy was standing between two white-knuckled and wide-eyed bandits. They were afraid that much was obvious. The problem was that fear worked in different ways from person to person. Thankfully the teen seemed to realise what needed to be done before anything bad happened to him. A pale jade light spread around his hands before it travelled to the two bandits.

Clank!

Their weapons dropped to the ground as they lost all will to fight. Of course as their fighting spirit left the fear they had been holding at bay took over. They didn't scream, but they did stumble over each other as they tried to get out of the crypt.

"You O.K.?" Katla asked the raven.

"Yeah I'm fine," Harry said softly. "I need to learn to anticipate more outcomes to my actions."

Katla nodded slowly. "Until you have that worked out for yourself, Ra'shall or I will always be with you," she said. "We won't let you get hurt if we can help it."

The raven smiled softly. "I know," he said. He pointed at the woman on the floor by Katla's feet. "What do we do with her?" he asked. He walked up to the brunette and leaned against her.

"We'll just leave her," Katla said. "By the time she wakes up we'll be long gone."

"So we'll continue then?" Harry asked. Unlike Ra'shall he wasn't all that interested in looting the place. By a set of thick black iron bars hung a ring on a chain.

"Sure let's move on," Katla answered.

The ring and chain was pulled and the bars lifted with a loud metallic scratch. They continued down into the crypt slowly. On the way Harry picked up a glass dagger and a book. Two more bandits were cleared out of the crypt before they settled down for lunch. As Katla prepared the food, Harry took a look around the cave-like rooms. They had already made sure that they were empty as far as people were concerned. He found several journals and a note. They all seemed to relate to the current situation so he gathered them up before heading back to Katla.

"What do you have there?" the brunette asked curiously as he sat down opposite her.

"Its journals," Harry answered. "I skimmed through them and they seemed to have some information on what is going on in here." He opened one of the leather-bound books. Reading through it quickly, he passed the unimportant parts. He was only interested in things that would actually have an impact on them.

The bandits' leader pretty much confirmed what the bandit outside had told them. There was a Khajiit that had gone nuts in the crypt somewhere. Reading the second journal, he came to the conclusion that the woman they had met outside was named Eisa. She seemed to be a real opportunist. He could imagine that Ra'shall had been similar before he'd met Katla. She did what she could to survive. The Khajiit, Ra'jirr, had been important to her because they worked well as a team and made more money that way. She had given up on the man eventually though and simply focused on her own survival. Harry had a feeling that that was where her similarities with Ra'shall ended. He couldn't imagine the feline-man giving up on him or Katla.

He smiled up at Katla as she placed a plate filled with food in front of him. "Anything that could be of use?" the brunette asked.

Harry shrugged. "These two seem to agree on the fact that there is a crazy Khajiit around," he said. He lifted a note from the table. "And this is written by the feline in question. 'Eisa. I see her in every shadow. Hear her voice on every breath of wind. In my dreams, in my ears, in my mind. The Pale Lady - we have to stop her. Just return the sword, and we can shut her away forever. I can't take this any more. I have to do it. I must. ~Ra'jirr.' He sounds like he wants to fix things," he said. "Then again he also sounds a bit crazy."

Katla hummed as she chewed on a piece of carrot. "This Pale Lady doesn't sound good," she said. "We should probably make sure that she doesn't make it out of the crypt."

"Yeah, we need to be careful though," Harry said. "We've got no idea who or what the Pale Lady is."

"Oh, definitely," the brunette said. "We'll take it one step at a time."

…

As they made it further down into the old Nord dungeons, the halls started looking much more like the regular draugr filled depths that Harry had seen before. That was until they reached a thick iron door.

Katla pushed it open slowly. The area beyond was filled with trees. A hacking cough tore through the air.

Harry moved out past the brunette as his hands started glowing – light jade in one hand and golden in the other. He placed both hands on the injured man.

"Finally… someone came… I… The cat…" the man said. He coughed.

"Sshhhh, save your energy," Harry said. He calmed the man down as he started healing his injuries. It was both to make sure that the man didn't hurt himself and to make sure that the guy didn't try to attack him.

Dark brown eyes studied the young man before moving up to the woman that had arrived with him. "You are not … members of my … gang," he said.

Katla scoffed. "No we are not," she said. "You don't have to worry about their health though. We haven't killed anyone that dwelled in the crypt. My son doesn't like killing people unless it is necessary," she said. "We've scared them outside for now. They'll be back eventually."

Kyr nodded slowly. He could feel how breathing became easier. The pain that had been flaring through him eased up. He was surprised that these two were helping him. They would have been prime targets if they'd travelled up or down the main road outside the crypt.

Harry sat down on the ground breathing heavily. He had been using a lot of magicka that day. "That is as good as I can fix you up for now," he said. He looked up at Katla. "Can we stop here for tonight?" he asked.

"I wouldn't suggest it young man," Kyr said. "Ra'jirr is trying to take the sword back to someone he calls the Pale Lady. As I understood it, she's just down the road from here."

"No… NO!" a male voice called out.

Harry looked up at Katla. "I'm going to need potions if I'm going to be of any help to you down there," he said.

Katla nodded slowly. "I know," she said.

"According to Ra'jirr's note we need to take the sword he's got and return it somehow. If you can distract the Pale Lady I can get the sword where it needs to be. I'll muffle my steps and use the Become Ethereal shout," Harry said as he stood up slowly. He accepted the blue bottle that Katla handed him. She didn't like over use of potions of any kind if it could be helped so they tried to use them as little as possible. He drank the icy liquid down quickly. "Let's go," he said softly.

Katla nodded. She pulled her greatsword from her back. "Behind me **_kulsezii_** ," she said before she started heading down the path.

Mist filled the open air between them and the wispmother they were after. Three little wisps moved around the area slowly.

 ** _"_** ** _Feim,"_** Harry whispered. His body turned translucent. He started moving forwards quickly as soon as the wisps had passed them by. He used the trees as cover and made sure that his steps were muffled. He moved up to the last tree before he had to sprint to the dead body of the Khajiit. He peaked around the tree, and his eyes fell upon the surreal form of the Pale Lady. Her entire being glowed faintly. Her features were seemingly perfect. She seemed sad somehow. Harry averted his eyes. He didn't like what looking at her did to his mind. He was not going to fall under some kind of stupid spell. Green eyes met amber and the teen nodded in Katla's direction. He was ready.

Walking forwards slowly, the brunette breathed in. **_"Wuld nah kest,"_** she shouted. Her body moved towards the wispmother in the blink of an eye. She raised her blade and slammed the blunt side into the ghostly form. The little wisps around the room made a strangely crystalline sound before they headed straight for the intruder.

Harry moved as fast as he could. He fell down to his knees next to Ra'jirr's body. He grabbed the hilt of an old worn-out sword and pulled.

Katla ducked out of the way as the wispmother sent a spike of ice her way. She knocked one of the wisps out of the air with the pommel of her blade. The suddenly the very ground rumbled and the wispmother disappeared in a wave of jade haze. She turned around to where Harry was standing and smiled softly at the teen. "Good job," she said.

Harry smiled tiredly at her.

"Time to eat something and settle down for tonight, huh?" Katla said. She received a tired nod in response. Chuckling softly she walked up to the raven and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. They made their way back to where they'd left Kyr earlier.

The man looked up at them as they got closer. Harry held out his hand and a small glowing ball of light rose from his palm.

"The Pale Lady has been dealt with," Katla said. "You won't be getting that sword back. It is needed to seal her away." She helped the teen down to the ground before sitting down herself.

They ate some after which it didn't take Harry long to fall asleep.

Katla and Kyr sat together talking for sometime after the teen had dozed off.

* * *

 _27th of Sun's Height, 4E 202. Sundas_

Harry sat up with a jerk. His breathing was laboured and he was sweating. His eyes travelled down to his hands half expecting to see blood covering them. _'It was a nightmare Harry,'_ he thought to himself. He had tried his best not to think about the people he had killed. He couldn't just push it aside though. "Arkay please guide their souls," he whispered. He moved so he was sitting in his favourite meditative stance. Slowly he regulated his breathing. He had taken lives. Did that make him as bad as Voldemort and his followers?

No… it didn't Voldemort had killed people because they would not agree with his twisted ideals. He hadn't. The men he had killed; he'd killed because they would have killed him if he hadn't. He didn't enjoy killing. _'I have to make sure that I never do,'_ he thought. He didn't want to turn into a monster.

…

Katla opened her eyes slowly. Her brows furrowed as she saw Harry sitting a few feet away with a book in his hands. She wondered for how long he'd been awake. Sitting up slowly, she let out a yawn. "Good morning, **_kulsezii_** ," she said.

The raven looked up at her. "Good morning **_monahsedovah_** ," he responded.

Katla sighed softly and moved up to the teen. "For how long have you been up?" she asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Green eyes looked up at her. "I don't know," Harry answered. "I had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep. It was about the people I killed or helped kill." He tilted his head back. "I don't like it. My conscious won't let me just shrug it off," he said. "Not that I really want it to."

Katla smiled softly. "I know it isn't easy," she said. "I… I cannot really help you unfortunately. Whatever coping method you come up with is your own." She reached out and wrapped her arms around him. "What are you reading?" she asked as she looked down at the book in his hands.

"It is the first volume of Palla," Harry answered. "It's about a Mage Guild initiate."

Katla nodded slowly. "I have heard of Palla," she said. "Some believe the story to be true."

Harry shrugged. "It is O.K." he said. "I don't know about it being true though."

They spoke for a little while longer before Katla woke Kyr up so they could eat some breakfast.

.

"I think there is a Word Wall up here," Harry said as he started walking up a set of old stone steps. They were on their way out of the crypt. He and Katla had seen the stairs the previous day as they sealed the wispmother away.

 ** _"_** ** _Het nok… kopraan do…"_** Harry read slowly. He moved back a bit as one of the words stood out, and a strange light spread towards him and Katla.

The brunette smiled down at him softly. "Can you translate it for me?" she asked. She found it fascinating that the boy had such an easy time with the language.

Green eyes looked up at the woman. "I should be able too," he said. "I want to write it down in my notebook as well."

"That's fine," Katla said. She watched as the teen sat down and pulled his book and an inkwell out of his backpack before he started rummaging around for a quill. "So the first line means: Here lies the body of," he said as he scribbled the text down in on a clean page. **_"Iglif Iiz-Sos wo,"_** he mumbled as he kept reading. "Iglif Ice-Blood who met his end. **_Ni ko morokei vukein…_** not in glorious combat, but at the cruel touch of the withering sickness," he translated.

Kyr looked down at the boy. It seemed crazy that the kid could actually read what the strange text said. "Can we leave now?" he asked as the boy placed his things back into his knapsack.

"Sure," Katla said as she helped the teen off the ground.

"Closest way out is through that door up there," Harry said as he pointed towards another set of stairs. He had sent a quick clairvoyance spell off as he stood up.

"I guess that is where we're going then," Kyr said. He just wanted the hell out of there. He didn't care which way they took. As they made their way up to the door, the sturdy Nord noticed a chest. _'Now, there is something new,'_ he thought. He walked over to the chest and opened it up. He smirked as he picked up a bag of gold and a diamond. There were glass boots and a helmet.

Harry held a hand out as he opened the next door. Like he'd thought it was pitch black inside. A glowing orb left his palm. It lit up the ground around his feet. He waited until Kyr joined them before he started walking up the stairs beyond the door.

They walked up a ramp to a barred door and removed the wooden board. The corridor beyond was lit. It didn't take them long to get back to the very first room they had entered.

"Stop right there."

A blue shimmer rose in front of the raven instinctively as he turned around. The young woman that Katla had knocked unconscious earlier was sitting by the table. She was about to stand up when Kyr walked past Katla. "Calm down Jena," he said. "We'll let them leave here. They helped me find some rather interesting loot." He walked closer to the woman. "You better get lost as soon as possible," he hissed to Harry as he passed the boy.

The raven turned towards Katla and held a hand out towards her. Her bigger hand warmed his as they made it back out of the crypt. They had gotten what they had come for.

Now it was time to find some dragons.


	20. Winter in Whiterun

**Winter in Whiterun**

 _7th of Heartfire, 4E 202. Sundas_

"Time to get up Harry."

Pale fingers tightened on forest-green sheets. A mop of black hair turned as a sigh escaped between dry lips.

A warm hand landed on the raven's shoulder. "We're going to Dragonsreach today. You need to get up, honey."

"Mmmmhh, I'm up," Harry mumbled.

Laughter filled the air.

"Oh, I can see that," Katla said sarcastically.

Green eyes opened slowly as the teen sat up. The covers fell down around his waist. His black hair fell in thick layers around his face. It had mysteriously stopped growing. He figured it was because he was happy with the length now. Back when Petunia had cut it really short he'd somehow grown it back so he figured that he had some kind of control over it. He'd figure out what eventually. If he could stop his beard or lack there off from growing, he would be really happy. It was just a bit annoying to have to shave every other day. "So, I'm awake now," he said sleepily and looked over at Katla.

"Barely," the brunette said. "Come on get dressed and come down for breakfast." She stood up and walked out of the teen's room. He'd come down eventually. She didn't have to stand over him now. Light feet made their way down the stairs. Katla undid her hair tie and ran her finger through her wavy locks. She would need to plait it before they left. It would get in her way otherwise.

"Is he on his way now?" Ra'shall asked. He was sitting by the dining table reading through his alchemy notes. He was planning which potions he would be making that winter. There were some ingredients he would still have to get a hold off if he was to make the potions he wanted.

"He's awake," Katla answered. She sat down with a sigh.

"Is something wrong?"

"Balgruuf wants me to stay in Dragonsreach over winter," she said. "I don't know if I want to do that or not."

Ra'shall leaned back. "If you are staying in Dragonsreach then I will travel south for the winter," he said. "I have considered doing that for a while now. You and Harry could do with some friendly interaction. He needs to sped time around people. He'll also have access to a court wizard."

"What are the two of you planning now?" Harry asked as he came walking down the stairs.

Katla turned to the raven. "How would you feel about spending the winter in Whiterun?" she asked. "Balgruuf invited me to stay. He really would like that, but I'm not going without you."

"What about you Ra'shall?" Harry asked, looking up at the feline.

The man shrugged. "I'll travel south," he said. "There are some ingredients I can only get a hold of down there. I'll come back when the snow melts." He leaned back in his chair. "I have wanted to do that for a while now."

"Oh," Harry said. He sat down by the table and reached out for the bread basket and knife. "Well I guess we could stay there," he said. "You were going to start teaching me enchanting though."

Katla chuckled. "We can probably do that in Dragonsreach as well," she said. "Though Farengar might get a bit irritated with us." She finished her plait and tied the end.

"Well in that case I don't really care where we spend the winter," Harry said before he emerged himself in breakfast.

"We'll have to take Dora with us."

…

Harry smiled as he walked up the road leading past Lake Ilinalta. _'It has been a year now,'_ he thought. Turning around, he could see Katla and Ra'shall walking further down the path. He had lived with them for a whole year. It had been the best year of his life. The ups and down didn't matter. He had a family. For the first time ever he had something resembling a normal life.

He turned back around so he could continue walking. He had learned a lot the past year. He'd grown stronger both mentally and physically. A small smirk spread over his lips. People back on Earth would be sooo envious. _'Not that I'm so sure I'd want to show them,'_ he thought. He wanted to concentrate on the School of Illusions when it came to magic for two reasons. One, he didn't want to have to kill people when it wasn't necessary, and two, he wanted to be able to hide what he had been through when he returned to Earth. No longer would he run into things head first. That was how you got yourself killed. He'd seen it himself several times. Medresi was a prime example. They had met the woman a few weeks earlier when they had decided to explore some ruins in the Rift. They had been looking for Word Walls.

Medresi was a Dunmer who seemed obsessed with some treasure or another that was supposedly hidden in the temple. He and Katla had helped her open some sealed gates, and she had just sprinted straight in. She had been killed by a trap. They hadn't even been able to bury her since they couldn't reach her body.

"Lost in thought are you?"

Harry blinked surprised before he looked over his shoulder. Green eyes met amber. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "You know… It's a year to the day since Karthspire."

"That is true," Katla said. She reached out and wrapped her arms around the raven before pulling him into a hug. "I gained a son a year ago," she said happily. She'd never been happier. Though picking up her relationship with Balgruuf had come close. Then again chances were that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Harry. The teen had opened her eyes in so many ways. She let go of the boy slowly and smiled at him. "You have grown so much," she said.

It was true. When they had first found the boy he had been scrawny almost sickly looking. With the help of some potions and the Restoration Mage at the College his physique had improved. That combined with the travelling they did had made him quite the well-built young man. Katla took his hand, and he smiled up at her. Reaching out, he placed his free hand in Dora's thick fur.

…

They stopped for lunch in Riverwood but didn't stick around. Because they had Dora with them, they moved slower than usual. She was a sturdy cow though. She could probably keep going for days on end without getting tired.

Harry summoned his familiar and started running ahead of the grown-ups. The road between Riverwood and Whiterun was usually not all that dangerous so neither Katla nor Ra'shall had anything against it.

He entered Whiterun alone. Adrianne was working by her forge like usual. "Hi Anne," Harry said as he walked up to her.

The Imperial turned around. "Well if it isn't Harry," she said with a smile. "It's nice to see you again. Is Katla coming too?"

Harry nodded. "She's on her way," he answered. "We're staying in Dragonsreach until spring. Balgruuf didn't want to be apart from her for months so he invited us." He walked up to the workbench and jumped up to sit on it. Adrianne had been sharpening a sword on her grindstone before he walked up to her.

The brown-haired woman chuckled. "So much for her stubbornness I hear," she said. She shook her head. "I'm glad they are back together."

Harry shrugged. "They seem to like each other," he said. "I just want Katla to be happy."

Adrianne smiled at him as she stood up. "Of course dear," she said. "She's your mother." She placed the sword she'd been sharpening down. "She is my friend I want her happy too." She looked down at her workbench. "I guess I don't quite understand her sometimes though. She prefers running around out there to being with someone that loves her," she said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "She loves travelling, and she is way too easily bored. Just staying in a city would drive her mad. Sure it can be dangerous out there, but I think she likes the danger," he said. "We met this guy about a month or so ago in the Rift. She figured out that he was a bluff, but we did what he wanted anyway just 'cause she was curious. We travelled down into an old Dragon Cultist temple filled with draugr. And … battled an undead Dragon Priest." He looked down at his knees. "She loved it…" he said. He looked back up at Adrianne. "Fighting for her life … exploring dungeons that no one has been in for centuries… she loves that. Just living a regular life wouldn't work out for her." He looked over at the gate as it opened. A smile spread over his lips. It was Katla and Ra'shall.

The brunette warrior walked up to them with a smile on her lips. "Hi Anne," she said.

"Hello Kat," Adrianna responded. "I hear you have been on quite the adventure again."

"You could say that," Katla said. "Harry and I have been travelling around the Rift." She ruffled the raven's hair. "We're probably going to travel somewhere else come spring. The Reach maybe… we went to the Rift since Ra'shall had some business in Riften. We're looking for old dragon walls."

Adrianne rolled her eyes good-humouredly. "Only you," she said. "Most people try to stay away from old ruins you know."

Katla shrugged. "Now where is the fun in that," she said. "We should head up to the reach and leave our things. I'll be back after so we can catch up, yeah."

"Sure, I'll see you soon," Adrianne said.

"See you in a bit."'

"Bye Anne."

…

Katla walked into Harry's room. The teen was sitting on his bed with a book in his lap. He was chewing on the tip of his thumb absentmindedly. She walked up to the bed and sat down next to the raven. Pale fingers reached out and started playing with dark locks. The teen's hair was so lush. She plaited a thick strand of it. "I'm going to bed now," she said softly. She let her hand run down and land on his shoulder. "Don't stay up for too long, sweetheart," she said.

Green eyes look up from the book. "I won't. I promise," Harry said. "I'll see you tomorrow." He reached out and hugged her. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, dear," Katla said before she stood up once more. She walked over to the door and exited the room.

Harry looked back down at his book. It was the second part of the Brief History of the Empire. It was about the emperors once more and how their succession had worked. _'This really isn't all that interesting,'_ the raven thought as he closed the book. He wasn't so sure he wanted to read the next one. He didn't really care for the emperors and their rule. He was more interested in actually history of the people and what the countries on Nirn had been through.

He placed the book on his nightstand. He'd place it back in Farengar's bookshelf in the morning. Hopefully he could find something more interesting to read then. He got out of bed so he could blow out his candles. The room went dark for a second before he created a small ball of light in his palm. Walking back to the bed, he pulled his shirt off. He didn't want to sleep in it. A yawn escaped him as he pulled the green covers to the side. He would have to continue telling the Jarl's kids about his insane adventures. He didn't have that much story left to tell. _'At least I'm getting to the dragons soon,'_ he thought. Frothar really wanted to hear about them.

He lay down and closed his eyes.

* * *

 _11th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 202. Tirdas_

Harry sat down with two magical scrolls. _'I wonder how these work really?'_ he thought. Maybe scrolls could be created somehow. _'Someone must have made them.'_ The scrolls couldn't just have shown up from nowhere.

"Are you coming down soon?" Katla asked through his bedroom door.

"Yeah, I'll be right down," the teen answered. The brunette was going to teach him the basics of enchanting. He'd looked forward to it for almost a year. Placing his scrolls aside, he stood up. He'd have to figure out how those worked some other time.

…

 _16th of Evening Star, 4E 202. Tirdas_

Katla breathed in slowly. She was warm. A musky scent filled her nostrils. Slowly she turned around before sitting up. A weight fell into her lap. Pale fingers reached out to rub sleep out of amber eyes. She looked down into her lap and a smile spread over her lips. Reaching out, she grabbed the coarse hand that lay against her thigh. She moved it carefully. Balgruuf was still asleep next to her. His breath came out in deep even puffs. Katla moved over and lay down on top of him. She nuzzled his neck affectionately.

"Mmmmmhh." Balgruuf shifted.

Biting her bottom lip, Katla moved up. A smirk grazed her lips before she descended on the unsuspecting man. Soft lips moved over sleep warmed skin. A sigh escaped the man as he woke up. He turned around slowly, placing his hands on the brunette's waist. He pulled her down so he could kiss her soundly. Tongues danced and hands roamed…

*Knock. *Knock

"Father."

"For heaven's sake Dagny," Balgruuf whispered and Katla let out the ghost of a laugh. "Your daughter is calling for you dear," she said mischievously. "You better go check what she wants." She moved off the man and sat down on the bed. Amber eyes moved over the floor in search for the dress she had worn the day before. She slipped of the bed as she found it. The thick fabric slid over her shoulders.

Balgruuf was muttering to himself as he got some clothes on. Having children was such a cock block. _'Not that I would trade them for anything,'_ he thought as he walked up to the door. Looking back to ensure that Katla was decent enough, he opened the bedroom door. "What is it pumpkin?" he asked his daughter.

"Frothar put maggots in my tea again," the girl whined.

Blue eyes closed in exasperation. _'Why can't they just get along?'_ the blond wondered. He placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Come on let's go talk to your brother," he said. He could hear Katla following behind them as they made their way down to the great hall.

Three boys sat by one of the tables. They were talking about the Whispering Door again. As Balgruuf understood it his youngest had experienced nightmares the previous night. He smiled at the raven-haired teen that was now sitting with his arm around the boy's shoulders comforting him. He had been so glad when the teen had taken matter into his own hands when it came to Nelkir. The poor boy had been corrupted by Mephala.

Harry had figured it out. It had taken some convincing before Balgruuf had agreed to have the sword her spirit manifested in moved. It was influencing his children. Katla and Ra'shall had taken the blade away. They had hidden it. Hopefully no one else would find it within the next century or so. After that they didn't actually care. None of them would be around by then anyway.

Once the sword was out of the reach, Nelkir had brightened up a bit. He had started getting nightmares through. He hadn't wanted to speak to his father and he stayed clear of Katla. Harry had been one of the few people he'd let close to him.

Balgruuf walked up to the boys. "Good morning sir," Harry said as he noticed the man.

"Good morning gentlemen," the blond Jarl said. "Dagny says you've put maggots in her tea, Frothar," he said and turned to his oldest son. "Is that true?"

Brown eyes looked up at the man. "No," he said. "And Harry can attest to that. I've been with him all morning."

The raven nodded. "He really means that," he said. "He woke me up and hasn't left me alone since." He was smiling softly. "If there were maggots in Dagny's tea it wasn't Frothar that put them there," he said.

"Hmph," the girl said, "well someone put them there."

Her father turned to her. "That might be true pumpkin, but it doesn't mean you can go around accusing people without grounds," he said kindly but firmly. "Let's sit down and eat some breakfast," he said. He guided his daughter to the table across the room so he wouldn't have to listen to his children fight throughout the whole meal. Katla stopped by Harry and talked to him before she walked over to join her lover. "Problem solved?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes but didn't make any comment since his daughter was sitting right next to him. He reached out and moved a lock of hair out of Katla's face.

On the other side of the room Harry averted his eyes from the two cutesy Nords. He refocused on the young teen next to him. "So we are going to go outside then?" he asked.

"Yeah…"

"Now what are the three of you planning?" Balgruuf's younger brother, Hrongar, asked the boys. "You two have lessons to attend to," he told his nephews.

Frothar sighed. "Yes Uncle," he said. He turned to Harry. "We'll have to meet up later," he said. "It sucks to be the Jarl's son sometimes."

Harry snorted. "You need to learn," he said. "Make what you are learning fun. I love gaining new knowledge. I didn't used to. Back when I went to Hogwarts I wasn't all that interested in learning things. I didn't realise how stupid that was until I came here. Now I try to learn everything I can."

"That's why you bought all those books from Farengar last year?"

The raven nodded. "Exactly," he said.

The young teen took on a pensive expression. "I guess that makes sense," he said. _'Maybe I should pay more attention,'_ he thought. It was all so boring though. He didn't want to spend all his time reading old books. "We'll see you later," he told Harry before he stood up from the table so he could follow his Uncle to that day's lessons. His little brother got up as well.

"I'll see the two of you later," Harry said. "I'll probably be in Farengar's rooms." He placed his fork down. He'd have to remember to ask the cook what she had put in the omelette. It had been wonderful. Walking into the wizard's study, Harry moved over to his arcane enchanter. He had his own stack of soul gems in a bag next to the solid stone table together with some rings and gloves for easy enchanting. He was using low level stuff at the moment since he was simply training his ability up. Preferably he'd like to find some other way than soul gems to enchant items. He didn't like the idea of killing animals to be able to infuse armour with magic. He didn't mind it when the animal was going to be used for food anyway since that simply meant that more of the animal was getting used. Though, the idea of not allowing the creatures to move on was somewhat disturbing.

He placed the soul gem he was going to use on the table before picking up a random silver ring from his pile. He placed a hand on the restoration bird just below the horned skull adorning the top of the table. He wanted to infuse the ring with the ability to fortify restoration abilities. It would make spells from that school easier to cast. Closing his eyes he slowly started searching for his centre. The enchanter could teach enchantments. It was actually the only way to learn them. Katla had brought or found several items that he could disenchant to learn the composition of the enchantments. He was focusing on defensive and skill improvement enchantments. Those were the ones he was the most interested in. He might focus on weapon enchantments later at some point. He wasn't sure.

Every time he had learned a new enchantment a small glowing light had appeared along his left hand and down his wrist. There was a new light for every enchantment. Normally they couldn't be seen, but when he was enchanting they glowed faintly.

He breathed out slowly as the light from the soul gem dispersed. The stone itself was gone but the light it had emitted had settled over the ring he had wanted to enchant.

"You seem to be getting the hang of it now, young man," Farengar said from behind the raven.

Harry turned around. "Thank you," he said. "It is getting easier every time I do it."

"Would you like to try a real challenge?" the wizard asked.

Harry shrugged. "Sure," he said. "What do you have in mind sir?" he asked.

Farengar walked over to his desk and kneeled down so he could pick some things out of a cupboard. He came walking back to the teen slowly. A much bigger soul gem than the once that Harry had been using so far was placed on the enchanting table together with a necklace. "This needs to be enchanted with a fortify destruction spell. It is an order so do as well as you can. Lady Katla did give you something with the enchantment on it, did she not?" the wizard asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes she did sir. I can perform it, but if it is an order then is it really appropriate for me to do the enchanting?" he responded.

Farengar waved him off. "It will be fine," he said. "You have been doing a great job so far. Don't underestimate yourself now."

Green eyes widened a little. He still wasn't used to that kind of praise from his elders. "Of course sir," he said. "I'll get right to it then." He looked back down at the table. He placed the soul gem down on top of the hilt of the carved enchanter's blade. Then he placed the necklace down on the blade. His right hand was angled in between them while his left landed on the flame of destruction. He breathed in slowly. With a bigger soul gem he would need to concentrate harder so that he didn't botch up. His magic started swirling around his fingers. It connected with the items on the table. Little lights glowed softly across the back of his hand. The cyan carvings on the table turned white as the soul gem turned to dust. Little drops of sweat appeared on his forehead. He concentrated on the necklace. Power built up between his hands. He released the power down into the necklace when it became too much for him to hold. Faint blue light shone from the simple necklace.

Harry moved away from the enchanting table.

"It is fascinating to see how you do that," Farengar said. "The way you handle the power involved is so different from how it is usually done. Normally people would let the table do most of the work not focus the power the way you do. It is a skill held only by high level enchanters. You are clearly a natural."

A small smile spread over Harry's lips as his chest rose and fell with each laboured breath he took. He had used up a lot of power to make the enchanted pendant.

"You did a good job young man," Farengar said. His brow furrowed as he studied the teen. "Maybe you should go have a lie down. You don't look so good."

"Yeah, I probably should," Harry said. "I'll see you later Farengar. I'm a bit drained."

"You should probably work your way up to more powerful enchantments. This maybe wasn't the best of ideas. I hadn't quite realised that you focused the power like a high level enchanter would," Farengar said.

Harry nodded slowly before he pushed off the counter he had been leaning against. He walked out into the great hall. Passing the closest long table, he snatched an apple from a bowl. He bit into the juicy fruit as he started walking up the stairs to the war room. Walking into the Jarl's quarters, he headed for the man's study. Balgruuf had told him that he was free to borrow books from there whenever he wanted to. He walked up to the shelves and ran a finger along the spines of the books there. He settled for a nondescript brown book labelled _A Dance in Fire, v1_. It looked to be a part of a seven book series. He grabbed the second one as well before heading to his room.

…

Green eyes moved over thick pages. The books the raven had started reading were about a man named Decumus Scotti and his exploits during the war between Valenwood and Elsweyr. He had finally found a book series that was interesting to read.

 _…_ _felt the impact of the bolt hit the carcass. He cried out,_

 _but he could hear how muffled his voice was by the beetle's_

 _body. Cautiously, he tried sliding a foot out and rolling under,_

 _but the movement apparently had the effect of convincing the_

 _archers that the creature still lived. A volley of arrows was_

 _launched…_

"Harry."

The teen looked up from his book. Katla was standing in the doorway. "It's time for lunch **_kulsezii_** ," the woman said. "Will you come down and eat?"

Green eyes blinked surprised. "Sure," he said. He marked his place in the book and placed it down on the bed before standing up slowly. His vision blackened and he froze for a moment.

"Are you alright dear?" Katla asked concerned. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

The teen closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. "I exhausted my magic doing some high level enchanting for Farengar earlier. I'm feeling much better, but the change in altitude must have gone to my head," he said. "I need to learn how to focus the power better."

Katla nodded. "Maybe I should help you next. Farengar doesn't seem all that good at judging difficulty," she said with a small smile.

"That is probably a good idea," Harry said as his vision returned to normal. "But I don't think I should do anymore today."

"A wise decision," Katla said. "Especially since you are already falling over."

Harry chuckled softly. "Yeah I guess so," he said. They sat down with the Jarl and his family to eat. The food and drink did the raven good. He felt much better. He figured that he might even be up to playing with Frothar and the other kids later. Until they were done with their lessons for the day he would just keep on reading.


	21. Dragontooth Crater

**Dragontooth Crater**

 _31st of First Seed, 4E 203. Tirdas_

The sky was filled with heavy gray clouds.

Harry and Katla were sitting by a small fire set up next to the murmuring water of Karth River. They had boiled some mud crab legs for supper earlier. Now they were slowly packing things away so they could go to sleep.

Four days earlier they had arrived in Markarth. Since then, they had travelled to two different dungeons filled with draugr. They had found three Word Walls. The third one they had found earlier that same day. Harry was glad for the three new passages he now had in his book. He'd also picked up several strange items that seemed to hold power of their own. He had a crooked bladed knife made out of some kind of golden metal. There was something about it. He couldn't quite put his finger on what, but he figured he could always just store it at home until he realised what it was for. The second item he had was a walnut sized stone. It was black but not completely so. There seemed to be like a thin veil of mist moving slowly within the stone.

The raven placed his items back in his bag next to the strange pink stone he had found. Ra'shall was looking for those so he had picked it up for the feline. He pushed the bag away from himself before lying down. Katla put a little more wood on the fire before she too lay down. "Goodnight," she said softly.

"Goodnight," Harry responded.

* * *

 _1st of Rain's Hand, 4E 203. Middas_

The river of Karth played its unique music. It had calmed a lot since the mountains. Together with the song of the birds and the occasional roar, it made for a calming atmosphere.

As Harry and Katla had passed by the road to Karthspire a Dunmer had attacked them out of nowhere. Neither of them knew why. She had been too strong-minded for Harry to control her with his magic so the only option left to them was to beat her down. They rendered her unconscious before pulling her armour off her. Then they had tied her to the road sign located just off the twin bridges. It was a busy enough road that someone would come across her eventually. The armour was thrown to the side.

"There that should be good enough," Katla said. She walked back up on the road. "She won't bother us again unless she is really stubborn about it, and in that case we might have to do something more permanent to deal with her."

Harry nodded. "I know," he said.

They made their way up the road they had taken towards Markarth a year and a half earlier. They would not go by the city this time though. They were heading north. Rumours had been travelling around that there were dragons living in the mountains north of Karthwasten. Figuring that there might be a Word Wall up there somewhere, they had decided to travel there and see for themselves.

Only about half a mile after passing the crossroads they had taken up to Markarth last time, they came upon several dead Forsworn bodies. A man came walking up to them as the crossed a bridge. "Excuse me," he said. "Are you Katla?"

The brunette nodded as she answered, "Yes my name is Katla."

"I have been looking for you. Got something I'm supposed to deliver. Your hands only," the man said as he picked a letter out of a pouch by his belt.

"Thank you," Katla said as she accepted the sealed note.

"That concludes my business here. Have a good day," the man said. The two travellers responded and the man continued up the road.

"What does the letter say?" Harry asked.

Katla looked down at the thick parchment as she broke the seal. "It is another letter from our mysterious friend," she said. "He or she says that we should check out Mount Anthor." She folded the letter and handed it to the raven as he let his backpack fall down so it hung from his right arm. He packed the letter down before pulling the pack back on. "So who do you think took out all the Forsworn?" he asked.

Katla looked down at one of the dead men. He'd had been taken out with a precise cut to the throat. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a set of long gashes along his shoulder. "Good guess would be Ra'shall," she said. "Unless there are more skilled Khajiit assassins moving around Skyrim."

"That was what I was thinking," Harry said. "They have this smell to them that just screams of **_kaazaak_**."

"You can smell poison, huh?"

"Mmhhmm."

Katla shook her head. "These seem to be fresh so he can't be far off," she said.

Harry grimaced. _'Great Katla,'_ he thought. _'I don't want to know how you can tell they are fresh.'_ He averted his eyes from the dead men. It might have something to do with the smell.

They headed down towards the house on the other side of the bridge. The front door stood slightly ajar.

 ** _"_** ** _Laas yah nir,"_** Harry whispered softly. A single red aura appeared before his eyes. "There is only one person in there," he told Katla.

The brunette nodded slowly. "If it is Ra'shall he should recognise us by scent, but you should probably stay down here just to be on the safe side," she said quietly. The teen nodded, and she walked up onto the porch of the house. **_"Vulkaaz,"_** she called out. "Is it you in there?" She moved to the side so she wasn't standing right in front of the door.

The hinges creaked as the door was pulled open.

"Really Ra'shall you don't have to be so tense," Katla said in a bored tone.

"Fuck you Katla," a shaky voice said.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Language Ra'shall, language," she said. "So are you going to try to kill me and Harry if we try to walk in the door?" She heard a snort. "No, I won't," the feline said. Katla turned to wave Harry over before she walked into the small cabin.

Ra'shall was sitting in a chair next to a dusty table. He looked worse for wear. He wasn't injured but there were tears in his armour. He also spotted bags under his eyes that told Katla he hadn't been sleeping properly. Behind her, Harry walked into the cabin before closing the door shut. He raised a hand and conjured a small ball of light. He looked over at the feline-man. "You look like shit," he said.

Katla rolled her eyes and Ra'shall scoffed. "You'd look like shit too if you hadn't slept more than eighteen hours in the past week," the man said.

The raven's eyebrows furrowed. "Why haven't you been sleeping properly?" he asked concerned.

The feline sighed. "I ran into some trouble in High Rock," he said. "They were quite persistent. Since Katla doesn't like me involving you in my shady business I won't say more than that. You are safer that way." He rubbed his eyes. "They didn't follow me to Skyrim. I managed to shake them off before the border. For safety's sake I didn't stop moving though."

"Have you been through the house?" Katla asked.

Teal eyes looked up at her. "Yeah, why?" he said.

"Are there beds downstairs?"

A nod.

Katla looked at Harry "Will you get him down there? Force him to bed if you have too, please. I'm going to see if I can't get some fish from the river. We might as well stay here for a while," she said.

"Sure I can do that," the teen answered. He walked up to the feline-man. "Come on get up," he said.

"What is this?" Ra'shall said tiredly. "You send our cub to tuck me in."

Katla rolled her eyes. "Just do as he says," she said. She walked out of the small cabin leaving the men inside.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the feline. "Come on **_kaazaak_** ," he said. "If you haven't gotten downstairs by the time Katla is back she might do something drastic." He held a hand out.

Ra'shall sighed as he reached out and took the hand. "Thank you," he said as the raven pulled him up on his feet.

They headed down to the basement. There were two beds down there, a table with two chairs, and a closet.

"You should take this off," Harry said and poked the armour. "It needs repair work and Katla can probably do something about that at least. I know we have the tools with us." He walked over to one of the beds, took his backpack off and removed his fur blanket from it.

"Mine is upstairs," Ra'shall said. He grabbed the clasps that held the torso of his armour together. He pulled them open one by one.

Harry had gone back up to grab his backpack. It didn't take the teen long to come back down. He removed the feline's fur blanket as well and dumped it on the bed. Sitting down, he pulled his boots off. Since Katla had said they would stay for a while and Ra'shall was in such a bad condition, he figured he might as well change out of his armour. He switched clothes and looked up at the feline-man. "Come here," he said. "I'll give you a massage. You're so tense I can feel it from here."

Ra'shall chuckled out a snort.

"What?"

"You really have grown cub," the man said.

The raven rolled his eyes. "What did you expect… that I would shrink?" he said sarcastically. He moved slightly so the feline could lie down.

Ra'shall folded his arms under his head and closed his eyes slowly. For the first time in a month he felt completely safe. A weight settled over his lower back before strong hands started rubbing through his fur.

Slowly but surely he relaxed.

Soft purrs filled the cabin's basement.

…

When Katla came back and walked down the stairs, she could see Harry sitting on the same bed that Ra'shall seemed to have fallen asleep on. "How come you are sitting there?" she asked quietly.

Harry shrugged. "I gave him a massage so he would actually relax," he answered. "But by the time he'd fallen asleep his tail had grabbed on to me. I don't want to remove it since that might wake him up."

Katla closed her eyes and shook her head amused. "Well I guess you're stuck then," she said.

"Could you give me _A Game at Dinner_ , please," Harry asked. "It is in my backpack over there." He pointed.

Katla walked over to the pack and picked a book out. She checked the title before walking over to the raven with it. "Here you go," she said. "I'll be back down with some food in a little while."

"Thank you," Harry said. As Katla walked up the stairs to deal with lunch, he looked down at the book. He had been reading it a little to and fro. He was on page ten or so. He read through the pages until Katla came back with a plate filled with food. He placed the book to the side. "Thank you," he said as he accepted the plate. The grilled fish smelled heavenly. His hands let off a light frostbite to cool the food just enough for him to eat it. He opened one of the fish up and started picking the pink meat out. He hummed softly in delight.

Katla smiled softly. It was such a gratifying feeling to hear that hum. It showed how much the raven was enjoying the food. She looked back down at her own plate. Pale fingers broke the fish apart before it was raised to rosy lips and eaten.

…

After they were done eating, they spent some time going over what they'd learned so far. Harry translated the text he had copied down from the Word Walls. He wondered briefly just how he understood the dragons' written language. Sure, the written language was most likely man made; he somehow doubted that dragons could write. Their feet weren't really built for that.

Ra'shall didn't wake up at all during the evening. Harry had eventually managed to get away from him. As soon as he returned, however, the feline's tail had grabbed onto him once more. It was obvious that the man would feel …safer? ...more comfortable? – with Harry right there. He didn't mind. He'd have to remember to give the man the gem he had found the next day.

* * *

 _2nd of Rain's Hand, 4E 203. Turdas_

Harry turned around in bed carefully. Ra'shall's long black and white striped tail was wrapped around his torso. He wouldn't be able to sneak up this time around. The question now was if he should wake the man up before getting up or get up and thereby wake the man up. "Ra'shall," he said calmly. He reached out and shook the man's shoulder. "Ra'shall it's time to wake up."

Red tinted ears twitched. Teal eyes opened slowly.

Harry could feel the tail wrapped around him move. "You awake yet?" he asked.

The feline chuckled deeply. "I'm awake," he said. "So you ended up with me instead of Katla, huh?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't let me go. You've been holding on to me with your tail since you fell asleep yesterday," he said.

"Oh, but you're so cosy," the feline-man said. He watched his cub as the boy sat up. He knew why he'd been holding onto the teen. It had been so long since he'd been with his family that he had wanted to keep at least on of them as close as he could. Even though it had all been subconscious. He'd been asleep after all. He probably wouldn't have slept half as good if it hadn't been for Harry.

The boy had walked over to the small table in the middle of the room and sat down. He'd pulled his backpack with him and was rummaging through it. Ra'shall moved to sit on the edge of the bed. He felt a lot better than he had the day before. With a few more days of restful sleep he would be back on top. Standing up, he grabbed his own pack and moved over to the table. He had some things for Harry, and he might as well give the teen those now. He reached down into his somewhat cluttered pack glad that the things he was after were quite large. He found one of them and pulled it out. The stone was white with light-blue speckles. The reason he had grabbed it was because it held magic of some sort. He held it out to the raven. "I found this down in Cyrodiil," he said as he handed it over. "It holds some kind of magic, and I thought you might be interested." He smirked as the teen handed a pink stone over to him. "Well now that is nice," he said. "Thank you." He looked back down in his bag. "I have another stone for you. It is different from that one," he said. He found the teal stone and handed it over as well.

"Thank you," Harry said. He looked down at the two stones. They seemed to pulse with power. _'Well they definitely hold magic,'_ he thought. Hopefully he could figure out something to do with them eventually. He would have to figure out what they could do on their own first though. But he would have to be careful so the stones weren't used up.

"It's as far as I could find out a Welkynd Stone and a Varla Stone," Ra'shall said.

Harry nodded.

The rest of the morning went by in normal fashion.

…

The company, once again complete, made their way towards Karthwasten once they were done with their morning routine. Katla and Ra'shall helped the leader of the small town, Ainethach, get rid of some bothersome Nords, and they stocked up on food before heading off towards the dragon's lair.

They found a path leading east. They'd walked around the mountain north of the small town they'd had set out from, trying to find a path up the mountain.

Smoke was rising from a broken tower. As they made their way up the hill, they could see blood colouring the ground. Someone or something had approached the dragon's lair and died. Old mammoth rib bones lay next to the road. Blue mountain flowers grew within the bony cage.

Harry's eyes widened and he hurled as he saw the fresh remain of a burnt human. His stomach turned again and he bent over before throwing up his lunch. _'Why couldn't it just burn down properly when the dragon attacked him?'_ he thought. He raised a hand and sent off a bolt of fire towards the burnt corpse, before throwing up again.

A hand landed on his back as a bottle was held out for him. He reached out and took it. "Thank you," he said. The hand started rubbing his back soothingly. He uncorked the bottle and took a sip of water. Swirling it around his mouth for a few seconds, he tried to get rid of the bile taste before spitting the liquid out.

"Feeling better?" Ra'shall asked.

Harry nodded slowly. "A little," he said. While he had gotten more used to death in general throughout his stay on Nirn, he had not been ready to see that.

Standing back up slowly, he did his best to keep what little he still had in his stomach in place. Ra'shall's hand left his back. "Will you be alright now?" he asked.

Harry bit his bottom lip before answering, "I think so just give me a second." He reached up and removed his ebony bow from his back. An arrow was taken out of his quiver. "We can go on," he said. He really needed to pull himself together. He followed Katla slowly as Ra'shall moved on ahead of them.

There was more blood on the ground and another dead body. This one looked like he was an imperial.

Up ahead a dragon was lying on the ground. The two archers stopped as the assassin sneaked forward. The feline reached the scaled beast. He stabbed through the tough hide twice before the dragon started flapping its wings and taking to the air. A roar rose to the sky. Aligned arrows flew through the air and pierced the big leathery wings before burrowing in its side.

Fire spewed down over the ground. What little grass still remained around the lair caught fire.

Another set of arrows flew through the air. The dragon turned towards the people that hurt her. **_"Dir,"_** she called out.

The two jul lowered their stick shooters. They gathered their breaths. **_"Fo,"_** they called out together. Their frosty breaths hit her and she could feel how the cold seeped into her very soul. _'Well played Dovahkiin,'_ she thought as her wings gave out. Her eyes blinked close, and she felt a small presence touch her side. **_"Praan ko drem dovahreg,"_** a soft voice said.

 ** _"_** ** _Nox,"_** she whispered.

Harry stepped away from the dragon. Her magic would take care of her eventually. He walked up next to Katla and they headed towards the Word Wall.

 _Qethsegol vahrukiv kril_

 _Thjodrek wo dir zohungaar_

 _ko grah do vith okaaz_

The raven read.

 _'_ _This gravestone commemorates the brave Thjodrek who died heroically in the battle of the Serpent Sea,'_ he translated. He sat down on the ground in front of the stone wall. Taking his backpack off, he went searching for his notebook. He wanted to make sure he wrote everything down right.

As the teen sat there, Ra'shall searched through the immediate area. He didn't want to leave any stone unturned. Anything that could sell for good money was packed down in his knapsack. Katla on the other hand was standing by big parts of the ruined tower. She was looking out over the road.

They were going to travel back towards Markarth next. She had heard rumours of another ancient Nordic ruin that might hold a Word Wall since she had heard it had once housed a Dragon Priest.

They were heading for Ragnvald.


	22. Alduin's Bane

**Alduin's Bane**

 _6th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 204. Loredas_

Harry smiled as he walked into the great hall of Dragonsreach. Katla was sitting by the fire with Balgruuf's children. She smiled at the raven as she saw him.

Harry walked up closer so he could hear what she was saying.

"… I entered the great fort. Darkness spread through the halls. The only sound was the halting of undead. Their horned helmets clattered over the ground as their souls were finally laid to rest."

Harry smiled softly. Katla was telling a story he had heard before. When he had been told, however, Katla had not changed anything. She had been extremely blunt. Then again, he hadn't wanted her to sugar-coat anything. She was doing it now because Balgruuf's children had lived a sheltered life and didn't actually know much about the world outside of Whiterun's walls. He refocused on the story. It was a pretty good one after all.

"… spiders started walking the halls as I went deeper. Their webs covered the floor and walls. As I turned a corner and headed down a long dark corridor, a strange sound caught my attention. A long leg moved down over my shoulder slowly. I could hear how pincers moved apart behind me," Katla narrated darkly.

Harry hid his smile behind a hand. The children were spellbound. Dagny was hiding her face in her hands.

"Not willing to become spider food, I rolled away from the beast before pulling my greatsword. The long legged monster met its doom in that dark place as I pierced it with my mighty blade. I continued. Dark hallways gave way to a brightly lit room. Before me stood a stone pillar displaying an eagle. It was a puzzle. An eagle, a whale and a snake guided my path forward. Deeper and deeper into the temple I travelled. The living had not set foot in Skuldafn in a very long time. Old candles lined the walls. When they had last been lit the halls had been different, full of life. Dirt covered the floor and muted my steps. It was lucky for me. As I went up the last few steps of a spiral staircase, a strange growl had me turning around. A draugr stood behind me. My heart beat faster. I stopped breathing," Katla turned towards Dagny. The girl's eyes were wide. Amber eyes turned to Harry, and the raven caught her message. He stood up and moved over to the girl. He sat down with her. His arms wrapped around her tightly. She might be a brat at times, but he'd protect her all the same.

"Thankfully my eyes caught hold of an urn hanging above her head," Katla continued. "I raised my bow, an ebony arrow on the string. Fire rained down on the ground as the urn broke to pieces. Dancing yellow and orange, the fire spread over the oil covered ground. I broke up the dust so the fire wouldn't spread through the whole temple."

"You burned them to death?" Nelkir asked. "What did it look like?" His eyes were shining.

"Nelkir stop," Harry said. "Don't let her get a hold of you again."

The youngest of the group looked up at the raven. His eyes had widened. "I'm sorry," he said as he realised what he'd asked for. Dagny was looking at her younger brother in disgust. She could imagine way too well just what had happened to the undead. A shudder passed through her. The comforting arms around her tightened slightly. "It's O.K. honey," Harry whispered. She leaned back and buried herself in his warmth.

As the children settled back down, Katla picked her story up. "A lever raised the gate that blocked the path forward. Despair struck me as a dragon temple door appeared before me. I had no dragon claws with me. All that we had gathered before that I had left at home. I feared that I wouldn't be able to go on. A draugr guarded the door and lo and behold he held a claw in his grasp. I fitted it into the door. It opened up with a deep scratching sound. Snow swirled through the air outside. I had barely made it outside when two great dragons descended upon me. Their roars tore through the air. I answered their calls with fire."

Harry raised his hands and sent out a cloud of fire.

"WOW!"

There raven chuckled.

"Landing on either side of me, they had me surrounded. I slammed against the wall as they attacked. Ice blasted past me. Jaws slammed shut inches from my face. I could smell the rotten breath waft over me. Grabbing my greatsword, I slashed it across a golden snout. A growl escaped the beast, and I dodged a cloud of fire. I could smell something burning. Thankfully it was the spider webs that had stuck to me earlier. Pushing off the wall, I cast myself forward and mounted one of the dragons. He tried to throw me off, but as he attempted to lift, I raised my blade. Golden light spread from the dark-green scales. I turned my head to the other dragon and shouted. His wings fell heavily to the ground. Unable to fly, he roared in anger. My blade sharp and my spirit strong I charged on the golden beast. Claws clashed with dark steel before voices met in a mighty battle. It ended in a rush or rosy light like the setting of an autumn sun."

"Long stone steps led up to a dancing light. It was as if a small sun had been placed upon the ground with its rays spreading towards the sky. A hollow voice spoke up behind me. Lightning danced over the ground towards me. I dodged the blue arcs as I pulled a magic scroll from my belt. A fiery lady took her place beside me. Hot flames spread from her towards the Dragon Priest. Locked in a battle of flames and lightning, the priest didn't notice as I snuck up behind him. My sword tore through his abdomen. I forced it up and his dusty corpse fell apart before me. I picked his heavy metal mask up from the ashes before turning towards the now closed portal. Walking up on a raised platform, I saw an intricate symbol on the ground. I kneeled down and ran my fingers along it. There was an indentation running deep in the symbol. 'Is it a lock?' I wondered. 'If so where is the key?' My eyes scanned the area. The shining light had disappeared as the Dragon Priest had appeared. Maybe he held the key?"

"Katla," a hand landed on the woman's shoulder. She looked up. "Could you come and help me with some letters from Riften, please?" Balgruuf asked.

"Of course love," Katla said. She stood up.

"Oh but dad," Dagny whined.

"What is that pumpkin?" Balgruuf said and the girl huffed.

"Why don't you pick the story up Harry?" Katla asked the teen. "I'm sure you can tell it just as well as me."

The raven shrugged. "Sure why not," he said. He shifted in his chair to get more comfortable before picking up the story were his mother had left off, "Realising that she would get no further without the key to open the portal to Sovngarde, she walked back down the stairs and kneeled down next to the dusty remains of the Priest. Her frustration grew as she found nothing. Standing up, she turned to go back down into the temple when her foot hit something on the ground. It was sent clattering. She walked up to it and bent down. It was a priest's magic staff. Its head displayed a birds head its beak open. She took the staff with her back to the symbol and placed it down carefully. Light rose up before her as the seal opened up. A hand rose to the warriors face shielding her eyes. She walked forward her hand reached out into the light. It felt strangely solid almost like water flowing past her fingers." Harry shifted once more.

"Do I need to move?" Dagny asked.

"No it's fine honey," the raven said. "She knew that once she stepped through the light there would be no turning back. She would have to kill Alduin or die trying. 'I didn't get this far only to turn back now,' she muttered before stepping into the light. For hours she couldn't tell if she felt like she was falling or if she was soaring towards the sky. Beyond the light streaming around her, she could see nothing. She closed her eyes against the swirling light. She hit the ground with a thump. She almost fell over. Her eyes opened and she looked upon the world of the dead for the first time. It would not be her last she knew that. Chances were that she would return one day. Hopefully she would actually be dead next time. The stone around her looked like it was tainted in blue. Looking up, she could see a swirl of orange in the sky. 'Was that where I can from?' she wondered. She started walking down the wide stone steps before her slowly," he continued the story.

"Blue aurora danced through the sky. It occurred to the warrior that the light might be why everything looked blue. She hit a cloud bank. The fog was so thick that she could see no more than a few feet ahead of her. She slowed down. She considered clearing the path ahead of herself but didn't want to alert Alduin unnecessarily. Before her a Stormcloack soldier appeared suddenly. He warned her from entering the mist any further. It darkened the mind and left souls free for Alduin's taking. Not wanting to end up like other wandering souls, Katla changed her mind and took a deep breath before shouting, ' ** _Lok vah koor_**.' The mist cleared up before her. In the distance she could see a dragon taking flight. It was Alduin. The World Eater knew she had come. 'Great,' she mumbled."

"I made my way across the plain leading up to the Hall of Valour," Katla took over the story as she returned. "Alduin flew back and forth across the sky above me. My path to the great hall of the dead was blocked by a man. I asked him entry into the Hall of Valour, but he denied me saying that none may pass unless he saw them worthy. My sword was pulled from my back. I caught upon its blade the battleaxe that was wielded towards me. I threw him off. His voice rang through the air. If it was a shout it was not one I knew. Our blades clashed and sparks flew. Then I moved out of his path as he attacked me once more. I grabbed the handle of his axe as he raised it and kicked him back. Sword in one hand and axe in the other I walked up to him. 'I'm I worthy now?' I asked him. I held the axe's handle out to him. He grabbed it and I pulled him back on his feet. 'It would seem you have earned your passing into the Hall of Valour,' he said. 'You may pass.'

"The bridge was made out of dragon's bones. I walked across it slowly. It looked like the spine of a giant dragon. I reached the giant doors and opened them up to a warm well lit hall. A big table was filled with food. The orange glow of the fires cast light upon the people walking around the hall. As I walked down the broad steps, a man came walking up to me. He welcomed me as Dragonborn. He let me know that Shor had commanded them to sheath their weapons. Three of their number stood ready to join me in my fight against the mighty dragon. Gormlaith the Fearless, glad-hearted in battle; Hakon the Valiant, heavy-handed warrior; Felldir the Old, far-seeing and grim. The three would join me. His name was Ysgramor."

"You met the ancient leader of the Five Hundred Companions?" Hrongar asked.

Katla looked up at Balgruuf's younger brother. "Yes I did," she said. "He was very…" she didn't know quite how to phrase it. "I have never met a man quite like him before," she settled on.

"Who care about some dude," Nelkir said. "Continue with the story."

Katla chuckled as she turned back to the children. "Leaving the leader of men behind, I walked over to a group of people standing together in a tightly knit group," she picked the story up once more. "I recognised them. I had seen them once before. In my travel through time I had seen all three of them as they fought the World-Eater and sent him upon the currents of time. Together we ventured out to the mist. We shouted the earthbound cloud apart with our gathered voices. Lo and behold Alduin answered our call by spreading the thick fog once more. Our voices rung over the mountains once more and he answered us, but his strength was fading. A third time we cleared the mist and he came flying over the hills. I backed off as I readied my bow a black arrow on the string. Bow lowered I waited for the right time to strike. ' ** _Joor zah frul_** ,' I shouted. My voice tore through the air and tangled to the black dragon's wings. He was forced to the ground. I lifted my bow and aimed my shot. The arrow sailed through the air before burying into the World-Eater's shoulder. Arrow upon arrow, I fired."

"Alduin took flight once more. His mighty wings beat up a storm. He breathed fire upon the earth. I readied my voice before shouting him out of the sky once more. Arrows rained upon his body. As he took flight again, I placed my bow back where it belonged before pulling my greatsword. I was going to finish that dragon off no matter what. I dodged a spray of fire. I needed to bring him down once more. As his attention was pulled towards my companions, I moved out from my hiding place and shouted. With blade in hand I ran towards the trapped dragon. Sharp steal tore into hardened scales. I rolled away from the sharp fangs of the beast as he struck out towards me. Grabbing on to one of his horns I threw his head to the side before straddling his neck. I lifted my blade and rammed it straight down through the World-Eater's neck. Twisting the blade I saw how orange lines appeared all over the beast's body. I threw myself off him dropping my sword in the process."

Katla accepted a goblet that was handed to her by her son. "Thank you dear," she said. She took a deep gulp.

"Light spread from Alduin's body and then his scales were torn apart in a cloud of black. Swirling golden light scattered the darkness. The sky cleared up. The blue aurora gave way to all colours. Rich light filled the world. The gateman walked up to me. He helped me to my feet and praised my courage. My sword was given to me before I was asked if I wished to return to the world of the living where I belonged. ' ** _Nahl dal vus_** ,' he shouted as I accepted his offer. My head started spinning. I shut my eyes."

"Cold air hit my face. As I opened my eyes, I could see dragon's surrounding me. The sky was darkened and the snow thick on the ground beneath my feet. I spoke with Paarthurnax now the eldest of his kind. I hoped that dragon's would calm their attacks upon mankind. The old dragon would try to take control over his race. And so the Dragonborn brought about the end to the Dragon Crisis," Katla finished.

Harry smiled as he looked upon the somewhat disappointed faces of the children around him. It was obvious to him that they hadn't wanted the story to end. _'Oh, well,'_ he thought. _'Guess it is time to get back to my research.'_


	23. Rise my Queen!

**Rise my Queen!**

 _14th of Second Seed, 4E 204. Fredas_

Haafingar Hold was a beautiful place in the summer. At least if you stayed away from the marches. The whole trip had started in Whiterun when an envoy from Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone of Morthal had arrived. The Jarl had asked for the Dragonborn's presence. Since Katla didn't want to travel into what could be enemy territory alone, she had brought Ra'shall and Harry with her.

They had arrived in the marsh city and spoken to the somewhat strange woman. She had claimed that in a vision she had been told that joining with Whiterun was the future. She had signed a peace agreement with Katla and was now neutral in the Civil War.

After that they had travelled east until they came upon the small mining community of Stonehill where the foreman, Pactur, had asked them to deliver a message to Thane Bryling the owner of the mine. That was the reason they had been heading through Haafingar Hold. Bryling lived in Solitude the capital of the hold. They had taken a detour down into Dead Men's Respite on the way. In there they had learned the second word of Whirlwind Sprint.

Now, however, they were walking through the streets of Solitude. The sun was shining brightly. Children were running around chasing each other laughing happily. The three travellers were an unusual sight in the city. They were openly armed, and all of them were wearing well treated armour. Once in a while a mercenary would come by the city, but they usually travelled alone.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Harry said quietly. "Last time Ra'shall and I were here we told people that he was a body guard my mother had hired for my safety."

Katla snorted and rolled her eyes. "So we are doing a bit of role-playing then," she said. "At least you didn't come up with something extravagant."

Harry shrugged. "It was the best I could do so people wouldn't be so suspicious of us. If I hadn't come up with something people might have thought that Ra'shall had kidnapped me or something. You know what they think about Khajiit around Skyrim," he said.

The woman sighed. "Yes I know," she said.

They passed the Bard's Collage on their way to the Blue Palace. Music could be heard coming from the dour building. It filled the air and lightened the mood of anyone close enough to hear it.

Katla walked a head of her companions as they approached the palace. She wanted to make sure that the guard wouldn't hinder their progress. Speaking with the man, she learned that there was some kind of trouble going on past Dragon Bridge. She bid him a good day before heading into the palace with her son and her closest friend.

As they walked up the stairs to Jarl Elisif's court, they could hear a man's voice, "I swear to you, unnatural magics are coming from that cave! There are strange noises and lights! We need someone to investigate!" he said.

"Then we will immediately send out a legion to scour the cave and secure the town. Haafingar's people will always be safe under my rule," the young female Jarl responded.

"Oh my, she is still so eager," Katla said quietly. "Doesn't think before she speaks."

"…thank you, my Jarl. Thank you," the man said.

A woman stepped forward and turned to the Jarl. "Your eminence, my scrying has suggested nothing in the area. Dragon Bridge is under imperial control. This is likely superstitious nonsense," she said.

"Perhaps a more... tempered reaction... might be called for?" a brown haired man said calmly.

"Oh. Yes, of course you are right. Falk, tell Captain Aldis I said to assign a few extra soldiers to Dragon Bridge," Elisif said.

"So easily convinced. So easily steered in whatever direction the people around her think is best," Ra'shall mumbled.

"Thank you, Jarl Elisif. But about the cave…"

"I will have someone take care of the cave as well Varnius, you can rest easy. You're dismissed," the brown-haired man said.

The man, Varnius bowed before he headed started walking towards the stairs. He passed Katla, and the woman reached out and grabbed his arm. "If you wait for us by the Winking Skeever. We will travel with you back to Dragon Bridge and take a look at that cave for you," she said.

Varnius eyes widened. He looked over at the woman's two companions before nodding. "I will wait for you ma'am," he said wondering if that wasn't a big mistake. Could they afford a set of mercenaries?

As the man walked out of the palace, Katla walked up to Bryling. She informed the woman of the belated shipment from her mine. The thane was grateful for the news. She had started getting seriously worried. It was obvious from her demeanour that she held great respect for the warrior woman. Whether that was because she knew who Katla was, or if it was because she held respect for warriors, they couldn't tell. She and Katla kept talking for quite some time before the brown-haired man that had spoken earlier walked up to them.

He asked to speak with Katla and Thane Bryling moved aside. "I couldn't help but notice that you stopped Varnius. You wouldn't happen to be willing to help with the problems they seem to be having over there?" he asked.

Katla nodded. "I have already offered him our help, sir," she said.

"Ah that is good," the man said. "I am Jarl Elisif's steward, Falk, and I would be grateful if you could report back here on anything you find down in that cave. I doubt that it is anything serious going on. Varnius is a bit jumpy, but your help is appreciated none the less. There have been reports of travellers disappearing along the road to Whiterun."

Katla nodded. "My companions and I will look into it. If it is anything serious we'll come back here with a full report," she said.

"You." The voice sounded angry.

Katla turned towards the Jarl. "Jarl Elisif," she said with a small bow.

"How dare you show yourself here?" the young lady said.

Katla tilted her head to the side. "I came here delivering a message to Thane Bryling," she said. "Now I am going travel over to Wolfskull Cave and look into what is going on over there."

"And who said you were welcome in my Hold after what you did at High Hrothgar," the woman exclaimed angrily. "You put all our lives at risk."

Katla took on a neutral expression. "I did what needed to be done to end the Dragon Crisis," she said. The young woman really could hold a grudge. That had happened years ago.

"You…"

"Lady Elisif calm yourself," another woman said.

"I am simply here to help your people something that your precious imperial army can't seem to bring themselves to do," Katla said. She turned to walk away when she remembered something. "Oh, and before I forget you have lost Morthal to the White Peace," she said. "Jarl Idgrod signed the agreement about four days ago." She didn't stay to hear what impact those words had on the young Jarl.

The brunette led the way back through the city. She headed in to the Winking Skeever and looked around. She located Varnius and walked over to him. "You are having troubles down by Wolfskull Cave, don't you?" she asked.

Varnius nodded. "There is some kind of strange light coming from the cave at odd hours. Together with noises that makes your skin crawl," he said. "I… I don't … we cannot pay you. I don't want to get our town in trouble…"

Katla smiled. "Don't worry about that," she said. "I happen to be the Jarl of Whiterun's wife. I don't need money. We will help you for the sake of the adventure it will provide. Not for a monetary reward."

The balding man's eyes widened. "Why… th…thank you my lady," he stuttered. He'd had no idea that the woman was so important.

"Shall we eat here before we leave, ma'am?" Ra'shall asked Katla. The brunette looked up at him. "I do believe that is a good idea," she said. "Arrange for it, will you."

…

Harry hummed a soft tune as he walked. He had ended up a bit behind the rest of the company. Ahead of him Katla was talking to Varnius. The man was really awkward around her. Apparently her title made it impossible to talk to her.

Ra'shall had run on ahead of them mostly because he didn't want to listen to the man. Why people had to get all affected by stature he would never know. His teal eyes scanned the path as he ran. There weren't all that many creatures about thankfully. He didn't feel like dealing with beasts that just wanted to defend their territory.

He sneered at a Thalmor delegation. Not wanting to deal with them, he took off into the wilderness next to the road. He moved on quickly. Soon enough he could see straw clad houses in the distance. _'Finally,'_ he thought. They could get down to business and get rid of the awkward Imperial. He sat down on the railing of the first house in town.

Harry rolled his eyes as the Thalmor threatened him. He wasn't going to great them with an answer. They were just rude. It wasn't all that strange that Nords hated them. They really thought that they were so much better than everyone else. It irked him.

His familiar came back down to him after a fly around. "Hey Ven honey," he said. He had decided to name his familiar. Ven meant wind in dragon-tongue. "Seen anything interesting?" he asked. The griffin screeched at him. "You dealt with it, huh?" he asked. Another screech. "That's good honey." He looked up at Katla. The woman had stopped and was turning towards him. A loud whistle sounded through the air. "Can you go check on that honey?" the raven asked Ven.

Katla closed her eyes and shook her head. Just because she knew the name of the place that didn't mean she knew where it was. She thought that the cave would lie on the road between Dragon Bridge and Whiterun not up in the mountains way north of Dragon Bridge. She looked up at the sky as Harry's familiar came flying. "Hey honey," she said. "We're going back the way we came."

The griffin cooed before taking off once more.

Katla waited until Ra'shall had joined up with her. "What is it?" he asked.

"You know I'm a very patience person," Katla said. "But I want to strangle that man." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "We're not even supposed to be down here. The blasted cave lies half a mile to the north."

Ra'shall looked at her disbelievingly. "Then how is it creating problems between Whiterun and…" he shook his head. "That means we have to head back and take the road going north back up the way."

Katla nodded.

…

The road was steep. It was laid with stones, but it had been such a long time since the empire had been in control properly that the roads were falling apart.

"How can this place disturb them so much?" Harry asked. "It lies like way…"

"I don't know Harry dear," Katla said irritably. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Either way, we'll look into the rumours surrounding the place."

Harry smiled softly at her. She was just a tad bit angry at people for not being clearer about where they needed to go.

Two skeletons guarded the cave entrance - _guarded_ being the word.

The cave itself was lined with torches. A draugr patrolled slowly.

Harry moved forward and placed a lightning filled hand against the undead's unguarded back. The bolts travelled along the gray skin as they rippled through dry flesh. A low rasping was heard as the undead took its last breath.

As they continued, they came upon two magic users. Their demeanour and their clothing pointed towards them being necromancers.

Ra'shall looked back at Harry as he cleaned his sword off. "Sometimes death is necessary," he said darkly.

The raven nodded slowly. "I know that Ra'shall," he said. "That doesn't mean I need to like it." He walked up to a door and pulled it open slowly. The two necromancers had been sitting by a fire. Now that fire was consuming their bodies. He moved down the next corridor carefully. He didn't want to smell their burnt flesh. He loosened his blade slightly as he kept going. Walking out into a bigger cavern, he sprinted up to a skeleton and slashed it down with his blade.

A frozen mist sprayed towards the raven. He rolled to the side and raised a magical shield. The skin of his back and left shoulder was unpleasantly cold. He shifted his ebony blade and moved forward avoiding the draugr's battleaxe. His sword buried itself in the undead's chest. His nose scrunched. _'Kyne you stink,'_ he thought. He pushed the monster away as a sharp pain flared through his lower back.

"Oh, no you don't."

Harry turned around as he placed a hand over the flaring pain in his back. A golden glow spread over his fingers.

In front of him Katla was pulling her greatsword back out of a woman. Harry placed a hand over his mouth and hurled as the woman's intestines flowed out over the floor. He didn't throw up, but it had surprised him. He raised a hand and sent out a mist of ice so that the scent wouldn't spread.

"We have to drop down here," Katla said. She looked over at Harry. "All healed?"

The raven nodded.

"You go first," Ra'shall said. He walked over to the chasm so he could help her down. Her armour clanked as she hit the floor. "There is no one down here," she called up. "Come down Harry."

The raven walked over to the chasm while doing his beast not to step on the intestines on the floor. Ra'shall grabbed his hand before helping him down the hole. The teen landed next to Katla.

"I'm sorry **_kulsezii_** ," she said.

Harry looked up at her. "It's O.K." he said. "It's not like you knew that would happen." He backed away so he wouldn't be in Ra'shall's way. "I'll be O.K."

The feline landed softly and the trio started making their way deeper into the cave.

Blue light danced through the next room. Well, it wasn't so much a room as it was a huge cave with a fort built inside it. A female voice sounded strong throughout the cave, "Wolf Queen. Hear our call and awaken. We summon Potema."

"We summon Potema," a choir off voices echoed.

"Long have you slept the dreamless sleep of death, Potema. No longer. Hear us Wolf Queen. We summon you!" the woman continued.

"We summon Potema."

Harry looked up at the glowing blue orb that the blue streams gathered to. "We need to get up there somehow," he said softly.

Ra'shall looked over. "I can climb down the cliffside and then back up the tower, but I guess you guys will need to find another way," he said.

Katla nodded. She looked down at Harry. "Can you guide us there?" she asked.

A pale hand rose up in front of the raven. Light blue light spread between his fingers as he concentrated. Breathing in, breathing out. Before his mind's eye a path flickered by. As he opened his eyes once more, there was a streak of blue spreading out before him.

"Good," Ra'shall said. "I'll meet you guys over there." He moved over to the side of the cliff and dropped down.

Katla shook her head - a smile spreading over her face. "We should get going so he won't be alone over there," she said.

"Yeah, that wouldn't end well," Harry said. He turned to walk along the light he had conjured. Katla followed closely in his footsteps as they headed down a small tunnel. They walked through the darkness carefully. Harry reached out towards a draugr slowly, a dark blue orb of magic in his palm. He moved to the side so that Katla could cut the undead down. He'd lifted a soul gem and it glowed softly as power filled it.

Dirt and earth changed to stone. Necromancers walked around the ruined fort. Red glows filled the raven's hands. He would deal with most of the grunts since they probably didn't know a thing about what was going on above. In the distance he could still hear the summoners chanting. _'Hope we'll get there in time,'_ he thought. He had no idea what would happen if they actually managed to summon Potema.

Katla cut the head off a draugr. "It's really dark down here," she said.

"Yeah, unfortunately I can't light it up 'cause they'll know we're here if I do," Harry said.

They had started moving up towards the giant orb located at the top of the tower. As they got closer to the top, a demanding regal voice called, "Yes, yes! Return me to this realm!"

"That is not good," Harry whispered.

"As our voices summon you … the blood of the innocent binds you wolf queen," the female in control of the ritual called. "Summoned with words. Bound by blood," her choir sounded.

"Now that doesn't sound right," Katla said.

"What! What are you doing you fools you cannot bind me to your will!" Potema shouted.

"No it doesn't. She really isn't happy," Harry commented. "Either way we don't want her back." He placed a hand against the rough stone of the tower wall. It was cold and moist. In his other hand he rolled his sword.

"Summoned with words. Bound by blood," the people up the stairs chanted.

A ghostly whistle sounded through the cave.

"Something is wrong," the female in control said. "There is an intruder." Footsteps could be heard from above. It was too late for them though. Harry and Katla had picked up their speed. Weapons drawn, they sprinted out on the small platform where the ritual was taking place. A shield appeared in front of Harry. He grabbed on to one of the necromancers and pushed him off the tower.

"Aaaarrrrrhhhhh."

The raven turned to catch a frozen spike with his shield. Katla turned and ran her sword through the woman that had attacked him as Ra'shall sent another man flying over the edge. Lightning spread over the palm of his hands as he let his shield fall. "Move," he called out before he sent his spell off. It danced from person to person in big arcs.

Another man was sent flying over the side of the tower.

"I suggest you give up unless you'd like to join your friends on the cave floor," Ra'shall said.

"Never," the woman before them hissed out.

Harry sighed and raised his hand. A copper glow appeared, and he pulled the woman's knife out of her hand. "Just give up lady," he said. "You are not going to win here." He moved forward and grabbed onto her before forcing her down on the ground, lightning once again dancing in his hands.

The woman hissed in pain.

"Just answer the lady's questions," Harry said irritably. "You don't want piss her off." He grabbed on to her hair and pulled her head up.

"Fuck off brat," the woman spat.

Ra'shall hissed at her as he pulled out a bottle. "Open her mouth up," he told the raven, and the teen shifted so he could grab on to the woman's nose. She struggled against his hold for a minute or so then her mouth fell open. Ra'shall poured the contents of his bottle down her throat. She tried to break free off her captor once more. Her body went limp as the potion took effect. A whimper escaped her.

Blue eyes opened wide. A blood curdling scream escaped her lips. "No get away from me! Leave me alone!" She tried to get away. Next to her the man that they had caught was staring from person to person. He was shaking.

"So how about you?" Ra'shall asked after the woman had let out another terrified scream. "Are you going to answer our questions?"

The man swallowed thickly before nodding slowly.

"Good," The feline-man said calmly almost friendly. "Why were you trying to summon Potema?" he asked.

The man looked over to his boss as she screamed once more. "We wanted to learn from her," he answered the people around him. "She was one of the greatest Necromancers ever to walk this earth… We wanted to learn…" He looked down at his hands. "But I think that maybe Sonja had other ideas…" he said shakily. "We were going to bind her soul so that she could not attack anyone…"

Katla snorted. "You just said she was the most powerful necromancer to ever live… how could you possibly believe that she would allow you to control her?" she said.

"I… I don't know," the man said. "Sonja seemed convinced we could do it."

"And now look at her," Ra'shall said. "Trapped within her own mind. Living her own nightmares." He tilted his head to the side. "You will come with us to Solitude, and you will behave or you will end up just like her."

The man looked over at his leader. She had curled into herself and was crying hysterically. He swallowed thickly. He did not want to end up like her. "I'll go with you," he said. "Just… please don't hurt me."

"We won't hurt you as long as you behave," the Khajiit said. He grabbed onto the man's arm. "Come on now. Let's go." He pulled the man up on his feet.

…

Harry breathed in deeply. He placed a hand over his face. _'How could I do that?'_ he asked himself. He had tortured that woman. Yes, she was trying to resurrect a dangerous necromancer, but that didn't mean he had a right to hurt her.

"Are you O.K.?" Katla asked softly.

Harry looked up at her. "I don't know," he answered. "I'll have to work it over. I'll let you know if I need to talk to someone."

Katla nodded. She was worried but knew that if Harry wanted help he would come to her. She grabbed on to Sonja tighter before she started walking down the road.

The raven moved away from the rock face he'd been leaning against. He followed the grown-ups slowly, deep in thought.

The road back to Solitude took longer on the way back then it had done there. It wasn't so strange since they now had two more people with them; one of which was somewhat incapacitated. Her mind was in shambles. It would heal eventually once the poison had worn off, but it would take time.

Considering the hour they arrived back in town at, Harry headed for the inn instead of going with the grown-ups to the palace. He ordered a room and changed out of his armour slowly. Lost in thought he sat down on the bed and disappeared into his mindscape. He barely twitched as Ra'shall and Katla joined him.

…

 _15th of Second Seed, 4E 204. Loredas_

Katla woke Harry up early in the mourning so they could leave. She disappeared downstairs as soon as he showed that he was awake.

The teen sat up slowly and yawned. His mind felt clearer. He was more at ease with himself. He got out of bed slowly before heading down after his mother. They were going to eat and then they would go back home.

When they arrived in Whiterun that evening Adrianne walked up to them from her forge. There were tears in her eyes.

"What is wrong?" Katla asked. She reached out and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Gerdur is dead," the Imperial woman said.

Amber eyes widened. Katla pulled the other woman into a hug. Gerdur was a good friend of Anne's. Katla herself knew the woman quite well. She'd lived in Riverwood. She'd run the lumber mill that Katla and Ra'shall had prefer going to while building their house.

Gerdur would be missed that much was certain.

"Will you come with me?" Adrianne asked. "To her funeral."

Katla nodded. "We'll go with you," she said.

Adrianne wiped her tears from her face. "Thank you," she said. "I'm leaving in the morning."

"We'll be here at the break of dawn," Katla said soothingly. She hugged her friend close once more.

* * *

 _27th of Mid Year, 4E 204. Turdas_

"Are you Lady Katla?"

"Yes."

"I have a letter for you from the steward of Solitude. He seemed shaken."

Katla reached out to accept the letter. "Thank you," she said. She took farewell of the man before she opened the letter up. _'What can Falk want with me?'_ she wondered.

 _Katla,_

 _Over the last few days we've had some disturbing_

 _information come to light regarding the events at_

 _Wolfskull_ _Cave_ _and the summoning and binding_

 _ritual you interrupted there._

 _Given your involvement with that event I'm_

 _asking you to return to Solitude to help us once_

 _more. I'm wary of putting all the details in print,_

 _please come see me at the Blue Palace._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Falk Firebeard_

Katla hurried back to Lakeview Manor. She dumped her groceries in the kitchen before heading up the stairs. "Ra'shall! Harry!" she called. She walked into Harry's room where the teen sat in his bed with papers filled with diagrams spread all around him. The feline-man joined them his expression inquisitive. "They've got problems with Potema back in Solitude. Falk is asking for my presence so he can tell me exactly what is going on," Katla informed them. "We should go deal with this. It could become really dangerous."

Ra'shall sighed. "There goes those potions," he muttered. Shaking his head he walked back to his lab so he could get rid of the work he had begun. While he could have opted to stay behind, he didn't want to do that. If Potema was back in any form, they would all need to be there to deal with it.

In the meantime harry gathered his papers together. He felt like he was close to a break through. Hopefully getting out would help him. He'd gotten stuck and it was really frustrating. Grabbing his backpack, he dumped its contents all over his bed. _'I have way too much junk,'_ he thought. He didn't have time to go through it all right then. He would have to do it when they got back.

Thankfully the three companions managed to catch a carriage that was headed for Rorikstead. They spent the night in Frostfruit Inn that night and fortunately got the opportunity to go with a farmer up to Dragon Bridge. From there they walked, but the road between Dragon Bridge and Solitude wasn't long.

…

 _28th of Mid Year, 4E 204. Fredas_

Katla headed up to the Blue Palace on her own.

On her way back she was shaking her head in exasperation. _'Elisif really needs to learn that things change,'_ she thought. The young Jarl was so childish. Amber eyes scanned over the shopping district.

A brown eyebrow was raised as she saw Harry. The raven was leaning against the wall of the Winking Skeever. There was a woman standing with him. _'Now what are you up to?'_ Katla wondered. She walked forward slowly. Green eyes looked up and met hers. The woman he was standing with leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," Katla heard her say before she turned around and hurried past her.

Harry walked up to his mother. "Any luck?" he asked.

Katla rolled her eyes. "We have to go talk to the caretaker of the Hall of the Dead," she said. "So, what was that about?" She looked over at the woman that Harry had been talking to.

The raven shrugged. "People were being mean to her so I pulled her aside. We spoke some; I guess she liked what I said," he said nonchalantly.

Katla burst out laughing. "Oh my, what happened to the boy that would blush at the drop of a hat," she teased him. She looked up at the alchemical shop door as it opened and Ra'shall came walking outside. "If you are done shopping and Harry is done picking up girls then maybe we could get going," she said.

The feline's ears twitched. "Picking up girls?" he said questioningly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It ain't my fault she wanted to kiss me," he said. "I was just being nice."

"Oh, is that how it is," Katla said her voice teasing once more. It started an argument that lasted until the opened the doors to the Hall of the Dead.

Silence spread over them.

"Day's blessings to you," Katla said.

"You must be the ones that Falk spoke so highly of. Welcome," the orange dressed priest said.

"I would believe so Father," the woman said. "He sent us here saying that you have information on Potema."

"Ah, yes Potema," Styrr said. "Her spirit has been released upon this world. She had made her way to her old catacombs which are filled with dead willing to serve her. One of her servants burst through the wall into the temple burial chambers. We managed to get rid of it, but there will be more. We need you to travel down into the catacombs and banish Potema. You are connected to her so you need to do this. Bring what is left of her remains back here and we will put her to rest."

Katla nodded. "We will do our best," she said. She turned to Harry and Ra'shall. "Should we go down now or should we head down first thing tomorrow morning?" she asked.

Ra'shall shrugged. "We might as well go down now," he said. "It will be dark down there no matter when we go down."

"We have everything we need. We might as well go now," Harry said.

Styrr led them through the city over to the Temple of the Divines. He stopped by a closed gate. The jiggle of keys caught every ones' ears. The gate was unlocked. "May the Divines be with you," the priest said.

Katla bowed her head in response before she and her companions headed down into what seemed to be a long since abandoned part of the temple. Dust covered the floor. Spider webs hung from the ceiling. Old furniture was stacked up against the walls.

They delved deeper into the crypt.

A vampire had taken up residence down there. She sent draugr at them, but Ra'shall and Katla were used to dealing with blood suckers. Ones like this one did not respond well to fresh blood. The only way to deal with them was to kill them. The raven took care of the undead as Katla and Ra'shall cornered the bloodsucker and killed her.

They travelled on for a while longer before settling down in an empty hallway. A meal was shared between them before they settled down for the night.

…

Harry tossed and turned.

The raven sat up slowly. Something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. In the distance he could see fire light. He got up on his feet. Darkness filled the land. Step by step he moved closer to the burning fire. He was cautious.

By the fire sat a woman. Her long sand coloured hair fell down over her bare back.

"Excuse me," Harry said.

The woman stood up slowly before turning around. Mesmerising turquoise eyes looked up at him. A smile spread over her lips. "Thank you for helping me," she said. Her voice was smooth and rich.

"You are welcome," Harry said, not knowing how he'd helped her. He took a step back. He did not know who the woman was.

Warm finger touched his face. "What is wrong dear?" the woman asked. "You seem tense. Why don't you sit down and relax." Her hand travelled down to his before she grasped it tightly. She pulled him closer to the fire. "Sit down with me," she said, her suggestion inviting.

Harry sat down next to her. She leaned against him, her warmth spreading onto him. Her nimble fingers reached up to comb through his hair. "Thank you for stopping those pesky necromancers. You have done me a great service," she said.

Harry shifted away from her. "I have never met you before," he said. "How could I have helped you?" He turned to look down at her. That gnawing feeling at back of his head increased.

"Oh, but we have met before young mage," she said.

A strange sound tore through the darkness. Harry stood up slowly. _'What was that?'_ he wondered. He scanned the darkness. **_"Laas yah nir,"_** he whispered. A red shimmer appeared in the darkness. Fire danced around his right hand. In his left he could feel the woman's hand grasp his.

"What are those things?" she asked.

"I don't know," Harry answered. "Can you fight?"

"I…" the woman seemed to hesitate and the feeling of wrongness in Harry increased, "I don't have my weapons with me," she answered.

The raven nodded slowly. "O.K. just stay close to me," he said. He pulled his hand away from hers and raised it. A shining light spread from his fingers, and he threw it across the darkness. The ground before them was lit up. At the edges of the light Harry could see undead halting around. He raised his burning palm and sent the fire towards their enemies.

For hours they travelled through blackness. The only light being what Harry produced.

Finally they reached a glade faintly lit up by the moons in the sky above.

"Can we rest here?" the woman asked.

Harry looked over at her. "Of course," he said. He had no idea how for how long they had been walking, but he was feeling tired. He sat down with his back against a fallen log. His eyes closed. Suddenly he could feel finger treading through his hair. It was soothing.

* * *

 _29th of Mid Year, 4E 204. Loredas_

"Ra'shall!" "Ra'shall wake up!"

The dark furred feline yawned as he sat up. "What is wrong?" he asked tiredly.

"Harry is gone!"

Teal eyes opened; the feline suddenly wide awake. He scanned the area and Katla was right. Harry's things were still there but he was not. He breathed in. The teen's scent was weak. "He must have been gone for hours," he stood up. He sniffed around. "He's gone deeper into the catacombs."

"We have to go after him," Katla said.

Ra'shall shook his head as he asked, "But why would he have gone down there on his own?"

"I don't know," Katla said. "I don't know." She lifted her son's backpack up. They needed to bring it with them. As they packed up, an ebony sword clattered out on the ground. "He's unarmed," Katla said as she picked the blade up. His bow was attached to his pack after all.

"He's got his magic," Ra'shall said. "He won't be in too much trouble. All we need to do is hurry."

They grabbed some bread and cheese from Katla's pack before they started heading down deeper into the catacombs. On their way they found several dead vampires and draugr. They had burns on their bodies.

"Killed by magic," Ra'shall said.

"So Harry took them out," Katla said.

"Yes, but why did he kill the vampire? He doesn't like doing that," Ra'shall asked.

"I have no idea," Katla said. She was worried sick. What was going on? Where had he disappeared off to? Why had he left without telling them?

They passed through an area that was lit up by the sun outside. The temple had changed to caves. A lever had been used to open the path up. They passed an alchemy lab and pulled a door open. Draugr were patrolling the path now.

"Don't worry I can still smell him and I can't sense that there is anything wrong," Ra'shall said.

"I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse."

As they continued deeper into the cave system, they entered a room filled with dead bodies. "This makes you just a bit uneasy when you're dealing with a necromancer," Katla mumbled.

"As long as they don't come back to life, I don't really care," Ra'shall said.

Blue.

The whole room was bathed in blue.

"You have come far mortal, but can you stand against my inner council? Let's see," Potema said. In the centre of a big glowing ball of light the spirit of the Wolf Queen took shape. Beams of light spread from the centre and hit the sarcophaguses.

Cracked stone fell to the ground.

Katla and Ra'shall moved into the room. They pulled their swords as they entered the room.

"Where is my son?" Katla shouted angrily. She grabbed the handle of an axe aimed at her before bashing it back into the undead's face. She raised her greatsword to catch an old rusted blade. Her sword tore through the man's body, and he fell dead to the ground.

The orb sailing above them shrank as magic hit the graves. More draugr forced their way out of their resting places.

"This is just silly," Ra'shall said. He slit an undead's throat open. "We have killed numerous draugr before lady. This is nothing."

"Don't applaud yourselves so soon worms," Potema responded.

The feline snorted. _'Well I didn't expect her to acknowledge that,'_ he thought.

 ** _"_** ** _Krii lun,"_** Katla shouted sending a mist of purple towards the approaching enemies.

Slash

Duck

Thump

Slash

A last wave of light was sent out over the room before Potema's spirit left through a door at the far end of the room.

As the last draugr fell to the ground, the door Potema had disappeared through opened. Katla and Ra'shall made their way over quickly.

"Harry!"

Ra'shall grabbed onto Katla's arm. "Something isn't right," he said.

"Can you kill him?" Potema asked. "If not this will be you doom. Either way when you die I will raise you as my servants." She leaned down over the teen's shoulder. "Wake up dear," she said softly.

Green eyes opened up slowly. A strange sheen covered his irises. "What is wrong?" he asked. He looked around the glade he'd fallen asleep in. There was someone there just at the tree edge. He stood up slowly. Fire spread around his fingers.

"There is someone out there," the woman said.

He turned to glance at her. "I can see that," he said. His senses were screaming at him.

"Let him go," Katla demanded.

"Why would I," Potema said triumphantly. She wasn't sure for how much longer she could hold the boy. She would make him kill the other two before he took control back though. If they died, they wouldn't be able to resist her influence.

Harry moved forward. He threw up another magelight blinding his mother and uncle. _'O.K. since when did my vision go bad again?'_ he wondered. The shapes before him were too blurry for him to see. The rest of the glade was perfectly sharp though.

"What is wrong love?" the woman asked.

"Love?" Harry said and turned towards her. "I barely know who the hell you are. Love is a bit impudent don't you think?" The glade glitched.

"Don't you remember love?" the woman asked. She walked up to him and placed a hand against his cheek.

Flames spread all around the raven. "Get back," he hissed. She was trying to get into his head. His fists clenched. Then his eyes widened in realisation. They had been inside his head all along. The glade disappeared. Blue grass spread out under their feet. Above their heads the sky was tinted orange and pink like the sunset.

"What is going on?" the woman asked confused.

Harry breathed in slowly. She had managed to somehow enter his outer shields and taken control over him. He hadn't noticed because she hadn't really made him do anything that went against his principles. _'I'll have to look into how she did that later,'_ he thought. "Get the fuck out of my head," he said angrily. The grass caught fire.

And then… she was gone.

The fire disappeared.

~Harry~

~Harry~

"Harry."

The raven's body collapsed. Katla caught him. "Harry, are you alright?" she asked.

*Breathing… in … and out … slowly. "Ask me when I have managed to sort my head out," Harry said.

"She isn't in with you anymore though, right?"

Black hair flew around as the raven shook his head. "No, I threw her out. She couldn't get in that deep either," he said. "As soon as she tried I realised what was going on." He was helped up on his feet. "Thank you," he said.

"You are welcome **_kulsezii_** ," Katla said. She watched Ra'shall as he walked up to the throne Potema had been sitting on and picked her skull up. "I guess we should get this back to Styrr as fast as possible," he said.

Thankfully the area beyond the throne was open to the weather. Wind blew down through the chimney like structure. It helped Harry relax some. He felt violated. Having someone messing with his head was really disturbing. The path didn't lead anywhere though.

Ra'shall had walked on ahead. He came back and let the others know that they would have to take the long way back.

"Just give me a moment," Harry said. He sank down on the ground and placed his hands over his face.

They stayed long enough to eat some lunch before they headed back to the Hall of the Dead and Styrr. Harry felt a little better once the remains were dealt with. They decided to head out of the city instead of staying in the Winking Skeever after Katla had been up to talk to Falk.

.

.

Harry would spend hours and hours the following days as they wandered back home trying to strengthening his mind-shields. He didn't want anyone else to be able to get in.


	24. Blessing of Nature

**Blessing of Nature**

 _3rd of Mid Year, 4E 205. Tirdas_

Harry sighed heavily. _'Why on Nirn did I think that was a good idea?'_ he wondered. He was on his way down from High Hrothgar. Now, don't take him wrong his tinvaak with Paarthurnax had been well worth it. The old dragon had taught him a lot. In many ways both the old dragon and the Greybeards like him better than they liked Katla. It probably had something to do with him being less likely to attack and kill people. It had been tedious to climb up and down the stupid mountain though.

The little village of Ivarstead looked so peaceful. Harry smiled softly. He actually liked the quiet little hamlet. Sure, it probably would get really boring if he lived there, but it was nice to pass through it from time to time. He wouldn't be staying though. He needed to pick some things up in Windhelm before heading back to Whiterun. He walked up to a black mare and pulled her saddle up from the ground. He saddled the horse before running his fingers through her mane. "Come one Midun let's get going," he said before mounting her.

Bees buzzed around them as they headed down along the White River. The sun was shining brightly from a cloudless sky. It was past midday but he still had plenty of time to get to the City of the Bear. He'd spent the past year or so learning how to ride. Considering that he was planning on going off to the College on his own, Balgruuf had decided that he needed to learn how to ride. It had been easier than he'd expected. And it had been really fun once he had stopped hurting.

"By Oblivion what is going on up there," the raven mumbled. He could see a caravan of Khajiit up the road. They were surrounded by people. "Come on Midun. Let's go help them out," he told his steed. To the north Windhelm lay in all its massive glory. He passed by the bridge and led the dark mare up amongst the humans. "What is going on here?" he asked, his tone demanding an answer.

"How's that any of yar business kid?" one of the men said. He tried and failed to seem threatening.

"Oh, let's see," Harry said as he pulled his sword from his belt. "Maybe it is my business because I don't approve of it."

The men laughed. "What do ya think ya can do huh, kiddo?" another man asked.

A black eyebrow rose slowly. **_"Zun haal,"_** he shouted, and the men's makeshift weapons went flying. "How about leaving now, hmmm?" he said calmly. Midun took a few steps forward and snorted. She was getting frustrated with the humans.

Then the men's eyes widened before they started climbing over each other trying to get away.

Harry dropped off Midun before turning around. He knew that he hadn't been the reason the men had run off. "Go girl," he told the horse before replacing his sword with his bow.

One of the Khajiit was moving up towards him slowly. "Thank you, human," she said.

"Don't thank me yet," Harry said. He pulled her to the side as a jet of white hot flames spread over the ground where they had stood just a moment earlier. He placed an arrow on the bowstring before lifting the bow. Tchick! He sent the arrow flying.

 ** _"Krif Dovah malsedovahkiin, gevahzen hin bal uv dir!"_** the dragon roared.

Harry backed off from the Khajiit. "Stay away from me," he told the female that had thanked him. "He wants to fight me. Don't get in our way." He turned towards the sky. **_"Bo ahst Dovah kendov do fin lok, vos un thu'umme grind!"_** he called to the dragon, challenging him. Now he was really glad that he had spent time with Paarthurnax. He knew that the elder spoke first and that they younger had to respond to that. The stronger thu'um would win. He smirked. Fire was raining down from the sky.

 ** _"_** ** _Yoltaas toor goraag shul,"_** he answered. The fire that left him and met the dragon was hotter almost like molten lava. It blew through the dragon's fire, and knocked it back in the air. He was moving before the scaled beast had managed to get his bearings back. His sword was pulled from his belt. Dragon's didn't give up. He would have to fight to the death. That was why they didn't enter battle lightly. He ran his sword straight through the dragon's neck before twisting it to the side. **_"Praan ko drem,"_** he said softly as he pulled the blade back out.

Paarthurnax had taught him that three words were far from the limit of a thu'um. All you needed was to know more. Incorporating them was a bit tricky but with training it wasn't impossible. And he'd spent a lot of time training. In times of old dragon's fought by talking. Now their voices were limited. Why the old dragon hadn't known. He had thought that maybe it had something to do with Alduin. His hopes were that it would get better.

Bright light rose towards him and images flickered by his eyes. He breathed in slowly. At least he didn't get all dizzy from the knowledge anymore. He learned so much more than just language though. He wished that he could fly like a dragon sometimes.

"You are Dragonborn."

Harry turned around. The Khajiit had nice sun-kissed tan fur and big blue eyes. The tips of her ears had white tufts on them. "Yes, I am, but I'm not THAT Dragonborn," he said.

The feline chuckled. "You seem a bit young for that," she said. "I'm To'ara."

"Harry."

"Why don't you join us for supper, Harry," To'ara suggested.

"Ah, I don't know," the raven said. "Are the others as inviting as you are?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean they may not look like it, but that's mostly because humans generally are douche bags," she said.

"I know," Harry said. "I live with a Khajiit. I … I wouldn't mind accepting your offer, but I gotta pick something up in the city first. Can I leave Midun with you?"

"Your horse?" To'ara asked.

"Yes."

"Sure I'll take care of her."

"Thank you."

Harry hurried his steps as he made his way into the city. He needed to pick up a package for Ra'shall. It took a little while to find the person he was looking for, but getting the package wasn't all that difficult.

* * *

 _4th of Mid Year, 4E 205. Middas_

Deep breaths were taken slowly. Green eyes were closed, but Harry wasn't asleep anymore. _'So, that hurts,'_ he thought. A light grimace spread over his face. He wasn't partial to pain. He didn't regret doing it though. _'Just not again,'_ he thought. She had way too sharp teeth and claws.

His eyes opened slowly. He looked down at the tan arm lying across his chest. He reached up and ran his fingers over the soft fur. _'At least Khajiit and humans can't interbreed,'_ he thought. He moved her arm away from his chest before moving over so he could look at her. She was sleeping still. Her face was relaxed.

Harry knew it was morning. He needed to make it back to Whiterun. He wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye to her first though. Sitting up slowly, he went over the damage she'd done to him the night before. He healed himself up. There was no point in walking around hurt.

"Good morning."

The teen looked down next to him. "Good morning, **_brit_** ," he said. He reached out and ran his fingers down her cheek before he bent down over her and nuzzled her. He felt her arms wrap around him. He sat back up pulling her with him. Her tail warped around him. "You be careful with those claws," he said. "You hurt me way more than you'd hurt another Khajiit. My skin isn't made for that."

Her ears sloped down. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said. "I heal." He massaged his hands over her back. A soft purr filled the tent.

"To'ara it is time to get up. We need to get a move on."

The tan feline sighed. "Great," she whispered. "O.K. dad I'll be right out," she called.

"Am I going to get in trouble with him?" Harry asked as she climbed off him.

"I doubt that," she said. "He knows I tend to get what I want." She pulled a dress over her head. "The only way he'd get angry with you would be if you didn't treat me right," she said.

Harry chuckled. "Well I hope you weren't displeased then," he said. He stood up and pulled his pants on. Then he moved up to her and hugged her.

She laughed. "Oh, definitely not," she said.

Harry pulled his shirt on and grabbed his backpack and belt before he pulled the tent flap open for To'ara. Avoiding her father's death glare, he helped her take the tent down.

"Be careful now," To'ara said.

Harry laughed. "I'll be fine," he said. "You make sure your father doesn't hate people just 'cause they are humans. Not every human is an asshole." He grabbed Midun's reins and pulled himself up in the saddle.

"I'll see what I can do," she said. "He's stubborn."

Harry bent down and nuzzled her cheek. "Goodbye," he said.

"Goodbye."

…

A bright smile spread over Harry's lips as he got closer to Whiterun. It had been a while since he'd last been there. Next to Lakeview Manor, Whiterun was home to him. He spent his time between the two just like Katla whenever he wasn't travelling.

"Welcome home young sir," Skulvar the owner of Whiterun Stables said as the teen climbed off Midun. "Are you staying for a bit longer this time?" he asked.

"I'll try Skulvar," Harry said. "I probably won't be taking Midun even if I do travel out again now. I could do with a walk next time."

"Well that is up to you young sir," Skulvar said.

A soft chuckle left the raven before he bid the stable owner goodbye. His eyes turned towards the afternoon sun. _'I wonder if Katla is in town or not,'_ he thought as he started making his way up to the city.

"Hi Adrianne," he called to the dark-skinned Imperial.

"Harry! You have Katla with you?" the woman asked.

"No, no I don't. I thought she might be here," Harry said as he walked up closer to her. He sat down on the worktable. "I guess she's back at the manor then," he said.

Adrianne nodded. "She hasn't been through in a while," she said. "I thought you guys travelled together."

Harry shrugged. "I went up to High Hrothgar and she wasn't all that interested in coming along. I was up there for a while too." He dumped his backpack on the ground before leaning back against the house wall. "I haven't been back to the manor yet. Whiterun was closer so I thought I'd go here first," he said.

"Well it is nice to see you again," Adrianne said. She opened the door to the shop up. "Can you help me with these?" she asked as she came back out with some animal furs.

"Sure," Harry said. He jumped off the table and walked over to the tanning rack. He went to work on the skins. He liked working with his hands like that. It left the mind free to wander.

Adrianne started singing softly.

"Brave the snow

Through the pillars of the pale

Rest your feet

Come and listen to the tales

Raise your mug

To the legends of the frost

Through our songs

They will never be lost

Tales that will never be lost

Kept in the legends of the frost" *

Harry had joined in and they sang as they worked.

"Thank you," Adrianne said as her hand landed on the raven's shoulder.

The sun was on its way down. They had been at it for quite some time.

"Would you like some supper before you head up to Dragonsreach?" she asked.

"No thank you I'm fine," Harry said politely. "They always have more food than they know what to do with up there. I'll just grab some when I get there."

"If you say so kiddo," Adrianne said.

"Yeah… I'll see you some other day," Harry said. "Have a nice evening."

"See you soon Harry," Adrianne said.

The raven made his way up towards the reach slowly. He wasn't in any hurry really. As he walked into the Wind District, the Gildergreen caught his eyes. _'It really looks sick,'_ he thought. The temple priestess caught his eyes. She was sitting on one of the benches by the tree.

"It was hit by a lightning strike. I wish I had what I need to take care of it," the priestess said.

Harry walked up to her. "Is it something I can help you with?" he asked. He really wouldn't mind healing the tree if that was possible.

"Maybe," Danica said. "I believe that some sap from the parent tree the Eldergleam could rejuvenate it." She stood up. "Not just any blade can cut into the Eldergleam. You will need a special blade. As far as I have heard Hagravens in Orphan Rock have a blade that can cut into the tree."

"O.K." Harry said. "I can get a hold of that. Where is the Eldergleam located?" he asked as he pulled a map of Skyrim out of his pack. "Could you mark it please?"

"A of course young man," Danica said. She took one of the ends of the map as Harry brought a quill and some ink out. She marked two places on the map. "The one over in Eastmarch is the Eldergleam," she informed him.

"Thank you," Harry said. "This way I don't have to backtrack here after I find the dagger." He folded the map back. "I'll be back once I have found the sap." He pulled the pack back over his shoulder. "Kyne be with you," he said.

"Grace of Kynareth be with you," she responded.

Harry bowed his head to her before he started heading up to Dragonsreach. The Great Hall was filled with laughter and warmth. The raven made his way up the stairs only to be greeted by a myriad of voices. The teens were all asking him different questions. He couldn't focus on any of them. "O.K. shush," he said. "One at a time will you. I can't listen to all of you at once." He walked over to one of the tables and sat down. While loading his plate, he answered questions thrown at him. He managed to get the teen's to be quiet while he ate. After he was done, however, he sat down with them so he could answer the rest of their questions.

By the time he managed to get to bed, he was dead tired. He put the candle on his bedside table out before his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

* * *

 _5th of Mid Year, 4E 205. Turdas_

Items were strewn all over a dark blue bedspread. Harry didn't want to drag anything unnecessary with him. He'd come back to Whiterun when he was done so he really could just leave everything bar necessities. He attached his bow back on the pack. He checked his quiver. It was pretty full. Most of his stuff was left behind. He wouldn't need it, and everything would be safe in his room in Dragonsreach.

"Are you leaving again so soon," Frothar said. He sounded disappointed.

"Yeah, I'm going to help Danica to restore the Gildergreen," the raven-haired teen said.

"You just got here yesterday."

Harry shook his head and smiled. "I know Frothar, but I want to help," he said.

"So you'll just up and leave right after getting here," Frothar said.

Harry sighed. He had promised the brown-haired teen that they'd spend some time together once he got back before he'd left for High Hrothgar. Then it hit him.

"Hey where are you going?" Frothar asked as Harry started walking back up towards the living quarters of the reach. The brunet didn't catch up with the raven until they had arrived in his father's study. It looked like Harry had asked Balgruuf something before he'd walked in. His father seemed to be deep in thought.

Blue eyes looked up at his oldest son. "Fine," he said. "But you make sure he comes back here in one piece."

"Of course I will, sir," Harry said. "It's not like he can't handle himself. I doubt we'll run into anything we can't handle."

Balgruuf stopped himself from rolling his eyes at the raven. It was clear that Katla had raised the boy. He had confidence enough for four. He turned to his son. "You will listen to Harry while you're gone. He's done this before, and he knows what he is doing. Do you understand?" he said.

"Yes, father," Frothar said somewhat confused.

"Good, now get out of here I have work to do," Balgruuf said.

Harry left the office with a highly perplexed brunet following behind him. "You are going to need to gear up properly. Weapons, armour you need and a backpack to store things in. We need to get you a fur to sleep on," he said.

"Wait… I'm going with you," Frothar said.

Harry smirked at the brunet's expression. "Yeah, I convinced your father to let you tag along," he said.

A triumphant smile spread over his lips. "Yes!" he exclaimed. He had wanted to travel the way Katla and Harry were doing for a long time now.

"O.K. calm down. Remember weapons, armour, a fur, a backpack, and we'll pick up some scrolls from Farengar in case we need them. I'm going to go down to the kitchen and make sure that we have food so we will make it," Harry said.

"Sure, I'll be right there," Frothar said. He hurried into his room and grabbed onto his armour. Katla had made it for him. Like her he preferred a heavier armour than the raven. He strapped himself into the armour. It wasn't an ebony armour it was slightly lighter than that. It was also easier to get into by yourself than a full fledged heavy armour. Once he was fully garbed he reached out for his battleaxe. Katla had made that one too. She has sized it down just a bit for him. Most blacksmiths had a standardized size they made their weapons and sometimes even their armour in, but Katla wasn't a regular blacksmith so she customized. The standardization made things cheaper but they didn't fit as well. Most people didn't care much though.

"Fianna do we have a knapsack somewhere that I can take?" the teen asked one of the maids.

"Of course young Master," she answered. "I can fetch one for you."

"Please do and bring it to the kitchen will you," Frothar said.

"Of course young Master," Fianna said.

"Thank you Fianna."

Harry packed raw materials for food down into his backpack. Cooked food was all well and good but it didn't hold forever. He had considered figuring out how to make a fridge or freezer of sorts. He was sure he could use enchantment to make one; he just hadn't figured out how. He could pack cooked food down into Frothar's pack. They would probably need to restock somewhere. He'd have to consider that. They would probably head through Ivarstead. Thankfully Riften had signed the White Peace so they wouldn't be in any danger from Stormcloacks or the Empire. It was once they entered Eastmarch that they would really have to be careful.

"I'm ready," Frothar said.

Harry turned around. He walked up to the younger teen and went over his armour. He wanted to make sure it sat on correctly. "Good," he said after he'd tightened some of the straps. "We're almost ready to go." He went back to his backpack and finished packing.

"Here you go young Master," Fianna said. She handed Frothar a backpack. "May I ask where you are going?"

"Eh…"

Harry turned around. "We're going to Orphan Rock," he said. "We're going to help Danica restore the Gildergreen."

"Ah, it would be nice to see the tree flourish once more," Fianna said.

"That's the idea," Harry responded. He held a hand out for the backpack. "Thank you," he said as she handed it to him.

He moved out to the tables in the great hall and started packing food down. He used wax paper and cloth to keep things separated. He didn't pack all that much since it would just spoil in the summer heat. He packed some magic scrolls down into the pack as well. "Here you go," he said and handed the pack over to Frothar.

"Thanks… so we're going now?" the brown-haired teen asked.

Harry rolled his eyes while a smile played on his lips. "We'll leave now," he said.

…

Frothar looked up at the sky. It had started raining. _'Great,'_ he thought. When his father had said he could go with Harry, this was not what he had expected. When Katla and Harry told them stories, he'd never thought about the rain even though they had both spoken about it. He looked on ahead. Harry didn't even seem bothered. The raven was walking on like nothing was different. He hurried to catch up with the older teen. "How do you not care about this?" he asked and waived towards the sky.

Harry looked over at him an eyebrow raised. "The rain you mean?" he looked up at the sky, "It doesn't bother me all that much. Rain falls as it pleases. It's in the middle of summer so it isn't cold. Trust me it's way worse when the weather is cold," he said. "We can stop in Riverwood if you want to try to wait it out," he suggested.

Frothar bit his bottom lip. He didn't want to come across as a baby or anything. "No it's O.K." he said. "I'll get used to it."

Aaaoooooo!

Harry turned around. "There is no need to pull your weapon," he said. A jade glow spread over his left hand. As the wolf got closer to him, he raised his hand and sent the magic off. Black ears moved up as the wolf stopped. "Come let's leave before the spell wears off," Harry told Frothar.

"Won't it follow us?" the brown-haired teen asked.

"No it's just guarding its territory as soon as we are out of it we won't be followed."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Frothar said.

They continued up the road to Riverwood walking side by side. It was still way too early for lunch so the simply headed through the village. Their steps took them up into the mountains. They were heading towards Helgen. They would need to pass the burnt down city. Hopefully they wouldn't have to enter the town though. It tended to be full of bandits. The Jarl was trying to get money together to build the city up again, but it was slow work. The war had left a lot to wish for. Too many people had died.

"So this is the place Alduin burned down?" Frothar asked as they reached the city.

"Yeah, it is. The inside looks way worse than the walls," Harry said. "We don't have to enter though. There is a path running around the way need to go." He walked off to the left of the city. He stepped carefully since there might be bandits in the town. "Just keep quiet," he told the brunet. "We don't want to deal with whoever is in there right now."

Frothar nodded. He would really have liked to see what Helgen looked like, but he had promised that he'd listen to Harry. Some bandits couldn't be all that bad, could they? His hair was all wet; trails of water ran down his face. He sort of regretted that he didn't have a helmet. They made their way down to the cobblestone path leading out of the city. "Why can't we just go in there?" Frothar asked the raven.

Harry turned to look at him. "Have you ever killed someone?" he asked knowing the answer.

"No."

"Then going in there isn't a good idea," he said. "They won't give up without a fight and out here fights usually mean death." He shook his head. "Your head is filled with the stories we have told, but reality is not like the stories Frothar," he said. "That is why I chose to take you with me this time."

Frothar looked at him strangely. How was this trip going to change things? What was wrong with the stories? He didn't understand.

…

The rain stopped falling eventually. The sun broke through the heavy clouds.

They had left the road and were heading up into some hills. They passed under pines and over dried turfs of grass. It hadn't rained for a while so the short shower they had been hit with was too little really.

Harry removed his bow from his back and readied it with an arrow. **_"Las yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. He had fine-tuned the shout so it would target his enemies specifically. Thankfully the magic knew who his enemies were even when he didn't. He grabbed Frothar and pulled him back. "This place is full of people," he said. "Stay back until I have figured out what we need to do," he told the brunet.

He muffled his steps before he snuck in amongst the trees. There were women walking around. By their garb he could tell that they were magic users. _'I won't be able to use magic to pacify or scare away these women,'_ he thought. He wasn't happy about it, but he wasn't about to just leave either. "Fuck," he hissed as the women started moving to where he'd left Frothar. Any other course of action that he might have tried taking was made impossible. His friend was more important than his conscience. He pulled the arrow back before sending it off. He picked another arrow out of his quiver as he moved out from his hiding spot. He sent the arrow off. "Hey!" he called drawing their attention to him. He fired off another arrow before he charged up a bolt of lightning. The blue arch jumped from his handover to one of the untidy witches. It continued to the woman next to her and then to another. Bow still in hand, he pulled his sword from his belt and ran it straight through one of the hag's gut. He twisted the blade before stepping back. He sent off a fireball to the last woman. It hit her right in the chest. Green eyes looked over the bodies. He conjured his familiar. "Check the area will you Ven," he said.

Frothar was sitting on his knees with his battleaxe next to him.

Harry sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. There was blood on the axe's blade. Brown eyes were staring into nothingness. He hadn't thrown up though which was comforting in a way. Harry looked around the forest. He couldn't just leave all of them like that. He stood up. Frothar would need some time either way. He walked over to the closest body and grabbed onto it before dragging it over to the general carnage he had created further up the road. He piled them all together before setting fire to them. He wasn't sure they would appreciate prayers to the divines, but it would ease his mind some. He had learned several prayers the past few years. His voice rose and fell with the words of a funeral hymn.

The raven turned some as he felt a presence join him. Frothar was standing next to him. "I get what you mean," he whispered. "There was nothing epic or honourable in killing them."

Harry reached out and placed an arm around the young teen. "They would have killed us," he said. "If we hadn't killed them they would have killed us."

Frothar nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. He looked down at his axe. Harry moved over and cleaned the blood off the blade. "There you go," he said. "Come on let's move on ahead."

 ** _"_** ** _Las paal yah nir,"_** he whispered once more. A red aura shone up the path. _'I'll go on ahead on my own this time,'_ Harry thought. "Stay here," he told Frothar. "I'll be right back." The brunet nodded. "O.K." he said softly.

Harry didn't want to be gone for long. He wasn't sure how well Frothar was actually doing. He headed up the hill. _'Hagraven,'_ he thought. At least he didn't have that many scruples with killing the half-bird half-human. He raised his bow and aimed. Magic wasn't all that effective against them, and he didn't want to get close to her. There were all kinds of diseases connected to them. He moved out of the way quickly as a fireball was sent his way. He'd been hit with a few spells earlier, but he'd done a quick heal up as they walked up the road.

Tchick!

He caught a ball of fire with a magical shield. "Shit," he hissed. That hurt. He grinded his teeth together as he placed another arrow on the sting and pulled it back. He had blisters running along his fingers.

Tchick!

A golden light spread around his hand and healed the burn. _'That's better,'_ he thought. He turned around to the hag's camp. _'Now what am I looking for?'_ he wondered. He went over the camp with a fine-toothed comb.

"Nothing," he mumbled. He looked over to where the Hagraven had been. _'Maybe it's over there.'_ He walked over to a fallen tree trunk. _'Let's hope this holds,'_ he thought before stepping out on the half rotten wood. He moved quickly. "Orkey, you stink," he muttered as he came closer to the Hagraven. Unfortunately it made sense that the dirty half woman had what he was looking for. She would have been the leader of this place. He took his gloves off so that the scent wouldn't stick to the leather. He could wash his hands after all. It didn't take him long to find a thin bladed knife. It was very similar to his own ebony dagger except for the green tint. He gathered ice and fire in his hands to create water so he could wash both his hands and the knife. He dumped his backpack on the ground before opening it up so he could get the soap. He washed the knife off quickly. He really needed to get back to Frothar.

He placed the dagger in his belt before hurrying back over the rotting log. Frothar was sitting by a couple of rocks on the ground. Harry sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

Frothar shrugged. "I don't know," he said quietly. "This isn't like the stories."

"No it isn't," Harry said.

"You warned us. Katla warned us… I didn't believe you," the brunet said.

Harry nodded. "I doubt we will have to fight anyone else. My magic isn't strong enough to deal with witches like these yet. I would have used magic to get past them otherwise," he said. He reached out for the younger teen's pack and opened it up. He brought some apples out. It was past midday. They needed to eat something. Meat would probably not be welcome right now though. He held one of the apples out to he brunet. "You need to eat something before we get going again," he said.

It was quiet for a while as they ate the crisp fruits.

Harry stood up slowly after he was done. "It took me a long time to get anywhere near O.K. with killing people. I still don't like doing it… but like Ra'shall always says – sometimes it is necessary," he said. "Sitting and moping about it won't help you any. Remember them and pray for them but move forward. You'll have to find your own way of coping with this. Everyone is different."

Frothar nodded slowly. He stood up as well. He had wanted to do this. He had wanted to prove that he wasn't a kid anymore. He'd figure out how to deal with the emotions swirling around inside his head.

They continued, slower now, on the path to Ivarstead. They did not stop until they'd reached the little alchemist's shack. Harry had noticed that Frothar was lagging behind. He figured that they might as well stay in the shack for the night. He wasn't so sure he wanted the younger teen anywhere near a tavern the next coming days. Drinking was a common way to try to escape your problems, and he didn't want the Jarl of Whiterun's oldest son to fall into that trap.

The evening was quiet and they ate the food that Harry had gathered together that morning.

"If you need to talk feel free to interrupt me," Harry said as he sat down in a meditative stance. He needed to deal with his own daemons. He would most likely have nightmares that night either way, but at least they wouldn't be as bad if he dealt with his guilt. He couldn't make it go away. He could, however, lessen its effect on him.

Frothar didn't wake him from his trance. When he opened his eyes once more the younger teen was asleep. Harry knew that he wasn't the best equipped to deal with the brunet's emotions. Hopefully he'd be able to help once the younger teen was ready to talk to him.

He lay down next to the other teen and breathed out heavily.

…

Green eyes opened suddenly. Harry sat up. What had woken him up? He turned slightly. Frothar had a pained expression on his face. The raven sat up. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Wake up Frothar," he said.

"Wake up," he said shaking the boy's shoulder.

"Ahhha." Frothar opened his eyes. Harry could see his teeth clench. "It's O.K." Harry said. "I won't think any less of you." Frothar turned his head away from him. He didn't want to show tears. He wasn't gong to some stupid cry-baby. "I'm fine," he said. He could hear the sigh that left Harry's lips before the raven lay back down.

* * *

 _6th of Mid Year, 4E 205. Fredas_

Frothar looked up at Harry. The raven was so strong. He didn't understand how that was. Yet he was capable of simply talking about his feelings and no one would call him silly or stupid. _'I miss you mom,'_ he thought. Katla was nice but she was not his mother. He walked up next to Harry. He knew that Katla wasn't his mother either. "Do you miss your parents?" he asked. He knew it was a personal question, but Harry had told him that he could ask anything.

The raven turned to him. He was slightly surprised at the question. "I…" how was he going to answer? "I miss the idea of them," he answered. "I cannot miss what I can't remember. I was too young when my parents died for me to miss them. I missed the thought of having parents. Everyone else had them." He looked out of the geyser filled ground far below. Steam rose into the air and the plains were green and flourishing. "Katla has taken the role of a mother for me. I can't remember Lily, my birthmother; I love the idea of her still." He sighed. "Unlike you I have no real memories of her. The only thing I can remember is her death."

Frothar bit his lip. "I'm sorry," he said.

Harry chuckled. "You don't need to apologise," he said.

Frothar wasn't so sure. He would hate to only have the memory of his mother's death. He could remember all the good times.

Silence spread between them. It was thoughtful this time though. They continued down switchbacks. They were heading for the plains below.

After crossing a sturdy stone bridge, they settled down at the wayside.

Harry brought up a small cooking fire before he collected ingredients so he could make lunch. "It isn't much further now," he said. He stood up and walked over to a tree. He picked up a few fallen branches. His dagger was pulled from his belt so he could remove the bark from the branches and sharpen them. He speared some salted venison on the sticks together with garlic cloves and apple pieces. He brought the fire down to a pyre before placing the sticks over the hot coal. He picked some potatoes out of the pack and put them in the coals.

As the food cooked, Harry and Frothar talked. They spoke of the future and the past. Of dreams and hopes. Harry managed to get the younger teen to talk about how he felt. Even if it went slow.

Harry cut the potatoes in halves and placed them back in the coals. He sprinkled some pepper and salt over the pale yellow halves. Then he turned the meat around for the last time. "It's almost done now," he said.

"Neat," Frothar said. He had lain back on the ground and was twirling a straw of grass between his fingers. _'This isn't so bad,'_ he thought. It was kind of nice to be out of the keep for once.

A plate was placed down next to him. "Thank you," he said as he sat up. It was filled with food - a fork lying on the edge. He picked the fork up before digging into the food. _'Mmmm, I wonder what he could do with a proper kitchen?'_ he thought as he chewed on a piece of meat. The food wasn't as good as back in Dragonsreach, but he was pretty sure that was because the raven didn't have access to a full fledged kitchen.

…

They finished their food, but didn't leave right away. The weather was nice so they just lay in the grass looking up at the sky.

The sun was on its way downwards when they finally decided to get up. It wasn't much further to walk. The Eldergleam Sanctuary lay inside a cavern. Harry and Frothar entered slowly. The tunnel was long and dark. A light spread from the raven's hand. They travelled down until they could see sunlight streaming through a hole in the cave's ceiling.

They walked on until they came upon a small stream.

"Hello young ones. Have you come to enjoy the sights and sounds of this beautiful sanctuary, as have I? Truly remarkable isn't it?" a man said.

Harry looked up at him. "It is a beautiful place," he said. "We are here for a different reason though."

"Ah, is that so? Why, may I ask, are you here in this peaceful place then?" the man asked.

"We've come to gather sap from the Eldergleam so we can restore its sapling the Gildergleam," Frothar answered him.

 _'_ _Oh, shit,'_ Harry thought. He could see how the man's expression changed.

"Ignorant children such a thing cannot be done," the man said. "You have come to harm the tree. Kynareth have mercy on us."

Frothar turned to look at Harry. "What is wrong with him?" he asked.

The raven sighed and hid his face in his hands. "Don't worry about it Frothar," he said. He led them up the path until it was blocked by thick roots. Harry reached out and placed a hand on a root. **_"Lig Lot Reyth… please let me pass. Your kiir… your child is dying,"_** he said. He conjured up an image of the tree in Whiterun. No leaves, no flowers, grey sickly bark. He tried his best to project the picture. Then suddenly he felt the root shift ever so slightly. **_"Nox hi,"_** he said softly. He passed through the gap that had been created for him. He turned to Frothar. "I'll be right back," he said. He hurried up the path. He didn't want to leave the younger teen for too long.

Once he reached the trunk of the tree itself, he kneeled down. **_"To, vokrii, revive your sapling. I need some of, your reythsos, your sap to heal it,"_** he said calmly a hand placed against the trunk of the Eldergleam. He closed his eyes as he felt something touch his mind. It was non intrusive and very, very old. It wasn't a voice. But he could feel something. Anger… no not quite that more like high dislike. The tree didn't like something he carried with him. His hands went for the knife he had picked up. **_"I'll destroy it once I leave here,"_** he said. **_"Zu'u kaat."_**

The tree seemed to accept his promise. Then the bark opened up and a shimmering golden liquid came oozing out of the opening. Harry reached into a pocket and pulled out a bottle so he could collect the sap. When the bottle was filled, he placed a hand against the rough bark once more. **_"Nox hi,"_** he said. He stood up slowly. He had what he'd come there for. He backed off before turning around. His steps were light as he made his way down the path.

"You got it," Frothar asked after Harry had climbed back through the root system.

"Yeah, I have it," the raven answered.

"Neat!"

Harry chuckled as he started leading them back out of the sanctuary.

"Thank you."

Harry turned around. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You didn't hurt the Eldergleam," the man they had talked to earlier said.

"Of course not," Harry said. "She's beautiful. Why would I harm her? Kyne wouldn't be very happy with me if I had harmed the Eldergleam."

"You are a believer in Kynareth young one."

"I believe in Kyne yes. I do not necessarily recognise her by her other name," Harry said. "But I try my best to follow Kyne's teaching since I carry her gift to mankind." He didn't stay to hear what the man had to say about that. While he didn't like being rude, he really wasn't interested in talking about religion. He and Frothar made their way back to the bridge where they had eaten lunch. They set up camp under a couple of trees. They weren't in any hurry really so they had decided to settle down for the night early.

* * *

 _7th of Mid Year, 4E 205. Loredas_

Harry and Frothar walked through Whiterun slowly. The sun was getting low in the sky.

"I'll just go on ahead," Frothar said as Harry turned to walk over to the Temple of Kynareth.

"Sure. I'll see you up there," Harry responded. He opened the door and walked inside. He took his backpack off so he could get the bottle of sap out.

"Ah, you have brought it here," Danica said as she saw the bottle.

"It was gifted by the mother tree," Harry said. "I did not use the Nettlebane on her. The blade will be destroyed as she wished.

The priestess nodded. "It is for the best, child of Kynareth," she said.

Harry suppressed his wish to roll his eyes. He knew that the Empire called her Kynareth. Why he couldn't understand. He wouldn't comment upon it in her temple though.

"Thank you young man," Danica said.

"You are welcome," Harry said. He bowed before heading back out of the temple. He had done what he had wanted to do. His feet took him up the stairs to Dragonsreach.

"Harry there you are!"

 ** _"_** ** _Malsedovah,"_** the raven greeted his adoptive mother.

Now he was home once more.

* Legends of the Frost by Miracle Of Sound, feat Malukah


	25. Magic Teachings - Book 2

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks. I'm simply an author who loves playing around in fictional worlds. I do not make money from this nor do I want to. I write these stories for myself and for others to brighten their day.

Warnings: Male/male relationship with sex. Male/female relationship non-explicit. Killing, gore, and some torture.

* * *

 **Book 2**

 **Magic Teachings**

 _19th of Heartfire, 4E 205. Fredas_

The air was getting colder. Wind was blowing through the trees. In a small clearing a house stood. Smoke billowed out from several chimneys on the rooftop. Inside the house people moved around in an attempt to get things ready before evening. Four years earlier a young raven-haired boy had entered the house. It had become his home. Come morning he was leaving. For the first time since he had arrived on Nirn, he was leaving his home without knowing when he would be back. Right now the eighteen-year-old raven-haired man was sorting through his belongings. He only wanted to bring things he would actually need. He was going to the Mages' College in Winterhold. He'd been there before so he knew what the living arrangements were like. He wouldn't have that much living space. He had packed his research material already and his clothes. He would wear his armour… _'What else do I need?'_ he wondered.

Downstairs Katla was preparing a feast. She was just trying to keep herself busy. She didn't like the fact that her son was leaving. _'All grown up,'_ she thought. She'd know it would happen, but time had passed so quickly. She was brought out of her musings by the scent wafting from the oven.

Ra'shall walked out of his lab and into his cub's room. "Here," he said as he handed several filled potions bottles over.

"Thank you," Harry said with a smile playing on his lips. He packed the bottles down.

"Excited are you?" Ra'shall asked.

"Yeah, a bit," Harry answered. "I'm going to miss you and Katla, but I really want to do this … and it isn't like we can't meet up. With any luck I'll be travelling for the College as well. I can always check in then."

"Just remember that Katla might be in Whiterun as well," Ra'shall said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, **_kaazaak_** I know," he said. He looked down at his bag again. "That will just have to be good enough. If I have missed something now, I will just have to come back for it," he said. He closed the backpack. His fingers ran over the Elder Scroll attached to it. _'I wonder when this will take me back?'_ he thought. It felt so strange. Earth didn't feel anything like home anymore. His home was there on Nirn. _'I guess it doesn't matter how I feel about it,'_ he thought. Technically he belonged on Earth after all. He guessed that he'd be alright going back. He'd miss everyone, but he would be fine … eventually.

"Eh, Nirn to Harry."

"Huh?"

"You spaced out on me there," Ra'shall said. "Katla says dinner is ready."

Harry shook the solemn thoughts out of his head. He wasn't being dragged back to Earth now after all. "Yeah, I'll be right down," he said.

Ra'shall shook his head as he walked out of the teen's room. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Katla had lifted a pot of stew out of the fireplace. "Could you take the potatoes with you, please?" she asked the feline-man.

"Yeah, sure," Ra'shall said. He grabbed a couple of mitts before he picked the pot filled with potatoes up. He carried it over to the table and put it down.

Harry came walking down the stairs. His hair was standing every which way.

"What have you done?" Katla said. She was trying to conceal her mirth. It didn't work out for her. Clear laughter spread through the house.

The raven looked at her confused. "What?" he asked.

"Your hair is all over the place," Ra'shall said.

Harry reached up and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Maybe I should cut it before you leave," Katla said. She sat down by the table and loaded her plate up with food. She grabbed a loaf of bread and cut into it. "Would you like some?" she asked Harry as he sat down in his seat.

"Yes, please," the raven said. He reached out and grabbed the ladle. Meat and vegetables were covered in thick brown gravy. He held his plate out to Ra'shall and the feline loaded it with potatoes. "Thank you," he said.

As they ate, they talked about travel routs. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to travel through Whiterun Hold. Or rather he'd prefer staying out of Eastmarch. Ulfric had issued a threat to the White Peace. Harry wasn't scared, but he wasn't suicidal either. Unfortunately there were no other direct routs.

They sat back after they had finished eating. "Can we just not talk about Harry leaving for a moment," Katla said. She didn't want to think about it.

"Sure," Ra'shall said. "I'll go and get the dessert." He disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before returning with a smoking hot pie. He placed it down on the table before retaking his seat.

The rest of that evening was spent talking about nonsense. Just doing their best to be together without thinking about the coming day.

They went to bed late that night.

* * *

 _20th of Heartfire, 4E 205. Loredas_

Harry looked up at Lakeview Manor. White smoke rose from his mouth as he breathed out. He had said goodbye to Katla, and Ra'shall had woken up as he opened the front door. He had been the first one up that morning.

The raven walked over to the small stable they had next to the house. He pulled a thick blanket aside. "Hello Midun," he said softly. The dark-brown horse neighed. "I know sweetheart," Harry said. He pulled her saddle up from the ground and placed it down on her back.

"Harry!"

The raven looked up. **_"Monah,"_** he said. "What is it?"

"Here," the brunette said as she held out a daedric sword. "It is better than the one you have. I almost forgot about it."

"Thank you," Harry said. He opened his belt up and removed the scabbard of his ebony sword before replacing it with the daedric sword. Then he was suddenly enveloped in a tight embrace.

"You take care of yourself now **_kulsezii_** ," Katla said. She looked down at him. "I don't want to be hearing that you've gotten yourself killed."

Harry smiled softly as he buried his face in her shoulder. "I won't let that happen," he said. "You know me." He back away from her.

"Yes I do."

Harry sighed. "I'm going to miss you guys," he said. He made sure that the bridle was tightened correctly. "You take care too."

Katla leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. "Good luck," she said.

Harry smiled as he backed up. He grabbed the horn and placed a foot in the stirrup before pulling himself up in the saddle. He shifted his backpack and moved slightly in the saddle. His eyes rose to the house as the front door opened. "I was trying to avoid this," he said.

"Just face it you're not getting out of saying goodbye to us properly," Ra'shall said.

Harry shook his head in amusement. "I know," he said. He looked from Ra'shall to Katla. "It doesn't matter where I go. This is home no matter what. I'll miss you **_monahsedovah_** , **_kaazaak_**. You take care," he said. "I'll see you soon."

Katla smiled. "Goodbye," she said.

"Take care cub," Ra'shall said.

Harry steered Midun over to the road. He didn't look back. He wasn't sure he could and then keep going. "Come on girl let's go to Winterhold," he said. He brought the steed into a gallop. He followed the White River down towards Riverwood. In the distance the sky was slowly brightening. He passed through the small milling town silently. The guards were sleepy. The nightshift had yet to be replaced.

As he reached the Honningbrew Meadery, he saw the first signs of waking. It was late in the autumn so they were done with most of the work for the year. Eimar waved at him as he passed. He waved back before hurrying Midun's steps once more. He steered her out over the plains north of Whiterun, making it back onto the road just south of Loreius Farm. They had to slow down their pace over the plain since it was so rocky. As they made it back on the road, they could pick it back up again.

They continued until they reached Nightgate Inn. Harry sat off Midun and walked up to the building so he could tie her bridle to the wooden railing. "I'll be back soon," he said. He walked into the building. He could do with some food. He ordered some salmon with baked potatoes and Honningbrew mead. He sat down by one of the tables and ate slowly. He'd grabbed a book from his backpack so he could read while he ate.

He put _the Ransom of Zarek_ down on the table before pulling his bag up on the bench next to him. The book was packed down before he stood up. "Thank you for the meal," he said. He headed out of the inn and walked up to Midun. "Here girl have some carrots," he said. He petted her as she ate. The sun had risen to its peak. It was falling now. Once Midun had finished her treat, Harry sat back up in the saddle. "Let's try to get to Winterhold now shall we," he said.

…

"Ah, there it is," Harry said softly. He could see the College in the distance. He'd be able to arrive before sunset. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or nervous. The mages weren't the friendliest of people. They knew him, though; he'd been there before.

As he rode in among the houses of the small town, he realised that they had no stables. He would have to figure something out. One of the broken down houses could probably be converted into a stable. _'I should have thought about this,'_ he thought. Then he heard a neigh. "You hear that girl?" he asked. "Maybe there is a place for you to stay." He got off his mare. **_"Laas yah key nir,"_** he whispered. Next to him Midun started glowing red softly. He could also see a gathering of red glows over by a broken down house. He led Midun over to them slowly. "Hello," he said as he entered the house. It had been cleared out and the broken roof was covered in thick canvas. He led Midun inside. "Do you have room for one more in here?" he asked softly.

A tan stallion came walking up to them. It was as if he studied Midun - judging her. Then he snorted and walked back to a bale of hay on the floor. Harry started taking the bridle and saddle off his mare. He brushed her coat out and removed twigs from her mane and tail. "That is better right," he said. "I'll be back before nightfall," he said.

Heading out of the little stable, Harry started making his way over to the bridge leading to the College. A weatherworn Altmer was standing under one of the great stone arcs leading up to the bridge. It was the same woman that he and Katla had met four years earlier.

"Cross the bridge at your own peril," she said. "The way is dangerous, and the gate will not open. You shall not gain entry!"

"Good evening, Madam Faralda," Harry said. "I have come to join the College."

Golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Do I know you young man?" she asked. He seemed familiar.

"I came here with my mother four years ago. She is the Dragonborn," Harry said.

 _'_ _Ah, that makes sense,'_ Faralda thought. The young man had talked about coming back when was older. "In that case you have to prove your worth to the College," she said. "I wish to see you cast Fireball at the emblem on the ground."

Harry held his hand out as fire spread in his palm. He sent it off towards the eye on the ground.

"Well done," Faralda said. "Come with me."

They headed over the bridge slowly as Faralda lit the torches in front of them. "You need to speak to Mirabelle once we have made it through the gate," she said.

Harry nodded. "I'm sure I can recognise her," he said. "Thank you for leading me across." He bowed before walking up to the gate. He pushed the gate open and walked through. He shook his head. The Collage hadn't changed at all as far as he could see. A smile spread over his lips as he saw a familiar face. "Hi Colette," he said.

The brown-haired woman looked up at him. Her brow furrowed for a moment before she recognised the young man. "Harry," she said. "Have you come to join us now?" She smiled at him.

"Yes I have come to join the College," Harry said. "I need to find Master Ervine."

"Last I saw her, she was over by the Hall of Elements," Colette said.

"Thank you for the information Colette. I'll see you later," the raven said. He waved as he started walking towards the big double doors beyond the statue of Shalidor, the first Arch-Mage of the College.

"Welcome to the College," Mirabelle said.

"Tank you Master Ervine. I was told to come see you," Harry said.

"Another new student… I'm surprised at how many there are of you lately," the Master Wizard said.

Harry smiled. "Well I don't know about the others, but I did promise I'd come back when I was here last. I know the place quite well from back then," he said. He hadn't spent that much time around the Master Wizard last time around.

"You have been here before young man," she asked.

Harry nodded. "About four years ago. I was here with the Dragonborn. Colette helped me heal my poor eyesight," he said.

"Ah, the young raven that learned from our teachers. Many were hoping you would return," Mirabelle said. "In that case why don't we head straight for the Hall of Attainment? We can get you settled."

"That sounds like a good idea," Harry said.

"Right this way then. Don't wander off."

They walked over to the living quarters that Harry had stayed in last he was there.

"Do you remember the rules from your last visit?" Mirabelle asked.

"Yes," Harry said softly. "I'll keep my voice down and try my best no to do something that will disturb the others."

Mirabelle nodded. "Good, your room is right here. Please make yourself at home. Your first lesson is tomorrow in the Hall of Elements at sunrise. Don't be late," she said. "I'll be right back with a set of robes for you."

"Ah, that won't be necessary, Master Ervine. I have several sets of robes my self. They are all adequately enchanted. Thank you for the offer though," Harry said.

"If you say so young man. I will leave you to yourself," Mirabelle said. "Good evening."

"Good evening, Master Ervine," Harry responded.

The woman left, and Harry dumped his backpack on the bed. He needed to get a hold of someone who had a horse in the makeshift stable. At least one other mage had to have a horse there. _'I can unpack before I do that though,'_ he thought. He opened the pack up and started picking things out.

"I guess that's good enough," he mumbled once he was done. He looked down at his armour. _'I should probably get out of this now,'_ he thought. He could really use a bath though. There had to be a tub around somewhere. With the amount of people there were around they couldn't possibly not have one. He grabbed one of his mage's robes and some soap and walked out of his room. Blue light spread from his hand as he concentrated on a place to clean up in. The streak led to a small area under the stairs. There was a green cloth hung up outside a thick curtain.

Harry reached out and pulled the curtain to the side. There was a small sitting tub on the other side. He placed a small ball of light up on the wall. Magelight really was a practical spell. He could see a red cloth similar to the green one hanging on a hook next to the tub. He grabbed it and replaced the one outside. _'Now that should mean that this place is occupied,'_ he thought. He pulled the curtain closed and started taking his armour off. He held his hands out over the tub and combined his magic. Water flowed from his hands into the wooden tub. Creating water was one of those things that he was really glad he'd figured out how to do. It could always be used for something, and unlike water you found around Skyrim, it was clean. It meant that you could drink it, which could be a lifesaver.

Once the tub was full he stuck his hand into the water so he could warm it up. _'That's better,'_ he thought before stepping into the tub. He cleaned up quickly. There was a plug at the bottom of the tub that he could pull. Hopefully the water would end up in some kind of sewage system. He dried up with the help of his flame cloak before pulling his robes on and opening the curtain up. After gathering his armour up, he headed back to his room. The armour was placed down. _'Now where do I find someone who owns a horse down in the stables?'_ he wondered.

In the kitchen area upstairs several people sat by the dining table. "Hi everyone," Harry said as he entered the room. Eyes turned to look at him. "I arrived an hour or so ago. I'm joining the first stage students tomorrow. My name is Harry," he said. Most of the people by the table turned their heads away from him.

A hooded Nord stood up from the table. "I'm Onmund," he said and held his hand out. "It is nice to meet you."

Harry took the hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too," he said. "I came up here 'cause I wonder who's in charge of the makeshift stables for the horses. I figured someone would know."

Onmund nodded. "Rhavaniel is in charge of that. She didn't like the fact that there was no place to keep them. There is a collector's box downstairs that you can drop some coins in case you're keeping a horse there. She collects the money and makes sure that they are taken care off," he said.

"Thank you for the information," Harry said. "You've been here for long?" he asked. They had started moving down the stairs.

"A few days. All of the new students are pretty recent additions," Onmund said. "Me and Brelyna Maryon and J'zargo are the first stage students."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Harry said. He walked up to his room and turned around. "Good night."

"Good night," Onmund said.

Harry walked into his room and closed the door. He sighed. _'Oh, well they seemed friendly,'_ he though sarcastically. He dropped into the bed and closed his eyes.

* * *

 _21st of Heartfire, 4E 205. Sundas_

Harry walked out of the Hall of Attainment. It was early still, far too early to head to the Hall of Elements. _'I can always go check on Midun,'_ he thought. He headed out along the bridge. It was cold out. It was always cold in Winterhold. Why he didn't know.

Midun was standing next to the tan steed that had appraised her the evening before. "Hello girl," he said as he walked up to her. "Are you doing alright?" he asked. He petted her slowly. He had dropped some coins into the collector that morning. Most of his money was bars not coins though so he would probably need to talk to Rhavaniel – whoever she now was.

As the sky brightened, Harry made his way back towards the College. He stepped into the main building. In the main hall Tolfdir stood. The raven walked up to the aged wizard. "Master Tolfdir," he said with a bow.

The old man's blue eyes studied the young man in front of him for a moment. "If it isn't young Harry," he said. He reached out and placed a hand on the raven's shoulder. "It is nice to have you back."

Harry smiled. "Thank you. It is nice to be back," he said. He turned slightly as the front door opened. It looked to be his fellow students. He backed off from their teacher so he wouldn't be in anyone's way.

As the other students joined them, Tolfdir straightened up. "Welcome, welcome! We were just about ready to begin. Please come closer," he said. "So as I was talking about yesterday the first thing to understand is that magic is, by its very nature, volatile and dangerous. Unless you can control it, it can and will destroy you."

"Sir! I think we all understand that fairly well. We wouldn't be her if we couldn't control magic," Brelyna said.

"Of course my dear. Of course," Tolfdir said. "You all certainly posses some inherent natural ability. That much is not being questioned. What I'm talk about is true control, mastery of magic. It takes years if not decades of practice and study."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started," J'zargo said impatiently.

"Please, please! This is exactly what I'm talking about. Eagerness must be tempered with caution or else disaster is inevitable," the Alteration teacher said.

"But we've only just arrived here a few days ago – you've no idea what any of us are capable of. Why not give us a chance to show you what we can do?" Onmund said. He was getting irritated with all the theory.

Tolfdir sighed. He looked over at the only student that had yet to say something. He wasn't sure if the young raven belonged with this group. They had all taught him before after all. He had learned many of the things they taught to beginners already. _'I will have to speak to him once the class is over,'_ he thought. "You have been quiet so far what do you think we should do?" he asked the young Breton.

Harry tilted his head to the side. He forewent smiling even though he felt like doing it. "I believe that safety is important, but we could always start by learning something that is difficult to botch up. If you are concerned about our safety, then teach us something that is safe to start with," he said.

Onmund nodded. "Yeah sure, we're all pretty new to this. Let's just give it a check. What is the worst that could happen?" he said.

The other two started mumbling along the same line.

"All right settle down, I suppose we could try something practical…" Tolfdir said. "We can continue with our theme of safety and start with Wards. Wards are protective spells that can block magic. I'll teach you all a ward, and we'll see if you can successfully use it to block a spell, all right." he looked over at Harry once more, knowing that the young man knew the spell necessary. "Would you mind helping me with a demonstration?" he asked.

"Yes of course," Harry said.

"Good, now if you just stand right over there. I'll cast a spell at you, and you will block it with the ward," the old Nord said and pointed to the area next to him. As Harry moved to stand where he had been appointed, the other students moved up behind their teacher so they wouldn't be in the way. "There we go. Now, cast the ward spell and keep it up," Tolfdir said.

A bluish shimmer appeared in front of Harry. He wasn't even trying really. He doubted that Tolfdir wouldn't use something really dangerous against him – not with the other students around at least. He felt when the fireball Tolfdir sent hit his shield. It had actually been more powerful than he'd anticipated but not dangerous enough to hurt him.

"Well I think this is an excellent start," the Alteration teacher said. "I would like all of you to continue practicing with wards please. Tomorrow I think perhaps we are ready to begin exploring some of the various uses of magic throughout history. Could I speak with you Mister Potter?" he asked.

"Of course," Harry said. He followed the old Nord away from the other students.

"I understand that you showed an Adept level spell to gain entry into the Collage. Faralda was quite surprised. She had not quite expected you to do so well," Tolfdir said.

Harry chuckled softly. "Yeah, well she did teach me the basics. I didn't stop learning after that though. I just kept going," he said.

"That is very good young man," Tolfdir said. "The reason I brought you over here to talk to you is that you showed decent proficiency in the early parts of all the subjects back four years ago. We have already taught you these things, and while it doesn't hurt you to revisit them, it might become tedious. I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind helping us keep an eye on the other students?" he asked.

"I don't mind at all," Harry said. "It's for everyone's safety right?"

"Exactly young man," the aged wizard said.

"I should probably go and join up with J'zargo so he can practice as well."

Harry walked up to the Khajiit. "So, would you like to practice the ward spell?" he asked.

Light blue eyes narrowed. "Just because you were chosen to demonstrate, it doesn't mean that the rest of us can't perform the spell," the Khajiit said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say that," he said. "But Master Tolfdir said we should practice so we should practice." He stepped away from the feline-man. He held his hands out. A cloud of frozen spikes gathered in his palm. "If you are good at using the spell then you shouldn't have any problems protecting yourself," he said. He shot the spell off at the feline.

"What in Oblivion are you doing!" J'zargo exclaimed.

Harry ended the spell. "Well, I guess you are more talk than you are action," he said. "Why don't you raise the spell before I shower you next time, hmmm? I won't actually hurt you." He sent off another bout of ice.

"Fuck you," the feline-man said. "Why do you keep doing that?"

Harry shrugged. "I have been taught by people who think that the best way to learn something is by doing it," he said.

"Who would do that?"

The raven shrugged. "My mother and uncle," he answered. "Uncle thinks that it is the very best way of teaching even if it does leave a lot of bruises on the pupil."

"Your family is fucked up human," J'zargo said.

Harry rolled his eyes. _'This is just going great,'_ he thought sarcastically. "Well if you don't want my help then I'm not going to help you," he said. He bowed to Tolfdir and walked out of the Hall of the Elements. The old Nord knew he was fully capable of using the spell. He didn't need to prove it.

…

The following two weeks or so were spent much in the same fashion. They learnt theory and practiced low level spells. Harry didn't mind the theory; it was quite interesting, but he was bored by the practical work. He had learned all those spells years ago. He did hang in there though. There were several lessons were his help was necessary to keep the College from being destroyed.

Who knew that untrained enthusiastic mages could create such destruction?


	26. Curiosity killed the cat

**Curiosity killed the cat**

 _6th of Frostfall, 4E 205. Morndas_

Harry looked over at the other students. They didn't like him much. Well Onmund wasn't so bad especially not after he'd found out that Harry had been raised by the Dragonborn. The other two weren't too happy with the fact that Harry was far younger then them but somehow seemed to know far more. They had taken to calling him a teacher's pet. Not that the raven cared really. He was there to learn.

Drevis Neloren their teacher in Illusions had just left for the day. He had been muttering to himself as he walked away when Tolfdir came walking in to the lecture hall. "Gather to me will you," he called out. He waited until all his students had joined him. "I believe that you are ready for some practical study," he said. "The College has taken on a fascinating excavation of the ruins of Saarthal nearby. It is an excellent learning opportunity. I suggest we travel there first thing tomorrow morning. We shall all meet after sunrise and leave for the ruins." He looked at each one of them. "I will see you tomorrow morning," he said. "Don't be late."

Harry closed the book he had been reading and walked out after the old Nord. He headed over to the Hall of Attainment and into his room. Going to Saarthal sounded interesting. He wondered if any of the other students had ever explored a Nordic tomb before. _'Not that it maters. Hopefully there will be enough people around that they won't get hurt,'_ he thought. He grabbed his backpack and his notebook. He made sure that he had some of Ra'shall's potions with him. He didn't need all that much stuff with him.

Once he was finished packing, he walked over to his armour. He needed to make sure that it was in top shape. _'I need to fill up on food just in case as well,'_ he thought. He would probably head over to the local store for that. He didn't mind supporting the local economy. He wasn't even sure where the College got their food from.

After he was sure he'd be alright the following day, he spent the rest of the day deep in his research into alternative enchanting. The stones that Ra'shall had found for him lay beside him on the bed. He didn't mind sitting in bed when he studied. He knew he was missing something. It was right there in front of him, but he couldn't put his finger on the problem.

…

 _7th of Frostfall, 4E 205. Tirdas_

Harry fastened the last strap on his armour. He grabbed his hair and tired it up in a low ponytail to get it out of his face. He didn't have a helmet with his armour. He'd foregone one in favour of a half mask that covered the left side of his face. He tied it in place. He'd enchanted it himself to help him from going exhausted when he used his magic. He had forged it with Katla's help. It had been a fun thing to do as she fixed his armour to fit; it had gotten a bit small. He'd grown quite a lot the past year.

He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He'd eaten and he had a decent amount of food with him. _'Well, I'll be fine at least,'_ he thought. He nodded in Tolfdir direction as he got outside. "Do you mind if I go ahead?" he asked the old Nord. "I can find my way there just fine."

Tolfdir looked at him with a pensive expression for a moment. "Oh, well I can't see any harm in allowing you to go on ahead," he said. "There are two other researchers over there already. You need to talk to Arniel Gane. He will tell you what you can help him with." He pulled a key out of a pocket. "You will need this I have another one," he said. "Be careful."

"I will," Harry said. "Thank you Master Tolfdir." He accepted the key. "I'll be there when you get there," he said. He turned around and walked out of the College building. His hand filled with purple light. A shimmering shape showed up next to him. "Come on Ven. Let's find our way to Saarthal," he said softly.

They made their way through town quickly. They met a frost troll half way to the ruins, but Harry calmed it down so he could pass. He didn't really care how the others handled the beast as long as he didn't have to kill it.

Saarthal was located in what looked like an old mining area. Harry guessed that the College had dug the area out. It had him wondering if they were entering the tomb in the middle of the dungeon. It was always interesting to try to figure out just how much of the old tombs that weren't accessible anymore. He walked up to the thick iron door and pulled the key he'd been given out of a small pouch he had by his belt. He unlocked the door walked inside and locked it behind himself.

Ven had followed him in. She was looking around in the darkness. _'That's black,'_ Harry thought. He conjured a ball of light that could hang over his shoulder before he started making his way down into the crypt. It looked a lot like other ruins he had been down into. Then again they were all built during the same time period.

Green eyes moved over the walls. He remembered Arniel from back when he'd last stayed in the College so he could find him using Clairvoyance. He concentrated on what he remembered of the man before activating the spell. It didn't take him long to get to the man. "Excuse me sir," he said as he reached the man. He was bent over a table examining something or another.

Arniel turned around. "What are you doing here?" he asked confused.

"Tolfdir is coming here with the first stage students in a while. I went on ahead. He told me to come find you and ask if you needed help with anything," Harry said.

"Ah, yes of course," Arniel said. "Eh, you could search through the room over there," he waved to his left, "Gather any enchanted items you can find, but be careful. Don't make a mess in there."

"I won't sir," Harry said. He moved over to the rooms he had been instructed to search. He found a couple of rings. He placed them down in the pouch by his belt. He could hand them over to Arniel once he was done.

 _'_ _Now this is strange,'_ he thought as he reached a carved mural. He reached out and ran a finger along one of the golden lines on the mural. There was magic flowing though the stone. _'There is a drag here,'_ he thought. He searched though the area for any kind of trap but couldn't find anything that would be dangerous to him. There was a set of bars that might lock him up in the room, but that was it.

Green eyes closed so Harry could focus on the magic running through the mural. He stood there for who knows how long. _'Oh, fuck this,'_ he though and grabbed the amulet that was placed centred in the mural.

Grinch!

The bars rose from the ground.

"What the hell you turnip, what were you thinking?"

Harry turned around. There was a woman standing just on his side the bars. The raven grimaced. "I'm sorry. I didn't pay attention to my surroundings after I came to the conclusion that there weren't any dangers around," he said.

"Bloody first yearers," she muttered. She folded her arms over her chest. "Well are you going to get us out of this mess, or do the little firstie need help," she said.

Harry gave her a look worthy of Katla. "Really, Miss," he said. "I'm no little child who doesn't know what he his doing," he said. He held the amulet in his hand as fire gathered in his palm. He sent it off towards the mural. Crack! "There we go," he said. "This isn't my first Nordic tomb."

A deep sigh. "I… I'm sorry," the woman said. "My classmates were morons, and I've run into the people that are a part of the first stage class. They aren't all that bright. I know that doesn't mean that all of you are dumb."

Harry shook his head. "I guess I can't blame you for thinking that I'm not that bright," he said. "I've witnessed more explosions and exhaustion the past two weeks than I have ever been though myself." He looked down the dark corridor he had opened up. "So are you going to join me going down there? Those bars don't look like they are going to move," he said.

"Yeah, it beats staying here," she said. "We've got no clue how long we might be down there though."

Harry shrugged. "I have food with me," he said. "We shouldn't meet anything down there we can't handle." He looked down at the necklace in his hand. _'Maybe I should keep this,'_ he thought. He placed a hand against the cold cave tunnel wall. He didn't actually care if the woman came with him or not. It was up to her. He was going though.

He found an old torch stuck to the wall. He reached out and lit it. There were several more of them, and he lit them as he moved on. He found a room. He threw a ball of light up in the ceiling so it would light the room up. There were several sarcophaguses standing in against the walls. A small desk stood in the middle of the room.

"Well this is interesting."

Harry turned around. "We are either going to be attacked by draugr or one of these is a door," he said. "What the…" he hissed clutching his head.

"Something wrong?" the woman said.

"Someone is trying to get into my head," the raven hissed. He felt a hand land on his shoulder. A rush of magic flowed over him.

"Use it," the woman said. "Push it out."

The air around them started shimmering blue.

Fire spread over Harry's hands. Next to him he could see how the woman conjured a dagger.

A man showed up in front of them. "Hold … mages and listen well…" he said.

Harry looked over at the Bosmer next to him. Her eyes were narrowed, but she had relaxed her stance. He guessed he didn't mind listening to the man. The fire in his palms died.

"Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgment has not been passed as you had no way of knowing," the strange man said. "Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal will the events ahead. This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you."

"I somehow doubt your Order can pass judgement on me," Harry said. He folded his arms over his chest. It wasn't that he was over confident. He just didn't think that whatever force had sent him to Nirn would allow for him to be dealt with by some strange Order. Killed by bandits or undead, sure – but not some strange Order. "My destiny lies far away from this place," he said.

The man's eyes narrowed. Then he noticed the scroll that the young mage carried with him. "World traveller," he mumbled. He looked over at the woman. Could they have made a mistake? "Unless you help with the events to come disaster is ensured," he said.

"Fine," Harry said irritably. Why did things like these always have to happen? He always managed to end up in the thick mess of things. He would deal with it because no one else would. It really did irritate him though especially when he had other things he wanted to do.

"Take great care and know that the Order is watching," the man said before he disappeared.

"Great," Harry said. "Could I not be involved in world changing events for once." He walked up to one of the sarcophaguses. "Wake up moron!" he called.

At first his companion thought he must have gone nuts, but then she heard a cracking noise just before the tombs opened up. She watched as the raven-haired teen grabbed onto the draugr closest to him and burned the undead to a crisp. He pulled his sword from his belt and walked over to the next gray skinned monster. Its head fell off in one quick sweep. Then an ice shard was sent across the room at the last draugr.

"Impressive," she said. It was obvious to her that he'd fought undead before.

"Thank you," Harry said. He cleaned his sword off before placing it back in its scabbard.

"I'm Rhavaniel by the way," the Bosmer said.

"Harry," the raven responded. He walked through the centre sarcophagus. A dark tunnel led down to a set of thick bars. He placed a hand on an old lever. **_"Laas yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. He turned towards Rhavaniel. "There are probably draugr in the coffins in there," he said. "Get ready." He saw her hands glow purple for a second before she held a bow in her hands. The lever was pulled and the bars opened.

Harry moved into the room and cast a ball of light up in the ceiling. He pulled his sword from his belt and moved up to one of the closed coffins. He heard how arrows flew in to the room behind him. _'At least she's helping this time around,'_ he thought. He wasn't sure what to think about the elf.

As the last draugr fell, Harry scanned the room for anything strange. There was another set of bars and two chains he could probably pull to open them up. The floor in the middle of the room looked to be an intricate pattern of metal bars. He sent a ball of light through them. A deep pit lay beyond the bars. "I guess we shouldn't walk on those," he muttered.

"It doesn't look like there is anything here," Rhavaniel said. "We might as well move on."

The raven pointed over at the chain on one side of the door onwards. "Pull that," he said. He grabbed the chain on his side and pulled it. Grinch! The bars moved aside. "We might want to eat before we move on," he said. "We'll just move those darn things out of the way. I don't really want to look at them while I'm eating."

Rhavaniel shrugged. She didn't really care. Though, food sounded like a good idea. "I guess we can do that," she said. She grabbed onto one of the undead and pulled the body out of the way. Once they had cleared the space in front of the door, Harry sat down and placed his backpack on the ground. He started pulling packages out of the backpack together with a set of sticks. He guessed that spits would be the easiest way to cook the food.

Wisely enough he had settled for horker meat and venison. He added apple and garlic to the spits for flavour. He added leeks to the spits as well. He wasn't going to bother with potatoes for this meal. He placed a hand down against the floor and focused on heat. Flames danced around his hand warming the stone beneath his fingers. He looked up as the elf sat down in front of him. "Take one," he said as he motioned to the two spits lying on a sheet of wax paper.

Rhavaniel grabbed a spit and held it out over the heated stone. She watched as the young man in front of her grabbed his own spit and held it out next to hers. She guessed he might be the young mage that the teachers had been talking about lately. She hadn't really been listening to them. Her own research was more important than some prodigy. Though, maybe the young man wasn't a genius. He might just have more experience than most. She turned her spit again. He was more prepared than she had been, or rather he hadn't dumped his pack of necessities after arriving at the excavation site. She had packed more than enough stuff. She just hadn't thought she'd actually need it.

…

Once they had eaten, they set out again. Draugr blocked their path as they made it deeper into the tomb. They weren't all that difficult to deal with though. Harry and Rhavaniel were both pretty good at fighting.

"Puzzle," Harry said as he looked around. "These are usually far too easy. I don't understand why they even bothered. The key is almost always in the same room as the lock." He rolled his eyes as he saw the symbol of an eagle behind a pillar showing a whale. He turned the pillar around.

Rhavaniel had moved up ahead. She had seen her fair share of foolish puzzles even if she wasn't too familiar with the Nordic ones. She picked up on what the raven was doing as soon as he'd started turning the pillar around. She wasn't blind after all.

They pulled the lever that opened the bars blocking their path. A dark corridor led them into a big open room. "Wait," Harry said. "I think there is something in there."

Rhavaniel stopped. "If it is an undead I can't detect it," she whispered.

Harry nodded. "I can," he said. **_"_** ** _Laas yah paal nir."_** A red glow appeared up on a ledge in the room.

"That is dragon-tongue, isn't it?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Yes," Harry nodded as he pulled his bow from it place on his backpack. "There is a draugr up there," he said. He'll detect me once I start shooting him. "I don't know how many arrows I'll get in on him before he reaches me," he said.

"I can sneak up to the side and get at him from behind if he gets to close to you," Rhavaniel said. "Team work." She conjured a dagger and snuck into the room.

Harry raised his bow. A green tipped arrow rested against the ebony of his gauntlet. Katla had made sure that his gauntlets were built for arrow usage. He let go of the nocking point. He could hear how the draugr hissed, **_"Zu'u fen ofaal hi - I will get you."_**

 _'_ _I don't think so,'_ the raven thought. He placed a new arrow on the bowstring. His shout had worn off, but he could hear the undead shuffling around up there. Then the steps were getting closer.

 ** _"_** ** _Fus ro dah."_**

"Shit," Harry cursed as he was pushed back. He dropped the arrow. It clattered over the floor. He got his bearings back and looked up. His hand went to his sword as the draugr stopped dead in its tracks. A glowing bluish knife blade tore through the undead's neck.

"There," Rhavaniel said as the body fell to the ground.

"Thanks," Harry said. He sent a ball of light up in the ceiling. It lit the whole room up in a soft white glow. Carvings filled the walls, but he had no interest in them. He guessed that the other mages might be interested though. _'The only way they'll get down here is if we find another way down. Or maybe the bars would disappear or they could remove them,'_ he thought. He made his way up a ramp. "Are we going to just move forward now, or do you want to study this place?" he asked the Bosmer.

"I'll come back later when I have my tools with me," Rhavaniel said. She couldn't get any proper work done without them anyway so why stick around.

"We'll go on then," Harry said. He wanted to find out why the strange guy earlier had warned them.

As they wandered on, they found another puzzle. "I hate things like this," Rhavaniel muttered as the pillar in front of her moved. She looked over at Harry. He had shifted another pillar which had moved hers as well.

"So we have to figure out which pillars move the other pillars," the raven said.

"And match them up," Rhavaniel said.

"It shouldn't take us that long," Harry said.

It didn't. They opened the closed gate up, and continued down. They held a glowing light each.

"I can feel something ahead," Rhavaniel said.

Harry nodded slowly. He could feel it too. He wasn't sure he liked it. It became harder to breathe as they ventured lower. The raven could feel the magic pulsing through the air. He pulled his sword from his belt. Something did not feel right.

"That is not right," Rhavaniel said. Her fists closed.

A big orb made from some sort of unknown material floated in the middle of a flow of jade coloured magic. The light from the field played over the walls. Patterns ran over the orb. It almost looked like it could be taken apart. At least the orb itself did not feel menacing. It was powerful beyond anything either of the two mages had ever encountered before, but it wasn't going to hurt them.

"I don't know about bringing this to the College's attention," Harry said.

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. "Of course the Order whatsamawhosit said it doesn't matter if we tell them. It is our actions after that that matters," she said. She started walking down towards the orb. "Draugr," she called up.

Harry ran down the ramp after her. She was blocking the undead's axe with a frozen spear. The raven reached them and slashed his blade across the man's back. A strange glow flared over the draugr's back. "Something is preventing us from harming him," Harry said.

Rhavaniel turned away from the undead for a moment. Her violet eyes scanned the room. "Wait," she said, "hit him again." She saw a fluctuation from the magic field around the orb at the same time as she heard the clash of the sword hitting the magic shield protection the draugr. Her eyes narrowed. "The magic around the orb is protecting him," she called out. "I'm going to see if I can't disrupt that somehow."

"Sure you do that. I'll keep this moron busy," Harry called. He backed of from the draugr. **_"Fus ro dah hond,"_** he shouted pushing the undead man away from him. He ducked out of the way as the axe came sailing through the air. He reached out and grabbed it before yanking it out if the man's hand. **_"Zu'u fen kus daar - I will take this,"_** he said. He saw how lightning leaped towards the magic surrounding the strange orb from the Bosmer's outstretched hand. "Argh, work you stupid thing," she called frustrated.

Harry felt how the magic changed and moved forward. His blade cut through the tough sinew of the gray skinned man's chest. He placed a hand over his mouth and nose. _'Fuck that stinks,'_ he thought as the undead's intestines came pouring out of its stomach. Intestines never smelled good but undead ones were disgusting. He did his best to keep his own stomach in check. He backed off from the corpse. "That is just disgusting," he said. He walked away from it and over to the orb. Reaching out, he placed his hand against the cool surface of the orb. It wasn't giving off magic anymore.

"Well isn't this interesting."

Harry turned around. Rhavaniel stood over the corpse with a note in one hand and a necklace in the other. He walked over to her. "You aren't bothered by the smell?" he asked her. She looked up him. "What are you talking about?" she asked and the raven snorted. "I guess that answers my question," he said. "What doest it say?" He was handed the note.

 _'_ _Be bound here, Jyrik, murderer, betrayer_

 _Condemned by your crimes against realm and lord._

 _May your name and your deeds be forgotten forever_

 _And the charm which you bear be sealed by our ward.'_

He looked at the necklace. It looked like a piece of an amulet. "I wonder what this means?" he said.

"It could be interesting to look into," Rhavaniel said. "Not that I really have the time for it right now. I have more important things to do." She looked over at the orb. "We should get out of here and tell Arniel," she said.

"Or Tolfdir," Harry said. "He'll be up there now as well."

The Bosmer nodded. "That might be wise," she agreed. "So do we go back the way we came?" she asked. "The bars are probably still up there."

Harry shook his head. "No, there is a door just past the orb. It might lead to another way out," he said. It was pretty common in old Nordic ruins after all – and caves and whatever else you could find in Skyrim. Most places had a fast way out. He pushed the door open and conjured a ball of light.

Down an earthy corridor and past a turn they went.

Rhavaniel walked up in front as they reached a dragon shrine. "These are just fascinating," she said. "Made by the Dragon Priests."

Harry walked up next to her. He looked at the lines before him. "Noble Nord remember this word of the Hoar Father. Even best steel may bend and break, but flesh of true men is unyielding," he read as he took his backpack off so he could write it down.

Violet eyes studied the young mage as he started copying the text on the wall down. "You can translate that?" she asked disbelievingly.

Harry looked up from his notebook. "Yes, yes I can," he answered. "I have several of these texts written down."

"You know dragon-tongue?"

"Mhhm," Harry looked back down at the book. "I've gotten way better at translating these over the years though. Not that my old translations were faulty. It just took me longer to do them," he said. "I love finding these." He pointed left. "The path out is that way. "We should probably let the others know that we're still alive. I just need to add the last word," he said.

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes. She could understand being possessive over personal research though. She walked over to the next door and opened it. She could see light past the shadow of some bars. Light appeared in her palm, and she watched as it left her hand. On the left hand wall there was a lever. She reached out and grabbed the handle before pulling it out and twisted it counter clockwise.

The bars moved out of the way.

"Well that is convenient," Harry said. "All we need to do is build a ramp up here." He walked up to the edge and sat down before dropping down on the wooden floorboards that had been built so that the mages could go deeper into the tomb. All they would need to do was add to the existing structure. He heard the Bosmer joining him. They headed deeper into the complex.

"Ah, there you are," Tolfdir said. "Arniel told me that you disappeared. At least it was the both of you. Did you find anything interesting?"

"Well there is an orb down below. It is about 5' 8" or so in diameter. It's made out of some kind of strange stone. The only other place I have seen anything like it, is in Dwemer ruins. But the orb definitely isn't Dwemer made," Rhavaniel said.

"And it is filled with magic," Harry said. "The Psijic Order took an interest in our little adventure here. Their representative told us that we have unleashed a chain of events that cannot be stopped. I guess that it is related to the orb somehow."

"The Psijic Order but they haven't been heard from in over a hundred years," Tolfdir said. "If the Order has an interest in the item you found underground then it must be something very special."

"Most likely," Harry said. "The fastest way there would be to build a ramp up to the secondary way out from the inner chamber."

Tolfdir nodded. "There is plenty of lumber outside," he said. "We had to build our way down here after all. Arniel will be your best bet at how that should be done. He knows more about building than I do."

"That won't be a problem," Harry said. "I'll look into what we have, and then I can deal with it. If I can help build a house then building some wooden pallets won't be that hard."

"If you say so young mage," Tolfdir said. He watched the young man as the teen disappeared up the path out of the excavation.

Harry rummaged around amongst the tools that were gathered outside the excavation. He had found pretty much everything he needed. _'I'll start building tomorrow. Hopefully Arniel will help me,'_ he thought. It would be much easier to get everything done on two.

…

The next coming few days were spent building. They made ramps up to the secondary exit and from the cave with the dragon shrine up to the main chamber. Tolfdir had been amazed by the big magical sphere. He'd studied it for hours before he'd pulled himself out of it and asked Harry to contact the Arch-Mage. Aren needed to know what they had found.

To be honest Harry was glad to be leaving. The orb gave him a bad feeling. It wasn't the sphere itself but rather there was something connected to it or – he wasn't sure. It made him uncomfortable though.


	27. Stolen Knowledge

**Stolen Knowledge**

 _12th of Frostfall, 4E 205. Sundas_

It was a cold morning. Harry's breath came out in white smoke in front of him. Winterhold was always colder than the rest of the northern region of Skyrim for some reason. He had spoken to Urag, the keeper of the Arcanaeum, after returning from Saarthal. It had been the Arch-Mage that had sent him to the library.

He had been sent there to see if there was any kind of information in there pertaining to the orb they had found. It had turned out that the books he needed had been stolen by a man named Orthorn. Now he had to find the guy and get the books back. He'd asked the old Orsimer if there were any other books that he wanted fetched while he was at it. He'd been asked to find _Remanada_ in Falkreth Watchtower and a copy of _Shalidor's Insights_ in Understone Keep. The good news was that he could go by home easily. Maybe Katla or Ra'shall would be up to some travelling. He walked out to the makeshift stables and saddled Midun. "Come on honey let's go home," he said. He sat up in the saddle and led her up on the road out of town.

As they made their way down through Winterhold Hold, Harry thoughts went to the conversation he had with the Thalmor residing in the College. His view on the Thalmor was rather similar to his mother's. He didn't like them much. Ancano himself was arrogant at best.

He travelled over the plain north of Whiterun. Though he knew that Katla might be in the city of the white horse, he decided not to travel there. He simply passed. His first stop would be Lakeview Manor. He'd probably go to Markarth first and then take the rest of the stops on the way back to the College.

…

Harry looked up at the sky. It was clouding over quickly. Bad weather was coming. Thankfully it wasn't much further 'til he'd reach the Manor.

Rain started falling as he turned from the road up into the forest between Lake Ilinalta and Lakeview Manor. Harry dropped down from Midun's back before he led her into their small stables. He dried her off after taking the saddle and bridle off her. He checked so that she had food, and then he made sure that she had plenty of water. He walked out and pulled the thick canvas over the opening so she wouldn't get cold.

A key was taken out of a small pouch as the raven walked up to the door. He placed it in the lock. Click! He pulled the door open and walked inside. "Is anybody home?" he called. He didn't get a response. He took his wet boots off before making his way up to his room. A lavender light spread out over his fingers. A blue shade appeared in the lab. _'So Ra'shall is home then,'_ he thought. There were no other lights in the house so he assumed that Katla was in Whiterun. He would have to go through there on his way back to the College. She'd never forgive him if he didn't.

After he had changed from his armour into something a bit more comfortable, he walked up to the laboratory door and knocked. He wasn't about to walk around the house without the feline knowing he was home. "Ra'shall," he said.

The doors were pulled in, and Harry found himself enveloped in strong fur covered arms. "Hey, I've only been gone a month," he said laughingly. He hugged the feline-man back.

"Ah, that might be so cub," Ra'shall said. "It doesn't change the fact that you are missed whenever you are gone." He let go of the raven. "Why are you back home? Have you given up on those ignorant paper pushers already?" he asked.

Harry snorted. "No," he said. "We found a magical artefact in Saarthal. We don't know what it is. It makes me uneasy though. The problem is that any books we might have had pertaining to the artefact were stolen by another mage." He followed the feline back into the lab and sat down. "Urag asked me to go find the books. He also asked me to find some other books while I was at it," he said. He was handed a couple of Nirnroots.

"I need the green of the leaves only," Ra'shall said. He looked down at the mixture he had brewing. "You be careful with those magical things. Do you have any idea where to find the books?"

"Yeah, I have locations for all of them," Harry answered. "The closest one is over in the Falkreth Watchtower. I don't know what it is doing there, but I though I'd pick it up on my way to Markarth. I came back here because I thought that maybe you or Katla would be up to going with me." He placed the cut off parts of the roots down on the alchemy table.

"So how are people at the College?" Ra'shall asked.

Harry shrugged. "They are O.K. I guess," he said. "They have me with the first stage students right now, and I'm so far ahead of them magicwise that it is insane. I can't be moved ahead to the next group yet though because I need to catch up theorywise first. The other students don't really like me because I'm basically getting special treatment from the teachers. The teachers already know that I can perform the spells since they taught me years ago. I would probably have been better off just attending the lecturers and the theory lessons." He leaned back in his chair. "They asked me to help them with the other students. I shouldn't have accepted."

"So no one is worth knowing over there?"

*Sigh "I don't know, maybe. I met a woman that might turn out to be a friend," he said. "She is a bit reserved, but unlike everyone else she seemed to appreciate the fact that I know more than just magic."

Ra'shall shook his head and laughed. "I guess you think it is worth sticking around though since you're going back," he said.

"I haven't said anything to the contrary," Harry said. "You have something against the mages not me."

Ra'shall nodded. "I guess so," he said. "Oh, and before I forget. You remember that spherical stone you found – the black one."

Harry nodded.

"Well there was a guy in Dawnstar that was looking for things that once made up Mehrunes' Razor. That stone was a part of the dagger so I gave it to him. Or he paid for it," Ra'shall said. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, not really. I can't say I want anything to do with that Daedric Prince," Harry said.

They kept talking through the evening and long into the night. Ra'shall had quite a lot to do still so he opted out of going with the raven to Markarth.

* * *

 _14th of Frostfall, 4E 205. Sundas_

Harry looked down at the note in his hands.

 _Salonia_

 _We've been saddled with some researchers who can't go four_

 _steps without examining something and, they fight about as_

 _well as you'd think… probably worse. Stromm at least has_

 _some magical competence but none of them can swing a_

 _sword. Erj and Krag seem up to something so I'll have to_

 _keep an eye on them, but Staubs assures me they're_

 _trustworthy._

 _Alethius_

 _'_ _I wonder what happened to them,'_ he thought. There wasn't anything but armour and bones left of the man that had carried the note. It didn't surprise the raven. He turned around and looked down at the dead spider. Spiders were one creature he had no problems killing. It was obvious that the soldier whose armour he had found had been killed and eaten by the spider. He raised a hand and burned the spider webs blocking his path down.

He pushed the doors open and walked in. He hadn't travelled for long into the Dwemer ruins when he saw a dark human-like creature. _'Ruth nii,'_ he thought, _'there are Falmer down here… great.'_ He grabbed his bow slowly. Now he was really glad that his main weapon was the bow. An arrow was placed on the bowstring. He pulled the string back. _'Now I wish I was a Khajiit,'_ he thought. Then he bit his lip. If he killed the Falmer right in front of him … then maybe he could light the cavern up after that. The enslaved elves were blind after all. He fired his arrow off. A small smirk spread over his lips as the elf fell from the thin stone bridges that the Dwemer preferred building between towers. " ** _Laas yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. Red shapes showed up around the cave, but none of them were close to him.

Light started building between Harry's hands. He closed his eyes as it got stronger. He'd never actually tried to increase the power of Magelight before. It was eating away at his magicka reserves like crazy. _'I'm not fighting using magic after this,_ ' he though as he threw the orb towards the ceiling of the cavern. The orb shone like the sun in the sky outside. With his spell lighting the way, he quickly made it down through the old Dwemer buildings. He found a journal written by one of the researchers. He flipped through it quickly, but the information wasn't that important for now. He would take it with him so he could study it later.

 _'_ _Chances are that these guys were killed by Falmer,'_ he though as he packed the journal down. The torture chamber he found further into the living complex he had entered confirmed his belief.

He had to backtrack after that.

…

Water covered the floor of the cavern. Thankfully it smelled clean. He figured he would have to get wet to reach the next door he wanted to go through. He walked up a ramp and placed a hand on the door. A sigh escaped his lips. He needed to dry himself up before continuing. _'I might as well camp here and get some food,'_ he thought.

Once he was dry and fed he continued on his way. He found another journal next to a decomposing body. He raised a hand and sent fire towards the body. Even if burning flesh smelled bad it wasn't as bad as the decomposition. He looked over his shoulder and grimaced.

The Dwemer machines were immobile but they still made him uncomfortable. _'I guess there is no time like this to study them though,'_ he thought. He had wanted to take a closer look at the machines since the very first time he had seen one. He was going to add them to his mindscape – just like he had added Dwemer ruins to the world he carried with him. When he had figured out that he could create a world within his own mind he had realised that he could make his own version of Skyrim in his mind. The different places guarded different parts of his memories and his knowledge. He even had his oven version of the College to guard his magic abilities.

He spent a long time moving and shifting and making sure that he understood how every part interacted with each other. He couldn't tell from the models exactly how the machines worked, but he now knew exactly what they looked like.

…

 _15th of Frostfall, 4E 205. Sundas_

Golden levers and old inscribings covered a heavy stone block. Harry looked down at the mechanisms. The latest journal he'd picket up had talked about a safety system of some sort. He guessed that could be why the machines he had seen earlier hadn't moved.

He wasn't sure that activating the mechanics was the best idea. It would probably keep the Falmer out though. _'Here goes nothing,'_ he thought. He couldn't actually read Dwemer script, but he'd spent a few hours in the room already figuring out which levers were connected to the defence. He pulled the main lever.

The machinery was so well built that it just started up again after years of lying dormant. The raven turned away from the levers and walked up to a chest he opened it up and conjured a small orb of light. _'Ah, there it is,'_ he thought as he pulled an old book out. He opened it up. It had to be the right one. He didn't understand it at all. _'Now I just have to get out of here again_ ,' he thought. He hurried his steps. No matter how good the mechanics worked, it would take the machines a while to start up. He wanted to be out of there before they had started up.

The old wizard in charge of the excavation site thanked him for his work when he came back. He was paid for his work. All he wanted to do was go home though. He had what he had come there for.

* * *

 _16th of Frostfall, 4E 205. Morndas_

It smelled really good from the kitchen. Bread baking and jam cooking. Ra'shall sat up slowly. Waking up to someone baking was one of the best things he knew. He stood up and stretched. He could hear someone moving around in the kitchen. He sniffed the air. Harry was back home it would seem. He had been out late the night before. The teen must have come back while he was out.

"Good morning," he said leaning against the door-frame to the kitchen.

Harry looked up and smiled. "Good morning **_kaazaak_** ," he said. "I thought we could do with some fresh jam, and you were basically out of bread so I decided to bake some." He grabbed the pot off the fire. A chilled spoon was dipped in. "Perfect," he mumbled. He moved a glass jar so he could fill it with the dark jam.

"You are going to need another one," Ra'shall said. He walked into the room and fished another jar out of a cupboard. He placed it down on the counter.

"Thank you," Harry said. He moved the pot in his hands and scoped jam into the second jar. "There we go," he said. He walked out of the house so he could clean the pot out. It would stick like crazy if he didn't deal with it right away.

Ra'shall moved away from the counter. He picked one of the jars up, grabbed plate with some butter on it and walked into the dinning room. He'd have to ask Harry what the teen wanted to do now. He was all for going with him to wherever he needed to go.

The teen came walking back inside. He put the pot back in the kitchen and looked into the oven. _'All done,'_ he thought before he grabbed the peel and took the loafs out. He placed them down on a rack so they could cool off. A knife was pulled out of a drawer before Harry placed one of the loafs of bread on a cutting board. He took it with him into the dinning room.

"So where do you need to go?" Ra'shall asked. "We'll leave right after breakfast right?"

Harry looked up at him as he grabbed the knife. "I need to go to Fellglow Keep," he said. He cut through the crust of the warm bread in front of him. He handed a couple of slices to Ra'shall before cutting up a few for himself.

They ate their sandwiches in silence before packing things up so they could leave. Ra'shall did a quick run over to Pinewatch before they left. They'd agreed that going to Whiterun before they headed after the runaway mage was probably the best idea. Katla would not be happy with them otherwise.

…

Harry left Midun with her previous owner before entering the city. He wasn't sure he would take her with him back to Winterhold. He wanted her to be safe and Witherhold in the middle of winter was really cold. He didn't really think that the makeshift stables they had up there were enough. He'd come back to Whiterun when spring came to get her back.

"Harry!"

The raven turned around and smiled at Frothar. "Hey **_zeymah_** ," he said. "How have things been?" he asked.

"You know, O.K. I guess," the brunet said evasively.

Green eyes rolled. "Don't even try that on me," Harry said. "If it is something you want to talk about then now is the time. "We're probably staying past like lunch so you have my undivided attention until then," he said. He turned to Ra'shall as the younger teen nodded. "I'm going with Frothar. Can you find Katla? I know that we're going because I need to, but I think I really should listen to what Frothar has to say."

"Sheesh, I'll talk to Katla. You go with the kid. I wanted to come with you, you don't need to convince me," Ra'shall said. He headed up the stairs to the great hall. He would have to find the brunette. Hopefully she wasn't in the middle of something. He made his way up to the second floor and over to the Jarl's private quarters. "Katla!" he called. He leaned back against the door-frame. If the brunette was in there she would come down to him.

"Ra'shall what are you doing here? I thought you were going to Elsweyr," Katla said as she stopped in front of him. "Harry showed up," the feline said. "He wants help finding some book that they need over at the College."

"He's here," the brunette said excitedly.

"He's here but he's talking to one of the bear cubs right now," Ra'shall said.

"Frothar," Katla said. She nodded. "I'm not surprised. He's been… quiet lately. He spoke to me after his little adventure with Harry this summer but lately he's been almost standoffish," she said.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "You know I don't care about the bear's little dramas," he said.

"Oh, I know. You care little for anyone…"

"I love both you and Harry," the feline-man hissed. He reached out and ran his fingers over her cheek and into her hair. "You know that don't you." His eyes caught movement behind the brunette. He didn't see who it was, but chances were it was on of the bears. "I hope your husband trusts you," he said.

Katla raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Someone saw and most likely heard us. It is quite easy to misunderstand what we were just up to," the feline-man said.

"He trusts me just fine," Katla said.

"Well that's good."

…

"…she's pretty you know. But she's a merchant's daughter. I don't know if dad…"

"You do realise that despite the fact that Katla is the Dragonborn now, she was just a farmer's girl the first time they met. I doubt your father will have any problems with her background," Harry said.

Frothar looked down at his hands. "I … I guess you're right," he said.

"Don't worry so much about it, and don't do anything stupid like get her pregnant before you're married. You'll be fine," Harry said.

Frothar groaned.

Harry chuckled as he stood up. He patted the younger teen on the back before he walked out of the room. He made his way down to the great hall. A smile spread over his face as he saw Katla. **_"Monah,"_** he said as he walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Hey, **_kulsezii_** ," the brunette said. "It's nice to have you back."

"It's nice to see some familiar faces," the raven said. "I mean I know my teachers from earlier, but the other students are sort of douchy."

"Why don't we sit down and talk about it," Katla said. She led the others over to one of the long tables and sat down. They talked straight through lunch. Katla got the impression that mages were just a bit stuck up. As far as Harry was concerned, she was more worried about the Thalmor that inhabited the College than she was about the mages. Harry could handle the other magic users. If he got in trouble with the stupid elves though… _'He can handle himself,'_ she thought. "Do you want to leave now or do you want to wait until tomorrow?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "If we leave now we can camp just before the dungeon or tower or whatever it now is and then we can hopefully clear the whole place out in one day. There are going to be humans there though. I'm not too happy about that," he said.

"Where are you going?" Balgruuf asked.

"We're going to Fellglow Keep," Harry answered.

"Rumours from over that way are not good," Balgruuf said. "People have gone missing. I've considered sending men over to deal with it." He looked at Katla. "If they are mages that left the College then guards are maybe not the best idea."

"Probably not," the brunette said.

"They are hurting people though," Balgruuf said. "I doubt that they will simply stop if we ask them."

"I know," Harry said. "We'll deal with them." He looked over at Katla. "We'll stock up while you get ready."

"Good," the brunette said. "I won't be long." She stood up and started walking up the stairs to the private quarters. Her husband got up not long after her and followed her. He walked up behind her and helped her fasten the straps on her armour. "You'll be careful, right?" he said.

Katla turned around. "We'll be fine. I'll be fine." She reached out and placed her hands on either side of his face before she leaned in to kiss him soundly. "Someone needs to deal with this, and you're right we can't send the regular guards. Harry, me and Ra'shall are more than capable of handling a couple of rouge mages. Besides if I don't go then they won't be as safe. If Harry or Ra'shall got hurt because I wouldn't help them then I'll never forgive myself," she said. She put her black gauntlets on. "Harry has to go there so I will help him."

Balgruuf smiled softly. She was so headstrong. "Just make sure all of you come back that's all I want," he said. He reached out and grabbed her hair so he could help her plait it. He took her hands as she moved towards the door ready to go. She held her helmet in the other hand. They made it down to the great hall.

"Good luck," Balgruuf said.

"Thank you. You take care too," she said.

They shared a kiss before the brunette turned and headed towards the grand doors.

"Are you sure that is a good idea brother?" Hrongar asked.

"What are you talking about little brother?" the blond Nord responded.

"I saw her and the cat earlier in a rather intimate position."

Balgruuf turned to look at his brother. "They aren't romantically interested in each other," he said. "Whatever it was you saw I doubt you understood the full meaning of it. They are close but not like that. It is very easy to take things out of context."

"If you say so brother. It isn't my woman," Hrongar said.

"She'd beat the crap out of you if she heard you speak of her like that."

…

"Well this is great," Katla said as she looked up from the note she'd found. Her eyes caught Harry's. "You be really careful with that Thalmor you have back at the College. This is a kill order. They want me dead." They had been travelling for several hours and had almost reached their destination when they'd been attacked.

"I'll deal with it," Ra'shall said. "We'll wipe out the Thalmor embassy. That should keep them away for a while at least."

"I don't know if that is the best idea," Katla said.

The feline shrugged. "We can go over exactly how to do it with your bear when we get back," he said.

Harry pulled his bow out. "I can see the tower," he told the other two. "And I count three enemies." He moved uphill aimed his bow. "Or you know two enemies," he said. "Are you gonna continue arguing about Katla's and my safely or help me?" he asked.

Katla pulled her bow out and moved up next to her son. She placed an arrow on her bowstring. "Flame Atronach," she hissed.

Harry turned around and fired an arrow. The fiery lady collapsed to the ground. An explosion of fire spread out around her corpse. "The last one is way over there," the raven said calmly as he pointed towards a gathering of rocks. "I'm going to send Ven over to take care of whoever that is."

"So do we stay outside tonight or do we take control of the first room and stay there?" Ra'shall asked.

"We'll be safer if we take control of a room in there. It will mean that they can't get to us from every direction," Katla said.

"We have a problem," Ra'shall said as he came back up. "The room down the stairs is filled with water."

"Then let's just stay right outside the door," Katla said. "We'll be just about as safe out there."

"Sounds better than getting all wet," Ra'shall said.

They went back outside, set up camp quickly, and sat down. It was a bit cold outside but they would be O.K.

A fire was started up so they could cook later. Katla and Harry changed from armour to softer clothes. The raven lay down so his head was lying in his mothers lap. His green eyes blinked closed slowly. He felt safe.

* * *

 _17th of Frostfall, 4E 205. Tirdas_

They had been going for some time now. They had encountered a couple of mages and cells. Cells that held vampires.

"Let go of me," Harry hissed as he made fire spread over his skin.

The woman shrieked and backed off. Her hands were blistered.

"Maybe we should just kill them," Ra'shall said.

Harry sighed. He placed a hand against the bars next to him. Lightning spread from his hand out to the bars all around the room. "Cut me," he said. He could feel as a knife nicked him. The vampire screeched and threw herself forward. She touched the bars. A scream tore through the room followed by more. Katla and Ra'shall had moved over to the other cells and lured the vampires up to the bars as well.

"That made more noise that what was necessary," Ra'shall said quietly.

"I don't think that matters," Harry said. "Everyone around here is probably used to the screams considering the rack that stood by the entrance."

"That might be true," the feline-man agreed. His head turned towards the door. He signalled back that someone was coming.

"What is going on in here Lisa," a woman asked as she opened the door. Ra'shall who had hidden right by the door reached out and grabbed her. He silenced her before she got a chance to scream before he slipped into the next room.

Harry and Katla followed the feline. "It's a torture room," the raven said. He looked at the bodies lying on the tables. "They are vampires, aren't they?" he asked.

Ra'shall nodded. "Well actually the one over here is human I think," he said as he walked up to one of the bodies. He pulled a scroll out. "We'll burn him here away from the vampires. We should gather their bodies in the other room and torch them as well," he said as he activated the scroll. Flames spread out over the roll and caught onto the body beneath.

They gathered the vampires together and set fire to them before heading deeper down into the dungeon. Howls guided their way. The mages kept wolves.

They went through a winding corridor. Katla was walking first which turned out to be a good idea. She raised her bow and aimed. An old man walked back and forth in the room. Tchick! She walked in to the room slowly.

"Please, please let me out of here!" a male voice hissed.

Katla turned around. "Harry," she called softly.

The raven walked into the room and up to the cell. He raised a hand and let a ball of light raise from his palm. It illuminated the olive coloured skin of an Altmer. He wore a standard issue Mage College robe and hood.

"You have to let me out. They are going to do something awful to me. There is a lever right down the centre. Hurry! Before more of the show up," the man said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "So you are Orthorn," he said.

"Yes, yes. Did Arch-Mage Aren send you? He sent you to rescue me didn't he?" Orthorn said.

The raven sighed. "I'm here for the books you stole not for you. Frankly you got yourself into this mess. You can get yourself out," he said.

"What the bo… Oh, oh dear. I shouldn't have taken them I know. It was stupid. I was stupid. It won't happen again I promise. If you help me get out of here then… then I'll help you find then just please," the elf pleaded.

Harry looked up at Katla, and the brunette moved over to a set of three levers. She grabbed the middle one and pulled it.

"Thank you, thank you! I promise I'll help, and then I'll go back to the College and beg them to let me back in," Orthorn said as he walked out of his cell.

"I guess that is good enough," Harry said. "I'm just going to assume that the books are deeper down in the dungeon. We're pretty good at handling this kind of thing so please don't get in our way. You'll have to come with me back to the College if you are going to have any kind of chance of getting back with them."

"Thank you," Orthorn said.

"Please stay to the back," Harry said before he started walking down a corridor. He closed his fist and lavender light spread over his fingers. He released the spell and red lights appeared further down.

"You really need some way to do that without spreading light all over the place," Ra'shall said.

Harry looked down at the feline. "Yeah, I'll work on that," he said. He understood his Uncles worry. The light could give him away. It was a good thing to learn. Invisible magic. _'And I'll need it back on Earth,'_ he thought. He couldn't go around with light glowing from his hands back on Earth. He continued down his bow ready.

An arrow placed on the raven's bowstring. He raised the bow and fired.

"Get down Harry."

The raven ducked as he removed a second arrow from his quiver. He smirked as Katla's arrow burrowed in a witch's throat. He raised his own bow once more and fired. "Clear," he said. He started walking once more. "They are using people as target practice down here," he said. He climbed over a barrier and walked up to a cage hanging from the ceiling. "This one is dead," he said. He reached out. Fire spread from his fingers, and he increased its power until the body was burning brightly.

"This one is still alive but she's a vampire," Ra'shall said. He grabbed a vial from his belt and smashed it against the bars.

 ** _"_** ** _Yol,"_** Katla shouted once the feline was back next to her. Fire spread from her and caught on the potion that Ra'shall had spread over the vampire; she screamed as her clothes caught fire.

They made their way into the next area, cleared it out and settled down for lunch. Harry had checked the area. There was no one around so they were safe. Orthorn looked up at the raven. He was not familiar with the boy. _'He must have arrived after I left,'_ he thought. The kid seemed talented though. From what little he had seen the young-man was highly capable.

When they were done with their meal, they packed up and started heading further down.

"The Caller is really dangerous," Orthorn said. "Don't listen to her whatever she says."

"Oh, don't worry," Harry said. "We are not here to talk to her." He reached out and pushed the door open. **_"Krii lun,"_** he shouted violet light leaving him. He moved to the side to let Katla have free reign. He raised his bow and waited.

 ** _"_** ** _Liz slen,"_** the brunette shouted. A cloud of ice hit the witch.

Tchick!

Argh!

Slash! Blood flowed out over the floor. Katla pulled her sword back out of the body.

Harry turned around and raised an eyebrow at a heaving sound. Orthorn had thrown up. He walked away from the door. He didn't like it much either, but he hadn't thrown up in quite a while. He walked over to one of the altars. The room was big and circular with two smaller rounded alcoves. On the floor raised daises were cut out like stars. Candles stood at every point on the inner star and at every in on the outer star. Candlesticks lined the walls and a chandelier hung from the ceiling. The gathered light from all of those little candles barely lit the room up.

"Here," Katla said as she handed the raven a book.

"Thank you," he said. He shook his backpack off so he could pack the books. Ra'shall came up to him with the last book. He packed that down as well.

"Will you come with us back to Whiterun?" Katla asked.

"No," Harry said. "I need to get back to Winterhold." He sighed. "I'd prefer staying but… I want to learn too, and I'm not going give up on that. I'll be back come spring. I'll stay longer then," he said.

Katla nodded. "Ra'shall wants to explore and plunder the place so we will stay a bit longer," she said.

"Oh, O.K." Harry said. He walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you come spring," he said.

"Good bye sweetheart," Katla said.

"Come on Orthorn. We'll head for the College," Harry called over to the Altmer.

"Oh, sure," Orthorn said. He walked over to the teen. He hoped that they would make it alright.


	28. Winter in Winterhold

**Winter in Winterhold**

 _19th of Evening Star, 4E 205. Fredas_

Harry looked up at the strange orb they had found in Saarthal. He still didn't like it. He had made it back to the College about two months earlier. He'd basically been put in charge of Orthorn when they got back. No one really trusted the Altmer. The man wasn't too bad. Useless with magic but he wasn't a bad person. Naïve though very naïve. That was how the Caller and her followers had convinced him to join them. The Caller herself had been at the College when Harry had been through the first time around. He'd recognised her. He hadn't spoken to her much back then though. She had given him a bad vibes. She must have gathered the other mages together after he left.

He looked back down at the book in his hands. It wasn't all that interesting. It was a course book. Colette had wanted them to read it. He could understand why it was important. The author just had no concept of how to not sound completely monotone. He was getting through it though.

He stood up slowly. He wanted to get back to his research. He walked outside into the cold. It didn't really bother him though. Snow fell from the sky like always. _'That has to be some kind of curse,'_ he though. It snowed way too much for it to be normal. He hadn't encountered anything that might hold a curse though. He pushed the door to the Hall of Attainment open and walked inside. He walked into his room and placed the book down. He opened a chest and pulled his research papers out together with two magic stones. He rummaged through the papers and sorted them. He tended to keep them in disarray so that no one could steal his research. He also wrote big parts in dovahzul rather than English or whatever you wanted to call the language they spoke on Nirn.

His biggest problem right now was that Soul Gems couldn't hold magic. He needed something else. He figured that if he could find something that could hold magic he could use the stones he had to infuse power into that. He needed to find something that would work first though. He'd also prefer if the new infusion item didn't disappear. He would be limited if he had to use his Varla Stone, and Welkynd Stone since he only had one of each.

He needed to start making experiments with materials, but he preferred being away from the College for that. _'I can decide what materials to test in the mean time. I might as well be prepared for when I start doing my testing,'_ he thought.

Going through his notes once more, he picked a notebook up and started writing items he wanted to test down. He lay back on his bed as he added materials to the list.

…

 _23rd of Evening Star, 4E 205. Tirdas_

"Harry could you help me with something?"

The raven turned to look up at his classmate. "What do you want help with Brelyna?" he asked. He still didn't really get along with his classmates, but it had been going better lately. He figured that they'd gotten over whatever moronic ideas they had in the beginning.

"I need to test a spell out, and I'm wondering if you'd be willing to help me," the Dunmer said.

"Sure what do you need help with?" Harry said.

"I have this spell that I have been working on and I need a test subject to try it on…"

"Excuse me!"

Harry turned his head. It was the Bosmer he had met down in Saarthal. "You can't do tests on another student without supervision. No spell may be used on a mage at the College unless it has been approved by one of the teachers," Rhavaniel said. She looked over at Harry. "I don't recommend accepting something like that. It can go horribly wrong," she told him.

"I wasn't going to," Harry said calmly. He turned to Brelyna. "Rules are rules," he said. "You better make sure you know them before trying something like that again. You could get thrown out of the College if you break them."

"Excuse me but I need you to come with me immediately."

 _'_ _What is it with people and walking up behind me,'_ Harry wondered as he turned to face the College Thalmor. "What is it Ancano?" he asked.

"There is a man here that is claiming to be from the Psijic Order. I want to know why he is here and more specifically why he is asking to speak to you," the white-haired Altmer said.

Harry stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He turned to Rhavaniel. "Would you accompany me please?" he asked her. She had been there the last time he'd spoken to a member of the Order. It only seemed right to him that she would be there now as well.

Rhavaniel nodded. She was interested in what the Order had to say.

"Rhavaniel has not been asked for. She will not attend," Ancano said. "You will speak to this Monk and then he will be removed from College grounds."

Harry gave the man a flat look. "Rhavaniel will come with me because she is involved. You will shut up or I will throw you out of the College. Your little Thalmor friends aren't going to be in Skyrim much longer. We don't like you here. And your little friends are obsessed with killing my mother. The Holds won't let you stick around much longer. Don't think you can make me roll over for you just because the Arch-Mage let's you stay here," he told the Altmer before turning to the brown haired Bosmer next to him. "Shall we go?" he asked as he held his arm out.

She took it and they headed out of the training hall. Harry activated Clairvoyance as he focused on the feeling of the man they'd met last time around. A blue streak spread out before him and led them to the Arch-Mage quarters. He opened the door for the elf and walked in behind her.

They made their way up the stairs and up to the tree in the Arch-Mage quarters. A man much like the one that had appeared before them in Saarthal was standing in front of the tree. They couldn't tell if it was the same one or not though.

"Please do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm," the man said.

A blue shimmer spread through the room.

Harry reached out quickly and grabbed Rhavaniel's hand. He turned to look behind them where Ancano and Arch-Mage Aren had frozen. The elf next to him was alright though so he didn't mind much.

"You wished to speak to me," Harry said.

"I did. I have given us a chance to speak privately. But I cannot hold the spell for long," the Monk said. "The situation here at your College is of dire importance. And since you reacted badly to our previous method of contacting you, we chose this rout instead. It was also an easier way of handling things now that the Eye of Magnus as your people have taken to calling it is here at the College. The longer it remains here the more dangerous it becomes. And so I have come here personally to tell you it must be dealt with."

"I don't understand why I am the one that has to deal with this," Harry said. "Not to say that I won't it just perplexes me."

"You set this chain of events in motion at Saarthal. You must understand that the Psijic Order does not typically … intervene directly in events. My presence her will be seen as an affront to some within the Order. As soon as I am finished here I will be leaving the College. I'm also aware that my presence has aroused suspicion, especially in Ancano your Thalmor associate."

"I honestly don't care what he thinks, sir," Harry said. "Why don't you simply get to the point, please?"

"Either way my order will not act directly. You must take it upon yourself to do so. As you may have learned this object… the Eye is immensely powerful. This world is not ready for it. If it remains here it will be misused," the Monk said. "Indeed, many in the Order think it already has, or rather … something will happen soon something that cannot be avoided."

"I guess well have to be ready then," Rhavaniel said. "Is there nothing you can say to help us?"

"Unfortunately the future is as obscure to us as it is to you. The Eye makes it difficult for us to see. I fear that I have already overstepped the boundaries of my Order," the Monk said. "But I will tell you this seek out the Augur of Dunlain here at your College. His perception may be more coherent than ours."

"We will," Harry said.

"Now I must leave you. We will continue to watch over you. It is within you to succeed never forget that," the Monk said. The bluish air dissipated.

Harry looked over at Rhavaniel. "Let's get out of here before these guys wake up properly," he said. As they made it down the stairs they could hear Ancano exclaim, "What? What trickery is this? You are not going anywhere until I find out what you are up to."

"I'm not 'up' to anything. I apologise if I have offended you in anyway," the Monk said.

Harry pulled the door open and they walked out. "Are you up to finding out who or what Augur is?" he asked Rhavaniel.

The elf nodded. "It sounds interesting," she said. "It is also good to be more than one person involved in something like this. It is easier to discus what needs to be one if you have someone to discus it with."

Harry nodded. "So the first thing we need to figure out is where to find Augur," he said.

"I have heard Tolfdir speak about it," Rhavaniel said.

"So the easy way to find out about it is to go ask him then," Harry said.

"Most definitely."

…

Harry walked into the Hall of Countenance. He had spoken to Tolfdir. He and Rhavaniel had decided that he was better off talking to the old Nord. The man liked him better. It had been easy to get him to talk about Augur. "He or it or whatever is down in the Midden," he said as he sat down next to Rhavaniel. He reached out and grabbed some bread from the table. Then he grabbed a knife so he could cut some cheese of a wheel.

"Should we head down there now?" Rhavaniel asked. "I don't have anything else to do at the moment my latest experiment was destroyed by Sandra earlier. I'll have to start all over again."

Harry nodded. "We can go now," he said. He ripped his bread open and placed the cheese between the pieces before standing up and grabbing a bottle of Honningbrew Mead. "Do you have any idea where we can enter the Midden?" he asked.

"This way," Rhavaniel said and pointed. She led them over to the stairs. There was a hatch there that she opened up. Harry placed his food in a pouch and followed her down the ladder. It was dark down there. Two orbs of light joined in the air.

Harry wondered if it was a good idea to go down there without his weapons. With two of them and Rhavaniel capable of summoning her weapons it shouldn't be all that dangerous though. Besides what could be down there?

"So you are conducting an experiment?" the raven asked in an attempt to start some kind of conversation. He wasn't sure she was much for talking, but he figured that he might as well try.

"I was yes," Rhavaniel said. She considered telling the young man what she was researching. He was a tad more intelligent than most of the students at the College so maybe it would be worth it. "I was a member of the Companions in Whiterun…" she said. "It's back some fifteen years ago or so. The Companions aren't just great warriors; they are cursed. And so was I."

"Cursed?" Harry said, an eyebrow raised in question. He looked down at a skeleton on the ground. They had come to a fork and decided to take a left.

"Yes, they were cursed to take on the form of the wolf."

"Werewolves," Harry said. _'They are here on Nirn as well,'_ he thought. His mind briefly turned to Professor Lupin.

"So you know about the moon children?" Rhavaniel said. Her eyes narrowed. She had heard a hiss. Fire spread along her fingers. A serpentine elemental appeared among the pillars holding the ceiling up. She fired off a fireball at the Ice Wraith. It melted into a pool of shimmering blue liquid. She looked back at the raven. "Werewolves?"

"Yeah right," Harry said.

"The Companions are very careful about who gets to know about them. I somehow doubt that they would have simply told you," Rhavaniel said.

"They didn't," Harry said. "I have met a werewolf before but not in Skyrim." He headed down a corridor past a torch glowing with the multi coloured light of a stationary Candlelight spell.

"You have travelled out of the country?" Rhavaniel asked. She was surprised. Most people the raven's age hadn't travelled like that.

"Not really. I'm not from Skyrim originally," Harry said. "I met a rather friendly werewolf before I came to Skyrim." He fell silent. There was light streaming down from the ceiling. It illuminated a large circular stone dais.

"There is a symbol here," Rhavaniel said. "It is the same one we use for Conjuration – Oblivion."

Harry looked down at the book he had picked up. "It is called the Atronach Forge," he said. "You can basically summon things with it. This guy doesn't understand it. He spent most of his time with it just blindly experimenting." He walked up next to Rhavaniel. "That looks like it is Dwemer made," he said and pointed at a small box placed in what looked like a pool of magma. He handed the book over to the elf, and she skimmed though it. "It is interesting," she said. "But we can always come back for it later. It is not like it's going to move."

Harry looked up and raised an eyebrow. _'So it isn't light from outside,'_ he thought. The light came from the dais itself and reflected against the dome of the ceiling. "Yeah, we might as well keep moving," he said.

"I didn't think werewolves usually came in a friendly version," Rhavaniel said picking up on their previous conversation. "The Companions aren't what you'd call friendly."

Harry shrugged. "He doesn't want to be a werewolf. He hates hurting people," he said.

"Stop," Rhavaniel said.

Harry turned around.

"There is someone up ahead."

He nodded and moved out of the way.

Rhavaniel summoned a bow. She placed an arrow on the string and pulled it taunt. Tchick! The conjured arrow flew across the room. It embedded itself in the chest of a draugr.

"What is that doing down here?" Harry asked. "This isn't an old Nordic ruin." He shook his head. "Either way… you were researching something connected to the werewolves?" he said in hopes that he could get an answer to his original question.

"Yes," Rhavaniel said as she pushed a door open. "I am trying to make a cure. I was ridded of my own lycanthropy through a ritual, but it isn't a viable option for everyone. I want to make an easier cure. I have contacts in the Companions that would really like to have it. Some of them are really proud of their beast forms but true Nords for example aren't. You see they can't go to Sovngarde when they die if they carry the curse," she explained. She raised her bow once more and fired an arrow at an Ice Wraith.

They passed through a thick stone arch and walked up to a locked door.

"Your perseverance will only lead to disappointments," a horse voice said. "Still you persist. Very well… you may enter."

A bright shining light filled the small room they walked into.

"So you are the Augur of Dunlain?" Harry said. He wasn't surprised really. He hadn't expected a person to be down there.

"I am that which you have been seeking. Your efforts are in vain… It has already begun. But those who sent you have not told you what they seek. What you seek," the being said.

"That is true," Harry said. "I can't say I like it much, but we didn't have much of a choice."

"Indeed. And so you have come looking, though, you do not know why. Like others before you, you blindly follow the path to your own destruction. The Thalmor came seeking answers as well unaware that they will be his undoing. Your path now follows his, though you will arrive too late."

"So Ancano has been down here as well," Rhavaniel said.

"Yes, the Thalmor has sought my knowledge through very different questions. Your path, however, differs from most. The two of you are being guided, pushed towards something. It is a good path, untravelled by most, one that can save your College. I will tell you what you need to know to follow it further," Augur said.

"So what do we need?" Harry asked.

"You, and those aiding you, wish to know more about the Eye of Magnus. You wish to avoid a disaster of which you are not yet aware. To see through the Eye of Magnus without being harmed by it you require his staff. Events now travel quickly towards an unavoidable centre so you must act with haste. Take this knowledge to you Arch-Mage," Augur said and then he disappeared.

Harry turned to Rhavaniel. "So that was uplifting," he said.

"I wonder how good his sense of time is," the Bosmer said. "Are we in a hurry or can we take our time?"

"I think that as long as we keep an eye on Ancano we can take it pretty calmly," Harry said. "We're going to have to discus it with the Arch-Mage though."

Rhavaniel nodded. "So we should get out of here now then," she said.

"Yeah, definitely."

On the way back out of the Midden Harry told Rhavaniel about his own experiments with alternative enchanting methods. They discussed the subject all the way up to the Arch-Mage Quarters. Rhavaniel did show some interest in the subject, and she asked if she could come along when the raven left to conduct his experiments. She wholeheartedly agreed with his assumption that he'd be better off testing everything away from the College. Other students were a big destruction factor. She had considered finding some other place to conduct her own experiments, and Harry had suggested going to the small Alchemist's Shack south of Ivarstead. Since there was no one around there, it was a pretty good place to be alone in.

When speaking to Aren they came to the conclusion that they would keep a sharp eye on Ancano. Unfortunately they could not leave to search for the Staff of Magnus in the middle of winter though. The roads were impossible to travel with all the snow. They did, however, agree that Harry and Rhavaniel both would search for the staff come spring. In the mean time they would learn as much as they could about the staff and its location.

They were told to speak to Mirabelle who they were informed had some knowledge of the Staff of Magnus. It was far too late to bother her with questions then, however, so they opted to wait until the following day.


	29. Into a Dwemer Ruin

**Into a Dwemer Ruin**

 _27th of First Seed, 4E 206. Turdas_

"Are you ready to go?"

Harry turned around slowly. His hair was standing on end, and he was shirtless. Not that he cared. "Hi, Rhavaniel," he said as he saw the elf. "I'm just about done. I just need to put my armour on." He grabbed his hair and tied it up before taking his armour and placing the pieces down on his bed. He grabbed his pants and pulled them off so he could put his armour on. He tightened the straps before he grabbed the half mask he had created and tied it on. He fastened his sword by his belt and grabbed his backpack.

 _'_ _Well that is interesting,'_ Rhavaniel thought from where she stood watching the Breton. She hadn't quite counted on him being so blasé. He had just changed right in front of her. Sure he hadn't gotten naked but still. One thing she had learned around the College and in the Companions before that was that you didn't get naked in front of just anybody. She didn't understand it. Back home no one care about that.

Harry walked up to the brown-haired elf. "We can go now," he said.

They were headed to Mzulft. Mirabelle had informed them of a group of Imperials from Synod had expressed an interest in the staff they needed to find to deal with the Eye of Magnus some time back. When the mages had been unable to help them they had headed of to the Dwemer ruin instead.

Now Harry and Rhavaniel had to follow them. "So from experience the Imperials we're going after will be dead or gravely injured because for some reason most people going into Dwemer ruins are moronic enough to get themselves killed," the raven said.

Rhavaniel chuckled. "And that comes from personal experience, huh?" she said.

"Unfortunately," Harry said. "I've been down into three Dwemer ruins and in all three of them there were either dying or dead people."

"Three of them? That's quite the amount. How old are you really?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Eighteen," Harry said. "The first two I went into was back when I was fourteen. They were both connected to Blackreach so we went down through one and up through another. On the way down, there were some people still around. Most of them had been killed though."

"You have been to Blackreach?" Rhavaniel said. She sounded exited. "How is it down there? As far as I know no one has been down there and returned to speak about it."

Harry shrugged. "There are three of us at the very least," he said. "We went down and came back up. It… it is like nothing else I've ever seen. It is a huge cave. The only light comes from some kind of strange crystal covering the ceiling and these mushrooms that can grow to be over teen feet tall. Falmer live down there with humans that they have enslaved. It is like its own world. With roads leading through enchanting landscape. Small villages and a city. We didn't spend that much time down there. We were in a hurry to find an Elder Scroll so **_monah_** could stop Alduin."

"Monah?"

"It is mother in dragon-tongue," Harry said. "She is known as the Dragonborn to most people I guess. She adopted me. My own family died … many years ago." He fell silent. His mind travelled back to Earth.

They reached the makeshift stables and Rhavaniel brought out her horse. It was the tan one that had greeted the raven and Midun the first time they had come around. "I'm sorry for your loss," Rhavaniel said. She petted the steed next to her. "This is Tuiwon," she said.

Harry reached out and ran his fingers though the horse's dark-brown mane. He looked up at Rhavaniel. "It is a long time ago now. Katla gave me a new home," he said. He pulled himself together. "So I guess we aren't riding considering I left my horse in Whiterun last time I went through."

Rhavaniel shook her head. "I want to bring him along in case we split up afterwards. You are bringing your research with you aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. You think it will be viable for us to stay away for long though. I mean with Ancano at the College," Harry said.

"The Arch-Mage and the Master Wizard can handle him," Rhavaniel said. "I'm not going to put my own research on hold because of this. We can spend some time away. I want a week or two for my research and then I would like to go to Blackreach if you're up to it."

"You think you'll be able to finalize it?" Harry asked.

"Probably not but I'll get more of an idea of what I might need to continue," Rhavaniel said. "I guess we shouldn't decide anything until we're back out of Mzulft."

"Sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't mind spending some time in Whiterun or back home with my family so I guess we could work things out," Harry said. "I wouldn't mind going down into Blackreach again. I have an interest in Dwemer constructions so I'd like to go back. It's just not all that smart to go alone."

Harry shouted at a snow bear so it wouldn't attack them. They stopped talking and picked their speed up. It wasn't like they wanted to spend forever out on the road. They continued walking swiftly until they reached Kynesgrove.

Rhavaniel whispered something to Tuiwon and the steed wandered off to a patch of juicy green grass. "He's from back home," the Bosmer said. "Unlike most horses around Skyrim you don't need reins or a saddle with him he will go with me wherever I want."

"You can talk to him?" Harry said. He opened the door to the inn for her.

"Yes, I can," Rhavaniel answered. She walked up to the innkeeper and ordered her meal before taking a seat by one of the tables. Harry walked up to the lady after her and ordered his own food. He joined Rhavaniel by her table. He pulled his map out and looked down at it. "So at our speed we should get there in a few hours," he said.

Rhavaniel looked down at the map. "Sounds good," she said. "Where is that shack you were talking about by the way?" she asked. A pale finger touched a marked spot on the map just south of Ivarstead. "It is right there." The elf nodded. "Good," she said. "And there is no one there."

"Not as far as I know. The alchemist that built the place is dead as far as I can tell. We've used the place a couple of times. I don't think you'll run into either Katla or Ra'shall though. They don't travel to Ivarstead much anymore. Neither of them are all that interested in going back up to High Hrothgar," Harry said. "I guess others might use the place too, but I haven't seen any signs of that when I have been by."

Rhavaniel looked up as a plate was placed in front of her. "Thank you," she said. A plate was placed down in front of Harry as well and he thanked the innkeeper. "If there is anything else you need just give me a call," she said before she moved away.

Harry folded his map and placed it back into his backpack. He shifted and picked his knife and fork up so he could cut into his salmon. They ate in silence. They would have plenty of time to talk while they walked.

…

"So they decided that we weren't allowed to practice that particular spell until we had gone though an extensive lecture," Harry said.

Rhavaniel laughed. "Now that sounds frustrating," she said. She shook her head. "Those lectures are so boring."

"Yeah, I know and I had nothing to do with it. I had to sit through hours of boring lectures because they messed things up. I wasn't even testing that spell," Harry said. He shook his head. "It was the first time they didn't give me special treatment." He smiled. "I guess I didn't mind. But well they gave me special treatment throughout everything but the time when I wasn't the least bit involved," he said.

"That's the teachers for you," Rhavaniel said. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that anymore. Not that I disliked learning from them, but they did get repetitive." She looked up the road. "That looks different," she said and pointed to several stone arches up the hill ahead of them.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "That might be our path. They look Dwemer made," he said. "We should probably head up that way. Do you want take Tuiwon with us up there?" he asked.

"No I'll send him off now," Rhavaniel said. She turned towards the steed and whispered something to him. The horse walked away from them slowly. "He'll be fine," the elf said. "Our horses are generally far smarter than others that you may find." She started walking up the stone steps. "We should be careful right?" she said.

Harry nodded. "Since the sun is still up I guess we can both keep track of our surroundings. You can track dead can't you?" he said receiving a nod in answer. "So you track dead and I track the living. We don't move too fast…"

"…and if we see anything strange I'll sneak up on them," Rhavaniel said.

They made their way up the stairs as quietly as they could. It seemed like there was no one around though. They found a small building and entered it, but it led to nowhere. Everything was locked. They figured that it wasn't the actual ruins so they walked back out.

"Now that is a Dwemer ruin," Harry said as they walked up to the actual place. It was built in to the rockface. Steam spewed out of broken pipes. It was an intriguing sight. He wondered how the machinery still functioned down below. He had wondered that before. The Dwemer really were amazing at constructing things. He walked over to the thick gold-looking double-doors leading into the ruins. He pushed them open slowly. "Shit," he said. There was a man sitting just inside the first room. He was bleeding profoundly. "Sir, are you awake, sir," he said as he kneeled down next to the man.

"Crystal … gone …" the man managed to wheeze out. He coughed. "Find… Paratus… in… Oculory…" he couched again.

Harry's hand had started glowing gold as he attempted to heal the man. It was too late though. He placed the man's body down on the ground slowly. "I'm sorry," he said. He needed more information. The mage had a journal in a special pocket of his robes. There was a key there as well. He placed the items down on the ground before standing up. He lifted the body up and carried it outside.

"What happened?" Rhavaniel asked.

"He was lying just inside bleeding out all over the place," Harry answered. "He was too far gone for me to save him. There is a journal and a key back inside. I'm going to burn this guy so he doesn't have to be subjected to anything else." He placed the body down and held a hand out. Fire danced around his fingers. It shot out towards the body. The blue mage robes caught fire. He increased the heat until he could be sure that it wouldn't just go out. He walked back inside the ruin.

Rhavaniel looked up. "This only holds orders from the Council. That guy was supposed to deliver a crystal of some sort to the research team here," she said.

"He said that the crystal was gone," Harry said. "So we most likely have to find it."

"I guess you were right about these places," Rhavaniel said. She walked over to the door. "This is locked," she said and looked down at the key in her hands.

Harry nodded. "I'm not so sure we should go any further until tomorrow," he said. "I don't want to walk out there if it is full of whatever killed that guy without being well rested. We're safe here so we should probably stay until tomorrow. We can start out really early that doesn't matter to me especially not down here."

"So you suggest that we eat and go to bed right now, and then get up as soon as we're well rested to go through this place," Rhavaniel said. She thought about it for a moment. "Why not," she said. She turned to clean the blood off the floor. It would start stinking eventually if they just left it. In the meantime Harry disappeared outside and gathered up some fallen twigs to make a campfire. He wasn't sure Rhavaniel wanted to cuddle with him for heat. He was not about to assume anything just because he wouldn't mind.

Twigs were piled up and set aflame. Harry opened his backpack up and started taking food out. "We should eat more for breakfast tomorrow than now. It isn't all that long since we ate after all," he said.

"Sure that sounds good," Rhavaniel said. She placed a fur out on the ground. Once the food was cooking Harry got up and started pulling his armour off. He was not about to sleep in that. He grabbed a mage robe from his pack and put it on. He grabbed his own fur from his pack. _'I might as well just ask,'_ he thought. "So do you want to share body heat or do you want us to try and keep the fire going through the night?" he asked.

A mahogany-brown eyebrow rose slightly.

"That's how we usually did it," Harry said not the least bit affected by the woman's stare. "Everyone would just bundle together. It keeps you warm." He wasn't suggesting anything but sleeping next to each other. He guessed his question could be taken as something lewd. That wasn't what he meant though not that he would apologise. He wasn't that unsure of himself.

Rhavaniel couldn't hold it in. She started laughing. "Meridia you are wonderful," she said. "Do you have a clue how uptight most of the people here in Skyrim are?" she asked. "We'll share body heat sure."

"People are uptight?" Harry said.

"Yes, they are," Rhavaniel said. "They are not as bad here as they are in Cyrodiil. But you can't talk sex with Nords unless they are tavern wenches and even they don't like talking about it. Saying something like share body heat would immediately been understood as a way to get them to bed. I guess sex is sex to you and not one of those stupid euphemisms."

"That would be a correct assumption," Harry said. "If I want to have sex I'll use the word not some talk around phrase." He moved a spoon though the stew he was making. A smile was plastered on his face. "Khajiit are good for that. Though, I don't recommend having sex with them. Their claws are not nice and they like using them," he informed her.

"Personal experience?" Rhavaniel said.

"Yeah, personal experience. She was fun though I can't deny that," Harry said.

Laughter spread from the Bosmer. She hadn't met someone so free spirited in a long time. She would have a lot of fun with this one she could tell. That was good. She would've hated ending up having to work with someone she couldn't stand.

Harry finished the food and they ate.

After cleaning their bowls up they lay down on their pelts. Harry snorted out a chuckle as Rhavaniel moved up behind him. If some Nords saw them now, they would think he was such a wimp. His eyes closed slowly. A soft sigh escaped him.

* * *

 _28th of First Seed, 4E 206. Fredas_

Rhavaniel placed the key in the locked door. "Ready to go?" she asked.

A smirk spread over Harry's lips as he pulled his sword out of its scabbard. "Let's go," he said.

The corridor beyond the door was dark but not pitch-black. There were little jade lights burning in holders along the walls. It didn't take them long to find another dead mage from Cyrodiil. Gears spun and pumps moved. The ambient noises made it hard to hear other things… like Dwemer spiders for example.

"Spider," Harry said and sent a fireball off towards the long legged mechanical creature. He watched as Rhavaniel moved forward and rammed a bound knife straight down into the base of the gyro on top of the spider's body. She sent lightning through the blade and the spider twitched. The raven turned and looked towards a vent that was emitting steam. Continuing up though the ruins, they walked slowly. More spiders showed up and they dealt with them quickly.

"Now that doesn't look healthy," Rhavaniel said as she pointed towards a spear trap on the floor. She took a step back as fire passed her and the spits shot out of the ground.

"Now the real question is do we go that way," Harry said as he walked over to the other door. "Or this way." He tilted his head to the side. He wasn't all that interested in taking any unnecessary detours. "We need the crystal right?" he said almost to himself. A hand was held out and a blue light spread around his fingers as his eyes closed. He focused on the crystal even though he didn't actually know what it was. It was harder that way. But not impossible he realised as he opened his eyes, a blue streak spreading out before him. "I guess we're going this way," he said.

They continued and the ruins gave way to caves with dirt covered floors. They continued until they found a big insect.

"A chaurus," Harry whispered. He switched from his sword to his bow. "I don't want to get any closer to that than this," he said as he placed an arrow on the string. He raised the bow and fired the arrow. He pulled another arrow and aligned it. He moved to the side as a blob of green goo was spat their way. Tchick! The insect collapsed to the ground. A black eyebrow rose when Rhavaniel walked up to the insect and mumbled excitedly in some kind of elvish. She summoned a dagger and cut into the chaurus soft underside. The raven took a step back as stuff came poring out of the insect. He walked around the carcass and up a wooden ramp. He found another of the mages. This one seemed to have been dead just a bit longer. He was decomposing.

Harry backtracked and stopped next to Rhavaniel. "There are plenty of those down in Blackreach. Do you think you could wait with studying them until then?" he asked.

Violet eyes looked up at him. A sigh escaped her lips. "Fine," she said. "I guess we should hurry up so everyone isn't dead when we get to the bottom of this." She stood up and washed her hands off. Harry raised a hand and sent of a bolt of fire towards the wooden construction. It would take care of the bodies lying around.

They continued down the road. The cave led back up to ruins again, and they re-entered. Harry placed his bow back so he could grab his sword. They moved quietly taking out most of the automatons in their way. As they delved deeper, they found a room littered with machine parts.

"At least someone has been destroying them," Rhavaniel noted.

Harry nodded. "We might actually get a hold of someone who knows what they are doing down here," he said.

It quickly became apparent to them that it might have been Falmer that had destroyed the machines though. It didn't bode well.

…

They continued tirelessly thought the ruins until…

"Now this looks strange," Harry said as he picked up a strange stone with dwarven metal attached to it.

"That might be the crystal that the missive talked about," Rhavaniel said. She reached out and touched the stone. "At least we have the missing piece. Now all we have to do is find where it is needed."

Harry nodded and grabbed a backpack strap so he could pack the stone down. He fished two apples out of the pack. They had eaten some time ago but he was hungry.

"This door is locked," Rhavaniel said. "This is where we need to go isn't it?"

Harry breathed in slowly as he cast his Clairvoyance spell. Just like Rhavaniel thought the streak led straight to the door she was standing by. "Great," she muttered. "So, now we have to find a key."

"Down there probably," the raven said as he pointed towards a long corridor.

It didn't take them long to find the key. All they really had to do was destroy a centurion.

Harry picked up a couple of Dwemer cogs.

"What are you doing?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Oh, Arniel asked me to gather some Dwemer cogs together for some experiment of his," Harry said.

Rhavaniel shook her head.

"Well you don't expect him to do it himself, do you?" Harry said.

They headed back to the locked door. Harry placed the key in the lock of the big double-doors. He pushed the doors open. "Want to bet that the doors up there need a different key," he said.

"Don't," Rhavaniel said. "I'm not up to searching through everything just to find another stupid key."

"G…Gavros… is that you? A male voice asked from the other side of the door when Harry pushed it. "I'd almost given up hope. Let me get the door." The doors opened up slowly. "What the…" the mage on the other side said. "Who are you? What are you doing here? What have you done with Gavros?"

 _'_ _Wow, one question at a time dude,'_ Harry thought. "Gavros is dead we found him by the entrance," he said starting with the question he thought was the most important right then.

The man sighed. "It was the Falmer wasn't it?" he said. "Curse them. They have ruined everything. If Gavros is gone there is no hope. He was supposed to return with the crystal. Without that all our efforts are wasted," he rambled on. "And you, if you are here for treasure or wisdom or anything. I'm afraid you have wasted your time."

"We found a crystal just a little while ago," Rhavaniel said as Harry took his backpack back off so he could show the crystal.

The Synod mage's eyes widened. "You found… how in the world…" he said. "That's it! That's it… I don't know who you are… but you may just have saved this little project." He sounded excited. "In fact, who are you anyway?" he asked almost as an afterthought.

"I am Rhavaniel and this is Harry we are from the College of Winterhold," the Bosmer said.

"You are, are you?" the man said. He didn't sound too happy. "Savos wouldn't even grant us an audience when we came to you, but now you come here expecting something from me?"

A black eyebrow rose. "We're not the Arch-Mage. I doubt I was even a part of the College when you came by," Harry said.

"I… I guess you have a point. I still don't like this much I tell you. But you saved my skin so maybe I can overlook the past for now," he said. "Come on I'll explain how this place works on our way up." He turned around and started walking towards a stone ramp. "It didn't work the first time around. I tried to tell Gavros, but he wouldn't listen. 'No it won't be too cold,' he said. Well, I was right wasn't I. It focused completely wrong by the time we got here. The cold had warped it. Gavros had to cart it all the way back over to Cyrodiil. Left the rest of us here to fend of the damnable Falmer."

Harry looked over at Rhavaniel. He wasn't about it interrupt the man but sheesh. She smiled and winked at him, and he had to suppress a chuckle.

"No matter what Gavros said this was my idea and the Council is going to hear about it," the mage continued. "I was the one who thought of using this… this Oculory. I don't know what the Dwarves called it. Something unpronounceable I'm sure. From all our research it seems like they were intent of discerning the nature of the divine. This machine, all of it, was designed to collect starlight and then… I don't know. Split is somehow! It was my idea to replace one of the key elements with our focusing crystal. Months of enchantments went into it. Let's just hope they got it right this time." He fell quiet as they continued up the ramp.

"Here it is. Magnificent isn't it?" he said as they reached the top.

"It is beautiful yes," Harry said. He wasn't as impressed as the man might have wanted. He had seen a place similar to this one before. It looked very much like the strange machine back in the Tower of Mzark. He would love to stay and study it for a while though. He focused back on the mage.

"…took an incredible amount of work to get it running again. Now I hope it will all be worth it," he said. "Place the crystal in the central apparatus, and we can start the process for focusing it.

The raven walked up to the centre of the machine and placed the crystal in a slotted space. He backed off a little bit as the circlet spun half a turn. "What do we do now?" he asked. Just because he had solved the previous puzzle, it didn't mean he could solve this one. The other one had been mostly luck anyway.

"The crystal has to be focused now. It was made so far away we knew some adjustments would have to be made. Heating and cooling it will cause it to expand and contract which will change how light passes through it. I assume you can perform the spells necessary to do that," he said. "I will manage the controls up above." He moved up to a set of buttons.

Harry looked up at the crystal. He sent of a small jet of flames at it first. Nothing happened. He looked over at Rhavaniel. "Do you want to?" he asked.

"No you seem to be doing just fine," Rhavaniel said. She leaned back against the wall and looked down at her nails.

Harry rolled his eyes. He looked back up at the crystal. If heat didn't do it then cold had to be right. He sent a chilling cloud towards the stone. The beams of light moved. He kept sending ice towards the stone until the beams had lined up with the moving panels so that the beams would reflect off the gems attached to the ceiling once the panels were placed correctly.

"That's it stop right there," the Synod mage said. He reached down and pushed the buttons.

Grinch!

Rhavaniel reached up and covered her ears. _'That's horrible,'_ she thought. Her eyes travelled up so she could follow the panels as they moved around. She wished the noise would stop. Then the light gathered and projected onto the wall. Violet eyes turned towards the gathering. It was a map. A map of Tamriel… or it would have been Tamriel if it had been complete. She looked over at the mage as he made it down.

"… But what is this," he said. "These results they are not at all what they should be. This projection should be lit up like the night sky. Something is creating an incredible amount of interference. Something in Winterhold it looks like." He turned towards Harry. "What are you playing at? Is this some kind of attempt to stall my work? What have you done?" he cried accusingly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. He had no clue what the man was on about.

"Did you know what we were attempting? Are you here to make sure that your plan worked, that our efforts have been for nothing," the Synod mage exclaimed. "Well explain yourself!"

"I have no clue what you are talking about," Harry said. "We haven't tried to ruin anything."

"Don't try with me. You show up here just as our work nears completion. And now I can't get any results from this because of something at your College," the man said. "Do you think me a fool? Do you think I was too stupid to make the connection? You have ruined my work. How did you do it?

"Really, just shut up we haven't done anything to ruin you precious little experiment here," Rhavaniel said. "We haven't got a clue what you're on about."

"Either you are lying to me, or…" he said irritably. "You have something at your College don't you. Something immensely powerful. Beyond anything I'd anticipated. What is it?"

"The Eye of Magnus you mean," Harry said. He was loosing his patience with the man.

 **"** The Eye of Magnus? Well, I suppose if that means what I think it does. Well, that's interesting…"

"What are you on about?" Rhavaniel asked.

 **"** You are looking for something, yes… The Staff of Magnus," the mage said. "Well, even if you are trying to ruin my work. There is still something to be learned here. I can't explain the details. That would be giving away many secrets the Synod have learn over the years. Also, I doubt you'd be able to comprehend the details."

Harry moved forward and grabbed onto Rhavaniel's arm so she couldn't attack the man. "Not yet," he murmured. "We need to hear what he has to say."

"Have you seen the Orrery in the Imperial City? It was the inspiration for this idea," the man said. "Instead of projecting the sky, we project all of Tamiriel, and then harvest the late energies to overlay the positions of… What is important is that this was supposed to reveal to us sources of great magical power. Purely to help safeguard the Empire of course. And yet here only two locations have been revealed to us, one is your College. The other well… that can only be Labyrinthian." He turned away from the map on the wall. "So mages from Winterhold despite you intentions I have beaten your little game. Even if all you have said here is lies. I know that you have something in Winterhold that the Synod Council will be very interested in. So fine, trod of to Labyrinthian in search of your Staff. I shall return to Cyrodiil and give a full report to the Council. This is not over I assure you," he said.

"Oh, I'm sure it is over little mage," Rhavaniel said.

Harry shook his head. "Do you really think you can scare us by mentioning the Empire? It has no power in Skyrim anymore," he grabbed unto Rhavaniel again. "He's an idiot but there is no reason to kill him. I'm sure that there are plenty of creatures around that can do that for us." He gathered magic in the palm of his hand.

Rhavaniel realised what he was up too. She started sending power over. She had no clue what spell he was attempting, but she wanted to do something to that pompous moron.

"What are you doing?" the man said. "I'm a mage from the Synod. You can't…"

Harry touched the man. He'd done his best to increase the power of his fear spell.

The man backed off and whimpered. He stumbled away from them before he started running as fast as he could.

"I guess that's good enough," Rhavaniel said. "I should have packed some fear potions. I could have made him really paranoid."

"Yeah, that won't hold for long. Of course chances are that he'll get himself killed on the Giants down the road," Harry said.

"Why couldn't I just kill him then?" Rhavaniel asked.

The raven shrugged. "He'll have a chance of survival now," he said. "And he'll get a chance to regret his behaviour. I'll inform mother of his presence so the Jarls will be prepared in case the Synod does show up."

"And we have to go to Labyrinthian," Rhavaniel said.

"That place is sealed though," Harry said. "I travelled through there years ago. The door was locked tight. And not with a regular lock either. There was magic involved."

"So we most likely have to go back to the College then," Rhavaniel said. "So we can get out of here and go about our own business for a while."

"Sounds good," Harry said. "Maybe we should rest here tonight though. It is getting pretty late."

"Yeah, sure why not," Rhavaniel said.


	30. Land in Darkness

**Land in Darkness**

 _16th of Rain's Hand, 4E 206. Morndas_

The sky was clear and blue. Violet eyes looked up as her familiar returned to her. It was a beautiful white raven. "Did it go well Ianith," she asked her. A content croak was her answer. "That's good dear."

A little more than two weeks of complete silence. No stupid apprentices that could disturb her and ruin her work. She had gotten further with her project than she had in months. People had just kept ruining what she did. She was on her way to Whiterun now, to meet up with Harry.

Now there was another Mage with an actual brain. Not that the other students were dumb really they just… she had given up trying to talk to most of them. She guessed they weren't that bad. Maybe she would try to get along with them. _'If I feel like dealing with them,'_ she thought. She had just passed Helgen. The sound from inside had alerted her to the people rummaging around in there. She hadn't been sure who was in there though so she had left the place be.

She petted Tuiwon. "Just a bit further now. We'll take a break after that," she said. She had no idea how long they would stay in Whiterun, but she imagined that they would leave sometime after lunch. She wasn't really interested in socializing with the raven's family. She was pretty much staying away from her own after all.

Tuiwon picked his pace up and they rushed past the landscape. They passed though some small village. She guessed it was Riverwood. That meant it wasn't much further 'til they reached Whiterun. They passed another turn in the road, and there it was. Dragonsreach rose above the city below. It was a beautiful city as far as cities went.

Tuiwon trotted up next to the stable outside of the city walls. A neigh sounded through the air, and the steed turned his head. "Do you know that one hon," Rhavaniel asked. She looked over at the horses standing in the paddock behind the stables. One of the mares caught her eye. She moved Tuiwon closer to the fence. The dark mare came closer to them. Her head bumped against the tan male's.

"Excuse me miss."

Rhavaniel turned towards the man addressing her. "Yes," she said.

"Would you please move away from the paddock," the weather worn man said.

Rhavaniel dismounted Tuiwon. "No problems sir. I'm heading into the city so there is no need to be worried," she said. She told Tuiwon to stay close before she started walking up towards the city. As she had understood the raven, she would find him up in Dragonsreach. She moved through the city quickly. She hadn't been there since her time in the Companions. Thankfully they didn't like leaving their hall so she probably wouldn't run into them. She stopped when she reached the Gildergreen. The tree was budding. She had never seen that before. Back when she had lived in the city, the tree had been dormant. She would love to see it in full bloom.

She started walking again. She wasn't in a hurry really, but she'd prefer that Harry knew she was there. Up the stairs and through the big double-doors. Her eyes widened momentarily. There was no one in the great hall. Not a soul. That wasn't very common. Lavender light spread over her fingers and light blue lights showed up. Most of them seemed to be a floor up and further into the building. She headed up a small staircase. _'They're outside,'_ she thought. She pushed the doors open slowly.

"No, no, Nelkir not like that."

Rhavaniel walked forward. There was a gathering of teens surrounding the raven.

"Here watch," Harry said. He lifted a wooden sword and sliced it through the air. "Come one let's try again." He moved so he was facing the kid.

"You are a mage from the College."

Rhavaniel turned slightly. There was a tall well built woman sitting against the opposite wall to the children. "You're assuming that because of my garb," she said.

Amber eyes met violet. "No, I assume you are a mage because I remember you from the time my son and I went though the College four years ago," the Nord said. "I'm Katla by the way. Harry told me that a colleague of his would come by eventually. The two of you are going to Blackreach."

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. "That is correct," she said. "I have been interested in going down there for quite some time, but I haven't met anyone that has actually been there before." She turned back to look at Harry.

"If I had know you were interested. I would have invited you along when we went there," Katla said. "Though I guess you want to spend more than a day and a half down there." She smiled softly at the children. "Nelkir wants to learn how to use a normal blade. I can't teach him and the one who taught Harry has no patience with the boy," she said. "It's good that Harry doesn't mind."

The raven looked over at them. "Oh, let's take a bit of a break O.K." he said. The thirteen-year-old grumbled and Harry chuckled. He walked over to Katla and Rhavaniel. "Hey, Rhavaniel. How did things turn out?" he asked.

"It went well," the Bosmer said. "I did a lot of progress. As soon as we're done with this whole Eye business I can probably finalize it. Have you managed to get anywhere with your research?"

Harry shook his head. "I have a feeling I'll have plenty of time down in Blackreach. I've been spending most of my time just being with my family. I have gathered some stuff together that I want to try out though," he said.

Rhavaniel nodded. "I figured that we'd leave after lunch," she said. "We'll have plenty of time to get to the ruin if we ride." She looked back over at the children as a girl came walking up to them.

"Harry can you help me with something," Dagny said. She glanced over at the elven woman darkly. _'Get away from my Harry,'_ she thought.

"Sure honey," Harry said. He looked back up at Rhavaniel. "I've packed already. I guess you don't need me to chaperone you. I'm fine with leaving right after lunch," he told her.

The Bosmer snorted. "I'll be fine," she said. "I want to stock up anyway."

"I'll see you later then," Harry said.

The elf waved him off and walked back inside the longhouse that served as the Jarls home. She disappeared back out into the city. _'Maybe I should say hello to some old friends,'_ she thought her eyes glancing over Jorrvaskr, home of the Companions. She wasn't sure she wanted to meet up with them though. She had left for a reason after all.

…

Harry tightened the last strap on his armour. The door to his bedroom opened up, and he turned around. "Hey **_monah_** ," he said softly.

Katla's hands reached out and pulled at the straps of his armour. "I'm working on something special for you," she said. "It will take me a while to get it done. I want it to be perfect. But you'll come back again."

"Of course I will," Harry said. He reached out and hugged her. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said. He reached out and fished his backpack up. He had a secondary pack with his research material in it. Lifting it up, he gave Katla a kiss on the cheek and bid her good bye.

He made his way out of the city. As he reached the paddock, he climbed the fence. "Well hello Tuiwon," he said as he noticed the tan steed. He petted Midun's muzzle. "Hey girl," he said.

"Do you know the lady that owns this one, sir?" Skulvar, the owner of the stables, asked.

"Yeah, I know her. She's a colleague of mine," Harry answered.

"I thought that might be the case. He jumped over the fence after she left him outside," Skulvar said.

A gentle whistle sounded through the air. Tuiwon's ears perked up. He galloped over to the fence and jumped over it. He neighed as he reached his rider.

Harry turned back to Midun. "Come on girl let's go," he said. He walked her around the house. His saddle and brittle were stored for him by the stables. He reached out and picked the saddle up. He placed it on the dark-brown mare's back. He fastened it before attaching his bag to the saddle.

"Do you really need those things?" Rhavaniel asked.

Harry looked up at her. "If you want to get to Blackreach toady," he said. "If you want to teach me how to ride bareback I'll happily learn, but this is how I was taught and it will get us there faster if I use them." He grabbed the horn on the saddle and placed his foot in the stirrup before pulling himself up. He settled down. "We need to go north," he said.

Rhavaniel nodded. "The road doesn't exactly lead that way though," she said. "We're going to have to go off road unless we want to take the long way around."

"No we'll go straight across," Harry said.

They took off. Midun and Tuiwon ran across the lush green grass growing on the plain north of Whiterun. It didn't take them long to get to the tower. The sun had barely moved in the sky above.

"It looks like bad weather is coming," Rhavaniel said. She'd noted the dark clouds heading their way some time ago. They were moving faster now. She looked over at harry. "Will Midun be alright?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "You're the horse expert. I can talk to dragons not horses. I'm convinced she understands me, but that's just me," he said. He'd removed the mare's burden. He would simply store it in the ruins below until they came back. He carried his things over to the elevator and placed them down. He walked back to Midun. "You be careful now girl O.K." he said. "Stay with Tuiwon." He ran his fingers through her mane a couple of times before he walked back to the elevator.

Rhavaniel had an amused expression on her face when she joined him. "Midun is a very interesting horse," she said. "She's rather… crude you know."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Great," he said. "You might want to get down on your knees. These elevators are not built for safety." He closed the gates so no one would fall into the open shaft before he moved down next to the lever on the floor. He grabbed the lever and pulled it.

Scratching filled their ears as the platform started moving. It picked up speed quickly. The circle of light above them grew smaller and smaller. Then the elevator slowed down. It stopped at the mouth to another Dwemer ruin.

"Now that explains why you barely reacted to the machine back in Mzulft," Rhavaniel said as they entered the room where the Elder Scroll had once been. "What was here?" she asked as she placed a hand on the big open crystal in the centre of the machine.

"An Elder Scroll," Harry answered.

"AN Elder Scroll!" Rhavaniel exclaimed.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I think **_monah_** still has it. I can ask her next time I pass by. I doubt she really cares for it," he said. "She'd probably let you study it, but it is dangerous you know."

"Oh, I know. I'm not planning on reading it," Rhavaniel said. She walked around the crystal slowly. "I want to study it not read it." She walked over to the ramp down. "I guess we can study this on our way back though right?" she said.

"Sure we can do that," Harry said. He followed her down the ramp to the second elevator.

Their first objective once they reached Blackreach would be to find a good base camp. There were several little houses around. They could probably use one of those. One of the things they would need to do was draw up a map. The College would love to have one of those.

Rhavaniel stepped out into the big cave. Her violet eyes widened as a smiled spread over her lips. _'It's beautiful,'_ she thought. Her eyes moved over the giant mushrooms spreading light all around them. In the distance she could see a big green orb. Water flowed by beneath their feet. It smelled strange. She guessed it had something to do with the minerals in it.

As they made their way further into the cave, they encountered centurions and chaurus on their way to their base camp. Harry recalled that Sinderion's laboratory had both an alchemy lab and an enchanters table. He figured that it would be the best place to go to. It was also good because he'd been there already. He could easily use Clairvoyance to lead them on the right path. Even when Rhavaniel decided to take a long way around.

They cleaned the house out as soon as they got there. It was a long time since anyone had lived there after all.

* * *

Weeks past in the above world.

Harry had gathered a multitude of different materials that he was trying out as Soul Gem replacements. He was going through them one by one slowly. Some were completely useless and couldn't hold magicka at all. Others depleted right away. Then there were the ones that seemed to work…

BOOM!

The door was pulled open. "Are you alright?" Rhavaniel asked as she walked inside.

*Cough "Yeah, I'm fine. I managed to get a shield up before it exploded," Harry said. "I'm glad I keep everything else away from my current project." He grabbed the elf's hand and she pulled him up on his feet. "Thank you," he said. He looked back down at the mess on the floor. "I almost had it," he said. "Maybe the gemstone was flawed?"

Rhavaniel shook her head. "You're impossible," she said.

"You're one to talk," Harry told her.

…

Rhavaniel had found and lured several chaurus to their base. She had been taking them apart segment by segment. She'd considered getting a hold of some Falmer as well. If they could conduct experiments on humans then she could do the same to them.

"Now that is interesting. Has this happened because they live down here or…" she was mumbling to herself as her hands pulled the heart out of a dead Falmer.

"Rhavaniel I'll be…" Harry fell silent. He placed a hand over his mouth. "I'll be heading out. Is there anything special you want?"

Rhavaniel turned around. "You're going outside?" she asked and Harry nodded. "Oh, in that case if you could find some butterflies I'd be happy."

"Sure."

Rhavaniel went back to her work. She removed the gal bladder next. Her hands were covered in dark red blood. She bit her bottom lip. _'Why not,'_ she thought. She grabbed a rock and smashed the Falmer's skull in. She summoned her dagger and cut into the head. Hopefully the brain was still intact.

…

Harry sat down and started drawing. Ven was flying around above him. She was helping him as he drew the map over Blackreach. They had wandered around for a long time with no map even though they had agreed on making one. He was at a standstill in his research for now so he had decided to get the map made.

Rhavaniel was back at the house. She was busy making some kind of horrifying concoction. Harry had left her there as the smell started making him light-headed. He was having a lot of fun walking around exploring. He didn't have to be worried about enemies. Ven would keep him safe. He ventured into the strange city dominating the dark land. He had been through it with Rhavaniel a couple of days earlier. They had cleared out most of it so he shouldn't have any problems going through the place. He was careful still. If there were any Falmer around he wasn't about to be caught by them.

He entered one of the buildings. It was a big hall with a high sealing. He muffled his movements so he wouldn't alert any Falmer. He would have to be more worried about any humans in there now. Humans would detect him even if the elves wouldn't.

He was making another addition to his mindscape. It would be underground in his own personal little world. Every part of his mind protected something. The underground Dwemer City served a very specific purpose.

The sound of footsteps caught his ears and he turned around towards the exit. He didn't want to kill anyone unless he had to. It didn't matter that he was down in Blackreach. If Rhavaniel wanted to go around killing everyone she could do that, but he would not kill unless he had no other choice. He opened the door silently and moved outside. _'I should probably make it back out of the city,'_ he thought.

Light feet moved swiftly across old cobblestones. The raven-haired teen only stopped to mark new things on his map prototype. He was going to give it to Rhavaniel so she could edit it. It was always good to be more than one when making something like that map. His own perspective of things might be a bit skewed. Before heading back to home base, Harry washed off in one of the lakes. He changed into a set of mage robes after he had cleaned up. _'I should go back,'_ he thought.

Rhavaniel raised her gaze towards the door as it opened. Harry walked inside slowly. He smiled at her as he sent a blast of fire into the hearth. She turned back to her lab. She was just about to finish. The scent of food started filling the little house eventually. The Bosmer moved away from her lab as she was told the food was done. She ate quickly before returning to the experiment she was currently working on. In the background she could hear Harry moving around.

Eventually she gave the potion up. It wasn't going to amount to anything. She walked outside with it and dumped it before cleaning the lab equipment out. She brought it back inside and placed it back down by the lab. Violet eyes travelled over to the bed. Harry was reading. Tan hand travelled up and undid the collar of the dark blue-mage robes she was wearing. The heavy fabric fell to the floor and she stepped out of it. Light feet walked up to the bed. She reached out slowly and pulled the book out of Harry's grasp.

Green eyes looked up at her. They widened in surprise momentarily. She didn't say anything as she sat down in his lap. A soft hand landed on his cheek before lips descended on his. He reached up and ran a hand along her waist.

"Let's get this off you," she breathed.

* * *

Green eyes opened slowly. He sighed softly and shifted. Rhavaniel was lying with her head on his shoulder. He placed a hand against her back. " ** _Oniksekest_** it is time to wake up," he said gently. He ran his fingers through her hair. Her eyes opened up, and her fingers clenched. She sat up and yawned. Violet eyes turned to look down at the raven. "This does not mean we're a couple," she said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I do not make any kind of assumptions Rhavaniel," he said.

"I like you," the mahogany-brown-haired woman said. "I like you but I'm not looking for anything permanent. I don't want to be bound to one person."

Harry tilted his head to the side. "I understand," he said. "That is way easier on me truth be told." He watched her as she got out of bed. "I do have to ask if I have to worry about kids though," he said.

Rhavaniel blinked. "I take a potion that deals with that," she said. "I'm not interested in having children." Harry nodded and she walked over to their packs and bent down. Her eyes turned from her pack when something clattered down on the floor. "What is this...?" she asked. She picked the item up and turned to Harry. "I thought you said that the Elder Scroll was with you mother," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "The Elder Scroll that was used to kill Alduin is with my mother," he said. "That Elder Scroll is bound to something out of this world." He stood up and walked up to her. "You can tell when people lie to you can't you?" he asked.

"Yes I can," Rhavaniel said. "Why does that matter. You have never lied to me."

"No, I guess not," Harry said, "but you might think I'm lying with what I have to tell you." He reached out and grabbed the scroll, but he did not take it from her. "I haven't lied to you but I have failed to mention certain things. I told you that my family died and that's why I live with Katla. What I didn't tell you was that my parents were killed when I was a baby. I told you that I'm not from Skyrim. That is far from the whole truth. Truth is that I'm not from Nirn."

Rhavaniel shook her head. That sounded just… "How come you're here then?" she asked. "How did you get here if you are from some other realm?"

"I was sent here by a dragon. She told me I was Dragonborn and sent me here so that Katla could teach me. I'm supposed to go back eventually. I think that this Scroll is going to help me with that. That's why you not wanting something deep going is kinda' good for me. I'll disappear at some point. I wouldn't want to leave someone behind that would be broken-hearted," Harry said. "I don't really know why she did it." He shrugged.

Rhavaniel let go of the scroll. She walked away from the raven and ran a hand through her hair. It sounded so unbelievable. She looked back over at Harry. "That's what the first guy from the Psijic Order meant. He called you World Traveller because you are not from this world," she said. "You know how crazy this sounds?"

Harry nodded. "I did warn you," he said. "I'm fine with us having what fun we want when we want it."

Rhavaniel nodded. "I'm O.K. with that," she said. "I… I'm glad you trusted me with this." She walked up to the raven and kissed him. "We should maybe get back to the surface," she said. "It has been a long time since I saw the sky."

Harry nodded. "We can get going right away if you want to. I thought you wanted to finalise the map before we left," he said.

"I just want a breather. We can come back here after that," Rhavaniel said. She grabbed her bag. "We should wash off before leaving."

Harry nodded. "Sure," he grabbed his own bags.

They walked over to the nearest water source and washed off before heading back towards the Tower of Mzark. They took the first elevator up and were walking towards the second one when Harry doubled over.

"Harry," Rhavaniel exclaimed. She reached out and grabbed him. Her magicka surged out towards him in an attempt to aid him.

"Get the fuck out of my head," Harry hissed.

The air around them shifted and turned blue.

Rhavaniel summoned her dagger.

"I though I had made it clear to you people that I don't appreciate being contacted like that. My mind is mine. Stay. The fuck. Out," Harry said. He studied the Monk and a small smirk spread over his lips. The man seemed a bit haggard. _'My protection worked then,'_ he thought.

"I apologise. I have come here to deliver a message," the Monk said. "While you have done a good job so far, there are trying times ahead. It is imperative that you return to your College at once. You will be called on to take swift action. Rise to the challenge and discover what you are capable of. You are on the right path, and you will prevail." He disappeared before they got a chance to say anything else.

"That sounded like there might be trouble back at the College," Harry said.

Rhavaniel nodded. "We can come back at a later time to finish the map," she said.

"Good thing we brought everything with us back up," Harry said.


	31. The Funeral

**The Funeral**

Rhavaniel and Harry were making their way across Skyrim quickly. Something was happening at their College. Thankfully their horses were swift. The sun had been sinking towards the horizon when they exited the tower. It would probably be nightfall by the time they arrived in Winterhold. They were pushing their horses as much as they could.

When the College finally came into view, they couldn't see anything wrong. "This doesn't feel right," Harry said.

Rhavaniel nodded. She could feel it too. Magic pulsed through the air. It was faint, but she assumed it would get worse the closer to the College they got. She asked Tuiwon to hurry up. Harry was following closely behind her. She'd been right. The closer they got the more powerful each wave of magic was.

They jumped off their horses as soon as they reached the bridge. "We'll be back to take care of you," Harry said before following Rhavaniel over the bridge. They ran straight up to the Hall of the Elements and threw the doors open.

"I don't know. It is like a ward but who is casting it? Ancano? How?" Mirabelle cried.

"I don't care what it is, I want it down now. I want to know what he is doing in there," Aren answered. He raised his hands and cast lightning upon the strange swirling magic covering the gateway into the lecture hall where they had placed the Eye of Magnus. Next to the Arch-Mage, Mirabelle, the Master Wizard had raised her own hands and was casting ice.

Rhavaniel didn't even think; she just acted. Fire spread across her palm. It made impact with the magic ward, and it disappeared. She summoned a dagger in one hand while keeping her fire spell ready in the other. She could hear Harry's sword leaving its scabbard. She moved in right after Mirabelle. "What's going on?!" the Master Wizard asked as they reached Ancano. He was casting some kind of lightning at the Eye but it didn't look like any spell Rhavaniel had ever seen.

"Ancano stop this at once. I command you!"

 _'_ _I doubt he will listen,'_ Harry thought. His first instinct was to cut the man down. But there was magic at work, and he knew better than to simply disrupt that.

Aren moved closer to the Thalmor, and then…

Everything went white.

.

.

.

Harry coughed as he sat up. _'By Kyne what happened,'_ he wondered. His fingers closed around the hilt of his sword next to him before he stood up. He grabbed his head as it started spinning. In the distance he could hear two women talking. One of the sounded like Mirabelle. He hoped that the other was Rhavaniel. As his head stopped spinning, he looked up towards the Eye. There was a field of magic circling it. It was strong. _'I doubt we can break though that even if we all work together,'_ he thought. _'We might be able to contain it though.'_

"Harry! Have you seen the Arch-Mage," Rhavaniel asked.

The raven turned around. "What? No, I haven't," he said.

"Come on we need to find him," Rhavaniel said.

Harry nodded. He followed the elf out through the wide open front doors. The Arch-Mage lay limply against the foot of the statue of Shalidor.

"He isn't… is he," Tolfdir walked up next to them.

Rhavaniel had knelled down and turned Aren around. She checked his pulse. Nothing. "He's gone," she said.

"What happened in there?" Tolfdir asked.

"It's Ancano. He's done something to the Eye," Harry said.

"By the nine… Is he responsible for this? The Arch-Mage, dead?" Tolfdir said. "There more something has happened to Winterhold. It must be part of what Ancano did. You must get out there. Make sure it is safe. Quickly now, quickly. I'll find Mirabelle and see if we can't put a stop to this."

Harry looked up at Rhavaniel. The elf nodded. They would go. They hurried down towards the city.

"What's going on? What happened in there?" Faralda asked as they made it outside the College grounds.

"We don't have time for this Tolfdir said something is going on down in Winterhold," Rhavaniel said.

"Ancano is messing with the Eye. He did something and killed the Arch-Mage," Harry said. "Rhavaniel is right though. We need to deal with whatever is going on down in the city."

Faralda and Phinis followed them down.

They looked almost like a cross between Ice Wraiths and wisps. Their fronts were covered by some kind of stone though. Magical abnormalities that swam through the air. People seemed to have hidden in their houses.

"Move Rhavaniel," Harry said. He breathed in. **_"Strun bah,"_** he shouted. The skies above clouded over a thunderclap sounded as a bolt of lightning struck down on the magic wisps. "It won't hit you," he said. He held a hand out and created a spear in his palm. He threw it at one of the wisps.

Rhavaniel moved past him. She was wielding fire in one hand and lightning in the other. She danced through the pack of wisps. Together it didn't take the four mages long to clear the strange magical anomalies out of the city.

"That looks like it is the last of them. We'll stay here. Get back to the College and let them know what's going on," Faralda said. She looked at Harry. "With the Arch-Mage gone we have to do our best to keep things together."

Harry nodded. "We'll let the others know what happened down here," he said. He turned to Rhavaniel. "I'm going to check on our horses. I can leave your saddle in the stables right," she said.

"Yeah, go ahead," Harry said. "I'll be back up at the College." He headed back quickly. There was so much that needed to be done. First up was making the College at least somewhat safe.

He walked into the Hall of the Elements.

"Is everything out there alright?" Mirabelle asked him as he approached her.

Harry nodded. "Winterhold is safe for now," he said.

"I wish I could say the same for us," Mirabelle said. "This is one horrid mess."

"We need to figure something out that will contain this," Harry said. "Do we have any old staffs lying around?" he asked. "We need to create an enchanted ward around that globe. The only way I can think of making something that is easy enough to hold is to use either older staffs that have lost their enchantments or weapons that we can enchant to hold a ward."

Mirabelle's eyebrows furrowed. "I guess that could work," she said.

"We need that done so we can give the Arch-Mage a proper funeral," Harry said. "If we have to look over our shoulders all the time, we'll never manage with that."

Mirabelle looked down at her hands. She sighed. "You are right," she said "You should find Sergius so he can help as well."

It wasn't easy to find the man with all the commotion going on. It was even harder to convince him that using the staffs to create a ward would work. Harry was persistent though. He was sure it would work and it wasn't like the man was that far ahead of him in the subject. He settled down by the enchanters table in the Hall of Countenance. He wasn't just using his enchanter's skills though. He was carving dragon-letters into the staffs as well. _Strin ko, dein hond._ He went on until he couldn't see straight anymore. "Come here, Harry," Rhavaniel said. "She pulled him away from the table and walked him over to her bedroom before pushing him down in bed.

* * *

 _2nd of Second Seed, 4E 206. Fredas_

Rhavaniel walked into the Hall of the Elements. She was carrying a bunch of enchanted staffs with her. It was the same ones that Harry had worked on the night before. She placed them out at regular intervals throughout the room. She placed them flat on the ground pointing towards the Eye. There was another set of staffs that Sergius was preparing.

The man had been muttering to himself. He was doing the enchanting even if he didn't believe it was going to work.

The door opened. Footsteps could be heard echoing through the big hall.

Rhavaniel looked up. "Hi Sergius are you done?" she asked.

"Yes," the bald man said. "Do you know what to do with these?" he asked. He held the staffs out.

Rhavaniel took the staffs and placed them out on the ground between the earlier staffs.

"And now what," Sergius said. "They boy has some strange ideas of what can actually work." He shook his head. "I don't understand how this is supposed to help at all."

Harry walked into the hall. He was carrying a long stand of ribbon with him. Strange symbols looped over the ribbon. Harry kneeled down and tied it to the closest staff. From one to the next he went tying them all together. "We need to gather everyone else together," he said once he was done. He stood up.

"I'll see what I can do to get a hold of everyone," Rhavaniel said. She disappeared out of the hall.

"If this works I'll have to give you credit kid," Sergius said. "This looks crazy. I have no clue how you think this will actually work. Staffs aren't supposed to be used for something like this. I don't think I have ever tried to make something like this before.

Harry nodded. "I know this might all go to Oblivion," he said. "But I had to figure something out to at least try to keep people safe." He looked towards the entrance as the teachers started streaming in. "Please stand by one staff each," he said. He waited until they had spread out. "Pick the staff up. We need to activate the staffs all at once." He lifted his own staff. "Three, two, one." A light blue sheen spread out from the staffs. It spread out to the ribbon and connected between the staffs. Harry held the staff out and let it go. It floated in the air in front of him. He looked over to Rhavaniel and she let go of her staff. After her the others let go of their staffs as well.

"It is working," Sergius said. "I can't believe it. It is working."

"It is quite well made. The Restoration level of this is very good," Colette said.

Harry bowed. "Thank you Master Marence," he said. He looked back up at the ward he had created. Hopefully it would hold. "All you have to do now is make sure that the staffs stay charged," he said.

Sergius nodded. "We'll make sure they do," he said.

…

That evening they gathered. Many preparations had been made. The death of and Arch-Mage was no small event. They had lost their leader. They now looked to the Master Wizard for guidance.

Or most of them did. Harry and Rhavaniel didn't really care who was in charge they had their own quest to fulfil. The body of Aren was placed in the light of the beacon glowing in the middle of the courtyard. Harry's green eyes focused on the light. He barely heard the sermon. Truth be told he hadn't know the Arch-Mage all that well.

Rhavaniel reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder as her other had was held out palm up. A flame danced in her hand.

Harry held his own hand out. He noticed how everyone seemed to hold fire in their palms. He lit his own flame.

"We here now send you upon your last journey, Aren," Mirabelle said. "You did well in life. Now rest in peace." The flames leaped from their hands and swirled around the body.

Rhavaniel started singing softy. Other joined her though most did not understand her. Her words were elven.

They stood together in a half moon around the pyre until it had burned down. The atmosphere was sombre throughout the rest of that day. People went about their business, but there was no really gusto in it. Harry handed Arniel the Dwemer cogs he had gathered. He had learned that Enthir was late with a shipment. He wasn't sure that messing with the man was a good idea. He didn't want to argue with people that day.

…

 _3rd of Second Seed, 4E 206. Loredas_

Mirabelle walked up to Harry and Rhavaniel. They were sitting by the dinning table on the top floor in the Hall of Countenance. "The two of you really should get going," she said. "The rest of us can handle Ancano. You need to get your hands on the Staff of Magnus now!"

Harry nodded. "We'll be heading to Labyrinthian, next then," he said.

Mirabelle took on a surprised expression. "What? Are you… are you sure? The staff is there? That can't be a coincidence," she said.

"What do you mean?" Rhavaniel asked.

"The Arch-Mage. He…" Mirabelle took a deep breath and pulled herself together. "He gave me something a while ago. He told me it was from Labyrinthian, and that I would know what to do with it when the time came," she said. "I think… I think he meant this for you then. I'm not sure what it was about. But I believe it was something very personal for him. Bring back that Staff before Ancano brings the whole College down around us." She handed Harry the Torc of Labyrinthian.

"Thank you, Mirabelle," the raven said. "We'll stock up and be on our way."

"Good luck," Mirabelle said before she walked off. She had a lot of things to do with Aren gone.

Harry turned to Rhavaniel. "We should repack everything. There are a lot of things we really don't need to bring with us to Labyrinthian," he said.

"Can you give me long enough to ready some healing potions?" she asked. "I don't want to go down there without some way of healing myself… or you if you can't do it yourself."

"Sure, I'll make certain that everything else is taken care of," Harry said. He stood up from the table. He needed to make sure his armour was in good shape too.


	32. The Staff of Magnus

**The Staff of Magnus**

It was getting late. The sun had started setting in the west. Its orange light was making the thin clouds in the sky glow. Labyrinthian wasn't that far away now. Harry was falling behind Rhavaniel. He still hadn't fully recovered after his little experiment with the staffs. Because he was exhausted, he wasn't paying that much attention to what was going on so Midun was deciding the pace. Thankfully the brown mare was all for following Tuiwon.

"Do you need a magicka potion?" Rhavaniel asked as he caught up to her.

*Sigh "I… I don't know," Harry said.

"You'll be completely useless up ahead if you don't have something. We're not going into Labyrinthian with you like this," the elf said.

Harry chuckled. "I get it," he said softly. "I don't get it I feel worse now than I did after we finished the barrier." He accepted the potion bottle the brunette handed him. "Thank you," he said. He pulled the cork out and gulped the cool liquid down. His head cleared just a bit. To really recover he would have to sleep.

"We should still set camp before we reach the ruin," Rhavaniel said. "We'll get as close as we can first though."

In the end they set camp just outside of the city ruins. Harry fell asleep as soon as they had finished eating.

A small simile spread over Rhavaniel's lips. He was so cute sometimes. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair slowly. She made sure that the fire they had made wouldn't catch on the grass before she lay down next to him.

…

 _4th of Second Seed, 4E 206. Sundas_

Green eyes opened slowly. Pale fingers ran through messy black hair. He felt much better. His head was clearer. He placed his hand over the one resting against his chest. Rhavaniel was lying behind him. Her warmth was pressed against his back.

Harry turned around slowly so he could look at the sleeping elf next to him. The sun had risen over the mountain tops. It caught in Rhavaniel's mahogany-coloured hair making it glow a vibrant red. He smiled. She was beautiful. He placed his hand on her waist. After awhile he sat up slowly. _'Maybe I should get breakfast started,'_ he thought. He moved away from Rhavaniel and got the fire started up again. He figured he could make some applesauce. They had a bunch of apples that wouldn't make it much longer but were still good. He grabbed their pot and placed it in the flames. Each apple was cut into pieces and the seeds were removed before the pieces were added to the pot. He summoned ice and fire to make some water for the pot. He found some Jazbay grapes that were left from the night before and added them as well.

Rhavaniel stirred slowly. Harry had moved away from her. She reached out. Her fingertips touched a warm back. _'There you are,'_ she thought. She moved closer to the raven and sat up before wrapping her arms around him. She was still half asleep. "What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

"Making applesauce," Harry said. "I thought we could do with some for breakfast." He stirred the sauce slowly. Rhavaniel shifted behind him. She rubbed her face against his shoulder. A yawn left her. "Can I have a goblet?" she asked.

"Mmmhm," Harry hummed as he reached over to his pack and pulled a goblet out. He handed it over his shoulder, and the elf took it. She placed it down on the ground and filled it with water. _'Mmmmm, that's nice,'_ she thought as she drank the water down. "Is it done soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's done now," Harry said. "We need to cool it a bit though." He lifted the pot off the fire before putting the flames out. They wouldn't need them anymore. He unpacked some bread and butter. He broke a piece off the loaf before handing it to Rhavaniel. She had cooled the pot down. The applesauce was just perfectly warm now instead of boiling.

Harry finished his bread and drank some water before he lay back with his head in Rhavaniel's lap. He reached up and ran his fingers along her chin. She grabbed the wandering hand and lowered it. Their clasped hands lay on Harry's chest as she finished eating. "We should get going," she said when she was done.

Harry nodded. He sat up so he could fish a jar out of his pack. They still had plenty of applesauce, and he wasn't about to throw it out. As he scoped the pinkish sauce out of the pot, Rhavaniel was rolling their pelts together. Harry cleaned the pot out before packing it. He looked over at the elf. She was talking to their horses. He walked up to the old gateway. **_"Laas yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. _'Shit,'_ he thought. He back away as fire started swirling around his left hand. He pulled his sword with the other hand and sent the fireball of towards the troll.

The scent of charred fur drifted through the air. The troll banged its fists against the ground and grunted. It moved forward quickly and raised its arm to strike when an arrow buried itself in its temple. The troll backed off a few steps before collapsing.

"Thank you," Harry said as Rhavaniel walked up next to him. "Is there anyone else in there?" she asked.

The raven shook his head. "At least nothing that will disturb us," he said.

They walked in to the city. Grass had taken over big parts others were strewn with rocks and rubble. No one had lived in it since the Merethic Era. It was amazing how much of it still stood strong. It showed how good the Dragon Cult had been at building. In places one could still feel magic clinging to the stones. It was faded and had long since stopped working. It would explain how well the city had held together.

They travelled down to what must have been the city square once upon a time before heading up towards where Harry knew the locked door was. There were several staircases leading their way.

"What the…" Harry breathed. "That's the Arch-Mage." It was the Aren or rather a spectre of Aren. The man didn't seem to notice them as they walked up next to him. Then other bluish figures came into view.

"Come on! We're finally here. Let's not waist any more time," Aren said impatiently.

"Are we truly sure this is a good idea," one of his companions said.

"We'll be back at the College before anyone even knows we're gone." This one was female.

"You would care about that, since you're the Arch-Mage's favourite!"

"Don't forget this whole idea was Atmah's to begin with."

"Let's just get inside, see what's in there."

They walked up to the sealed door and disappeared through it.

Harry looked at Rhavaniel with a disbelieving expression. "What is going on here?" he asked.

"I haven't got a clue," Rhavaniel said. "We might find out as we proceed though." She took her backpack off and got a hold off the Torc. She walked up to the door with it and placed it in the beast's mouth. Then she knocked it against the big stone slab that served as the door. She could feel a fain tickle of magic as the stone split down the middle and the halves moved out of their way.

Skeletons covered the stone steps beyond the door. Some held weapons in their hands others did not. Had they been animated dead that had chased someone and failed, or had they been living people trying desperately to get out through the sealed door. Who knew… who would ever know?

The hall was mostly empty apart from the bones. At least until they walked up closer to the next door.

The former Arch-Mage and his companions shimmered into existence again.

"I can't believe we're doing this."

"Can you imagine the looks on their faces when we come back," Aren said excitedly.

"You keep talking like you're sure we'll find something useful in here."

"Given the history of this place, it's still possible that there is some amount of power here."

"Enchanted weapons, tomes of ancient knowledge, Shalidor's secrets themselves, who knows what we could find," Aren said. He sounded so young.

"And what if … what if there are things guarding this place?" an Argonian asked nervously.

"Against six College-trained mages. I think we'll be fine," Atmah said before they faded away.

"Why do I have a feeling that their confidence will be their downfall?" Harry said. "I haven't heard of these people before." He turned to Rhavaniel. "Have you?"

She shook her head. "No," she said. "But I wasn't born until after the Great Collapse. Aren was the Arch-Mage when I got here."

Harry nodded. "I guess we should keep going," he said.

They forced the old wooden door at the end of the room open and continued down a dark corridor.

Harry placed a hand against a set of bars blocking their path. "This place is full of undead," he said. He moved back as the bars rose up but was too shocked to move though before they fell back down.

"You go through," Rhavaniel said. "I'll come after. Just keep to the shadows."

"Sure," Harry said. He readied his bow. The bars rose and he moved out into the room his bow raised. Arrow after arrow was fired at the skeletons.

Rhavaniel joined him. She took the last animated pile of bones out. Then heavy scratching sounded though the room as something big moved in the distance. Harry threw a ball of light out over the room. "Dragon," he whispered.

"We can't use arrows on that thing," Rhavaniel said. "It works on the humanoid skeletons since all you have to do is knock their heads off, but we can't do that to a dragon."

"Don't worry about it. Deal with any little guys that might show up," Harry said. He ran forward.

The dragon turned its head towards him. The bony head lifted up in the air.

 ** _"_** ** _Yol toor shul,"_** Harry shouted. The fire tore the bones apart. The dragon had died a long time ago. He could hear arrows whistling past him. Skeletons fell to the ground before they reached him. They had bluish arrows stuck in their skulls. The raven walked over to one skeleton after another and took arrows out of their quivers. He filled his own quiver before following Rhavaniel. They headed over the old dragon mound. At the end of the big cavern there was a circular tunnel leading down to a pedestal with and etched tablet on it.

Harry had just been about to read what was written on the tablet when Aren and his gang showed up again.

"We… we have to go back. We can't leave Girduin!" Her voice was panicked.

"We barely made it out alive, and you want to go back in!" The man didn't sound happy. It made the listeners wonder just what they had faced out there.

"It's too late. There isn't enough of us left to go back in after him," Atmah said.

"Gods, what have we done?!" the Argonian asked.

"We can't go back. Might as well go forwards, we can still do this," Aren said he was the only one who didn't sound all that affected by whatever had just happened. Maybe he was just suppressing it.

"Savos is right. We can make it if we just stay alert," Atmah said.

"It would seem you were right," Rhavaniel said. "Things aren't going all that well for them."

Harry nodded. He looked back down at the etched tablet. "Hail all - brave city Bromjunaar. Forever these walls shall stand. May enemies see Her Majesty; may all quake to behold Her," he read. "This is old."

"I wonder who she was," Rhavaniel said. She looked over at the next door. "Do we head through?" she asked.

"There is no point in staying here," Harry said.

They kept going. Darkness filled the rooms they entered. Only their little balls of light made it possible for them to see at all.

Then suddenly Harry could feel something pulling at him. It was trying to drain him. He looked over at Rhavaniel. Her eyes were wide as she struggled against the force attacking them.

 ** _"_** ** _Wo meyz wah dii vul junaar?"_** a deep voice spoke. It echoed through the cave.

 ** _"_** ** _Lif,"_** Harry hissed. He felt the tug on his magicka stop.

"What was that?" Rhavaniel asked. "What did he say?"

"He said, 'Who comes to my dark kingdom?'," Harry translated. "Did you do O.K.?" he asked her.

She nodded. "You helped though," she said. "Whatever it was you said. It helped."

"I told him to leave," Harry said. He walked up to a frozen wall. He placed a hand against the ice. "We should probably melt this," he said. He looked back at the elf. "Are you ready?" he asked. He received a nod in response before he heated his palm up until the ice turned to water and flowed down around his feet.

A spectre appeared and Harry hissed. He moved away from the wall, blood dripping into the water below. An arrow settled in the man's neck and then another. The ghost disappeared.

"Are you O.K.?" Rhavaniel asked.

Harry nodded. "I'm healed," he said. He looked down the tunnel that had opened up. "There is someone down there," he said.

Rhavaniel moved forward and fired an arrow down the tunnel. She walked a bit further in. A streak of blue light hit her in the chest.

 ** _"_** ** _Nivahriin muz fen siiv nid aaz het."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Bo hond. Lif mii naalein bein zii,"_** Harry responded. The light disappeared as the strength of his voice cast it away. He walked up to Rhavaniel. "Translate," the woman demanded.

"He said, 'Cowardly men will find no mercy here,' and I told him to leave us alone," Harry said.

"That is not direct translation."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Go away. Leave us alone foul spirit," he said translating exactly what he had told whatever it was that had spoken to them.

"That's better thank you," Rhavaniel said. She turned back down towards the tunnel and fired another arrow. They moved down through a vast cave. A door with a lightning rune revealed the skeleton of what could have been a mage.

An old book lay on a table next to it. "This is such a stupid spell," Rhavaniel said. "It can kill you if you are not careful. And not like other spells can. This one eats away at your life-force directly to strengthen you magicka."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not learning that one," he said. He looked around. "Maybe we should settle down for lunch here," he said. "It's easy to defend if there now are more draugr out there."

…

Splash!

Rhavaniel sighed. While she didn't really care about getting wet, she didn't want to slosh around down in the ruins.

 ** _"_** ** _Nu… nu, wo paagol ko dii mund? Druv lost hi bo het?"_**

Harry pushed back against the power trying to steal their magicka from them once more. **_"Zu'u dreh ni koraav vir tol los naan do hin maarahmik. Ahney genun hinmaar uv lif mii kos!"_** he said. The light disappeared once more. The raven walked up to Rhavaniel. "He asked 'who walks in my halls? Why have you come here?' and I answered that, 'I don't see how that is any of your business. Either show yourself or leave us be!'," he translated for her.

The elf nodded. "Sounds just about right," she said.

They walked up to a thick iron door and opened it. Water streamed by their feet swiftly. An iron gate was closed up ahead.

 ** _"_** ** _Oo, vir vopruzahvun. Hi fen mindos fir goraan gein."_**

"Like I care," Harry mumbled. "He said, 'Oh, how rude. You will learn respect young one.'," he told Rhavaniel so she would understand what was going on.

The water they were walking through cascaded down into a well. An old rotting bucket lay on top of the grid covering the well. A growl had them turning around. A brown-furred troll came halting out of an alcove. The two mages burned the beast down. Troll fat was pretty flammable.

Harry walked over to a set of barred opening in a wall that could be taken for windows. He sent a ball of light out. A black eyebrow rose. He pulled his bow and placed an arrow on the string. He fired the arrow towards a skeleton. **_"Laas yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. "There are more skeletons down there," he told Rhavaniel.

The elf summoned her bow. She walked down the alcove that the troll had come out off. Together they moved down into the area below firing arrows as they went.

 ** _"_** ** _Lost hi bo ko Aren's hofkah, malselahzey?"_**

"'Have you come in Aren's stead, little mage?'," Harry translated. "Whoever he is, he knew Aren somehow." He walked down towards a set of strong iron bars. There was a lever that would most likely open them out.

 ** _"_** ** _Hi fen funt nunon ol rok drey."_**

"'You will fail just as he did,'" Harry muttered. "So what did Aren try to do?"

Rhavaniel shook her head. She had opened the bars up so they could continue. "I don't like this guy," she said. "He's got no clue what we're capable off, and yet he acts like he'll kill us or something." She placed her hands on her hips. "He's going to get it," she said.

"We might want to skip out on using magic," Harry said. "He seems to have an affinity for stealing it."

Rhavaniel nodded. _'Oh, wisps,'_ she thought. She snuck around the room until she reached the wispmother. She summoned her bound dagger and slashed the spirit woman's throat open. Her wisps fell to the ground.

Harry walked into the room. "I see you found a wispmother," he said. He walked over up to her. His eyes caught a burning stone door. "I guess we have to deal with that one the same way we handle the ice one earlier," he said.

"Yeah, just don't get hurt by the burning angry spirit that will most likely appear," Rhavaniel said.

Harry snorted before a chuckle left his lips. He walked up to the door and created a long icy spear in his hand. He threw it at the door. A strange crackling sounded. "Eh, I think I killed the spirit," he said. He charged and sent off another spear.

The burning stone rolled aside. It revealed a dark tunnel.

 ** _"_** ** _Drey rok naav hi tol hin meyar suleyk fund kos vo?"_**

"'Did he warn you that your own power would be your undoing?'," Harry translated.

"That only strengthens your theory," Rhavaniel said. "I have a couple of poisons with me that we can use." She walked first down the corridor. She lit their path up. "They're here," she whispered. She could feel Harry's arms wrapped around her waist.

"Just another minute please!" the Argonian said. She sounded like she had difficulties breathing.

"Come on, we can't stop now. We have to keep moving!" Aren said.

"Where is Elvali, she was right behind me!" Atmah said.

"Dead. Something grabbed her from behind. Gone before I could do anything."

"This is insanity. We never should have come here," the Argonian said.

"You're right. This is all my fault. Should we turn around and head back?" Atmah asked.

"I don't think going back is a good idea."

"Going back would be the end of all of us," Aren said. "We keep pushing forward and we'll make it. We will!"

"Come on you can make it. Let's go!" Atmah said as she helped the Argonian to her feet.

"They're slowly dying off one by one," Rhavaniel said. "I wonder what happened to whatever attacked them. We haven't met anything that dangerous." She heard something move. Her bow was out in no time she'd sent off an arrow before Harry had realised what was going. She continued down a corridor her arrows flying. She sidestepped a trapdoor and kept moving down.

 ** _"_** ** _Nii dreh ni lost wah kos tol ven to, malselahzey. Hi tinvaak voth thu'um. Aav zey."_**

 _'_ _Oh, are you for real?'_ she thought. Harry was too far behind her to tell her what he'd said. She leaned against a door and opened it slowly. She found two shades of old draugr walking around. _'Why are there ghosts of undead?'_ she wondered. It didn't make much sense. Harry caught up with her and she asked what had been said earlier.

"He is trying to convince me of joining him," Harry said. "He said, 'It does not have to be that way though, little mage. You speak with the voice. Join me.'" He looked up at the water pouring down from above. "He won't be able to convince me."

"I know," Rhavaniel said.

"We should probably stay here for the night," Harry said. "I'm getting tired and I don't want to fight this moron -whoever he now is - exhausted."

Rhavaniel smiled. "I guess that's a good idea. I'm just worried that he'll drain us while we sleep," she said.

"I don't think that we'll have any problems with that," Harry said. He dumped his backpack on the floor. "If you really want me to I guess I can seal the door," he said. Rhavaniel nodded, and he walked over to the door. He pulled his dagger from his belt. Dragon-runes were carved into the wood before he whispered, **_"Strin lahspaan tend kogur."_** The letters glowed with power.

"What did you write?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Seal, ward, bar and secure," Harry answered.

The elf had readied their camp and pulled some food out of her pack. She gave some bread and cheese to Harry before she grabbed his pack and picked the jar of applesauce and some meat from lunch out of the bag. She opened the jar and placed it down between them. They ate in silence.

* * *

 _5th of Second Seed, 4E 206. Morndas_

They had continued down through the ruins. Some rather strangely placed traps started shooting fire and ice at them as they passed. They had to blast back at the soul gems that functioned as the power source before they could keep going. Most of the dark stone of the ruins had disappeared and made way for dirt and rock.

They banished more undead along the way. It seemed like most of their enemies now were ghosts.

A swarm of bats took off past them as they entered a bigger room. Their lights must have woken them up. They moved to either side of a high chair. A draugr ghost sat in the chair. Rhavaniel moved forward quietly and sliced its throat open. She didn't quite know how that worked, but considering that she was using a bound weapon, that in itself might be how it worked.

A Word Wall caught Harry's attention. He walked up to it and raised his light so he could read what it said.

 _Het mah sahrot_

 _Koonahrik Aaban_

 _Kiin se klo se Alikr_

 _praan nu denek Keizaal_

Rhavaniel walked up next to the raven. "What does it say?" she asked.

"Here fell the mighty Warlord Aaban, child of the sands of Alik'r; rest now in the soil of Skyrim," Harry read.

"Alik'r made their way down here?" Rhavaniel said.

"Maybe it meant something different back then," Harry said. "I'm just reading what it says on the stone." He turned away from the Wall. The presence up ahead tried to whisper to him again, but he blocked it out. It had been going on since the day before. He wasn't going to listen though.

Down the next corridor Aren and his group showed up again.

"We shouldn't have left her there to die!" Atmah exclaimed. She didn't sound happy with herself.

"What else could we do? Stay there and die with her? She refused to go on, we didn't have a choice," Aren said.

"This is it, you know, through this door. Can you feel it?"

Harry wasn't sure about the other spectres, but he could feel it. He didn't like it one bit.

"We're not going to make it are we?" Atmah said.

"We stay together no matter what… Agreed?"

"I'll be right with you," Atmah told him.

"Agreed, we all stay together," Aren said.

"But he didn't, did he," Rhavaniel said. "He made it out. The others didn't."

"We'll stick together though right," Harry said.

She smiled at him. "Definitely," she said. "We'll beat the crap out of this moron. Give me your sword." She held her hand out for the blade. Harry handed it to her and she coated the strong metal with a thick layer of poison. She handed the sword back before she opened another bottle up. This one had a bigger opening so she could stick her arrows into it.

They walked down a long somewhat ominous corridor.

"The poison will affect his ability to use magicka," Rhavaniel said. "Even if he is some kind of undead. I have made sure this particular poison works anyway."

Harry nodded. "So little to no magic once we get in there," he said.

A nod.

Harry placed his hand against the door and pushed it open. Two mages were connected to a big sphere via some type of magic. "I doubt that we can get to him without taking out those two first," he said softly. He looked over at Rhavaniel. "If I position myself behind him and you deal with those two then you can fire arrows from above while I fight him," he suggested.

The elf nodded. "You be careful," she said.

They ran across the ground swiftly. Harry noticed as one of the beams of light connected to the orb disappeared. He took his position behind the shape within the orb. He was ready to strike. A whistle sounded through the air moments before the sphere collapsed. Harry was already moving. He rammed his sword straight through the undead's abdomen - or what was left of it any way. He didn't pull the blade out. He would hold the man in position no matter what so Rhavaniel could take him out.

Rhavaniel raised her bow and fired an arrow. _'I'll have to risk it,'_ she realised. She couldn't see Harry clearly enough from where she stood. It was too dark. She sent a globe of blinding light over towards their enemy. With a clearer field of vision she fired arrow after poisoned arrow at the man below.

Harry pulled his sword out of the deteriorating body. The bones were turning to dust. Only the clothes and the Staff in the man's hand remained. The raven reached out over the cloak that the man had worn and lifted a silver-gray mask from the body. It held an immense power. "The mask of a Dragon Priest," he whispered. He knew that Katla had one or two of them as well lying around. _'So, that's what he was,'_ he thought. He lifted the staff up as well. _'By Kyne that's awful,'_ he thought.

"You look sick. Is something wrong?" Rhavaniel asked as she came to stand next to him.

"Take the damned Staff. I doubt it will bother you as much as it bothers me," Harry said as he held the staff out to her.

Rhavaniel accepted the weapon. It didn't take her long to realise why Harry was having difficulties with it. She knew him well enough to know that he didn't particularly like killing people. The Staff of Magnus was designed to absorb magicka from living creatures, but she could tell that it went further than that. It would take until there was nothing left. "And that?" she asked and pointed at the mask in Harry's hands.

"It is the Mask of a Dragon Priest," the raven answered. "That's why he was speaking dragon-tongue. They are unique and very powerful. I will not be using it until I know it is safe and free from its former owner. But the mask in itself isn't dangerous per say. It has inscriptions made in dragon-tongue along the edges. Hopefully those will tell me more about it."

"So In a way I get the staff and you get the mask and everyone is happy," Rhavaniel said. "At least if we get back to the College in time."

"We should hurry up," Harry said. "The sooner we get back the better."

On their way out they were interrupted twice.

The first time it was the former Arch-Mage. "I'm sorry friends. I'm so sorry," he said. "I had no choice. It was the only way to make sure that monster never escaped. I promise you. I'll make sure that this never happens again. I'll seal this whole place away."

"So, he forced his friends to seal the Dragon Priest away?" Rhavaniel said. "That's pretty low… even for my standards."

The second time they were stopped in their tracks it was a Thalmor that walked up to them. "So you made it out of there alive. Ancano was right, you are dangerous. I'm afraid I'll have to take that staff from you now… aaaaargh" he was cut off - quite literary.

"Moronic turnip," Rhavaniel said. "If you were sent here to kill us then don't start blabbering. You blew your cover idiot." Her summoned dagger disappeared. "Let's just get out of here before anything else shows up," she said.

…

Harry walked up to Midun and placed her saddle on her back. "We're in a hurry again honey," he said. "We need to get back to the College as fast as possible." He climbed up on her back. "We can keep up with them right," he said.

Midun snorted. She trotted up next to Tuiwon. They switched to gallop and then they were off. The two horses ran across the land as swiftly as they could. They reached the city of Winterhold not long past midday. A strange feeling hung in the air.

Harry and Rhavaniel hurried their steps as they ran up towards the College. "That doesn't look good," the raven said. He was looking at the aura of magic that swirled around the entire school structure. "That is not my ward," he said.

"So it is the power of the Eye then," Rhavaniel noted.

Tolfdir, Arniel and Faralda where standing together watching the swirling ward. They had tried to get in and failed several times already.

"Master Tolfdir what is going on here?" Harry asked. While he got the gist of things, he wanted to hear what the old Nord had to say.

"You survived," Tolfdir exclaimed happily, "you have the staff then?

"Oh, yes we do Tolfdir," Rhavaniel said.

"Let's hope it's as powerful as the Psijics believe it to be," the old man said. He turned towards the College. "Ancano's power is growing. We can't crack whatever power it is he is using to shield himself," he said. "I hope your trip to Labyrinthian was worth it."

"Where are the others?" Harry asked.

"Most of them are down at the inn," Faralda said.

"And Mirabelle… she wouldn't hide away," Rhavaniel said.

"She… she didn't make it," Tolfdir said. "When it was clear that we had to fall back, she stayed behind and made sure that the rest of us were alright."

"Damn it all," Rhavaniel hissed. The Master Wizard had been her friend. "Let's go in there and throw Ancano off his high horses," she said.

 **"** I'll be right behind you," Tolfdir said.

They started walking towards the outer ward of the orb. Rhavaniel raised the Staff of Magnus and sent of a bolt of white lightning towards the ward. It crumbled and broke down.

Harry was walking up behind Tolfdir. The other two were following him. "I'll be amazed if any of us survive this," Arniel told him. The raven smirked. He wasn't going to jinx it. He wasn't going to be stupidly overconfident like he saw so many others be.

Rhavaniel reached the doors to the Hall of the Elements. She looked back at Harry. "Just throw them open," the raven said.

Slam!

Rhavaniel walked in the staff raised in her hand. She could feel the intense power radiating from the Eye. She needed to lessen that somehow. The segments of the orb were open wide.

"You've come for me, have you?" Ancano spat. You think I don't know what you're up too? You think I can't destroy you? The power to unmake the world at my fingertips, and you think you can do anything about it."

"Just shut up," Rhavaniel said as she pointed the staff at the Eye. She could see out of the corner of her eye as Harry walked past her. He moved up next to Ancano. "You might think yourself almighty now Thalmor," he said. "You are still just a man though. No matter how much power you have at your disposal."

The Eye closed and Harry rammed his sword straight through the man's abdomen. The sword was poisoned. "Can the power of the Eye fix this for you?" he asked. He was thrown back as the orb reactivated. He rolled and got back up on his feet. Rhavaniel was already getting the Eye back under control. He moved back over to Ancano. The white-haired elf sent a green orb his way. He spun out of the way. He had no wish to be paralysed. A magical wisp attacked him, and he had to cut it down. The Thalmor was once again protected by the Eye when he found the man. All he needed was another opportunity.

Blood trailed along the ground. Ancano was injured gravely. Though, he didn't seem to pay his wounds much attention. He was too focused on the Eye. It spoke to him - whispered in his ears. A smirk spread across his lips as he caught up to the foolish Bosmer who was trying so hard to stop him. He raised his hand towards her ready to send off a chain of lightning that would blast her to Oblivion when she turned towards him, a spear of ice in her hand. She moved forward, dropped the staff and rammed the frozen rod straight into him. "Do you really think you can…" he didn't get to finish. His head rolled off his shoulders. It made a wet thumping sound as it hit the floor.

Harry shook blood off his blade. "I guess we dealt with that," he said.

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. "At least _he_ can't misuse the power of the Eye anymore," she said. "I'm not so sure that I want it around though. It's so powerful. I don't like it." She looked down at the staff in her hand. "This one is bad enough really," she said. She pulled a vial from her belt, opened it and poured it out over the Thalmor's body. Then she threw a fireball at the body. It started burning with vigour.

Tolfdir and the others finished the last magical wisps off. The old man came walking up to them. "I knew you could do it!" he said happily. They had finally avenged Savos and Mirabelle.

"So, what do we do now?" Harry asked. "The Eye is still all wonky."

 **"** I… I don't know," Tolfdir said. "Ancano is gone, but you are right whatever he did to the Eye doesn't seem to have stopped. I have no idea what to do."

Rhavaniel placed a hand on the raven's arm. "The Psijic are here," she said softly.

"We knew you would succeed," one of the Monks said. "Your victory here justifies our belief in you." He looked between Rhavaniel and Harry. "In the both of you. While you have proven yourself more than worthy to guide the College of Winterhold world-traveller, you will leave and so you're not a good choice for the future of this College. Lady Elf, you on the other hand, you would make a good Arch-Mage."

"I take it you are here for the Eye," Rhavaniel said.

"Yes, the Eye has grown unstable. It cannot remain here or else it will destroy the College and this world," the Monk said. "It must be secured. Ancano's actions prove that the world is not yet ready for such a thing. We shall safeguard it… for now. You have our gratitude Arch-Mage." He joined his brethren and they circled the Eye of Magnus. Magic started swirling around the room. It was tightly woven. Then the Eye glowed, and the Monks disappeared together with the orb.

 _'_ _Hopefully we'll never hear of that again,'_ Harry thought. He reached out and took Rhavaniel's hand. _'If we could just get a breather now that would be nice.'_

"You've don it! The College is safe again thanks to your work!" Tolfdir exclaimed. "I knew the two of you had it in you. I dare say the Psijic's are right. There is no one more deserving to be Arch-Mage, in my opinion Rhavaniel." He turned to the raven. "He called you world-traveller young mage," he said quietly. Neither Faralda nor Arniel were close enough to them to have heard what the Monk had said. He wished to keep it down.

"I was born in another world," Harry said - his voice low. "I'll be going back eventually. The Monk was right to say that Rhavaniel would make a good Arch-Mage. I'm not staying. I hope to learn much more before I leave, but I have no idea when I will be pulled away from here."

Tolfdir nodded. "You shouldn't let anyone else know," he said. "There are people here that are not fit for that knowledge." He received a nod in respond. He turned to Rhavaniel. "You can consider the Arch-Mage's Quarters yours now. I will be here for advice, should you need me," he said.

"I would be honoured if you'd take the Master Wizard position Tolfdir," Rhavaniel said. "Your advise will be most useful to me."

.

.

.

The following couple of weeks were spent trying to get things back in order.

Rhavaniel spent quite some time studying. She had put her magic studies aside for her potion's research for some time. But she wanted to be a Master in the Schools of Magic that she had chosen to pursue. As Arch-Mage she didn't want anyone to be able to question her abilities. It hadn't been all that difficult for her.

She had enforced a few new rules. They were mostly centred on safety.

In the meantime Harry had been moved from the first stage class to the second. He was so far ahead of any of the other students in the beginner group that it was silly to keep him there. The students in the second stage class weren't too happy that he joined them. He hadn't spent nearly the same amount of time at the College as them. Especially a male Altmer, Thurinor, highly disliked his presence.


	33. Friends and Foes

**Friends and Foes**

 _18th of Mid Year, 4E 206. Middas_

"Could you help me with something?" Onmund asked Harry quietly. "It's kind of a personal matter. I'd prefer if it could be kept quiet."

The raven looked up from his research papers. "Sure, Onmund take a seat and tell me what is wrong," he said. He gathered his papers together in a neat pile.

"I… I was foolish. I traded a family heirloom with Enthir. I would like it back, but he won't listen on that ear. I was wondering if you could help me," the Nord said.

Harry sighed. "Well you know what," he said. "I have some other business with Enthir. I'll talk to him about your amulet as well while I'm at it."

"Thank you, Harry," Onmund said. He stood up and wandered off.

Harry looked down at his papers. _'I might as well get going,'_ he thought. He made his way down to his bedroom and put his notes away. He was going to help Onmund since the Nord was one of the few around the College that didn't sneer at him as soon as he entered the room.

It didn't take him long to find the somewhat shady Bosmer. "Good day Enthir," he said.

"Good day Harry is there anything I can help you with?" Enthir asked. He had never done business with the raven. He knew that Rhavaniel had probably warned the boy away from him, but he wasn't about to take that up. What they did together was completely up to them.

"I'm here on Arniel's behalf. He tells me you have failed to deliver an item he was promised. I would like to know about that. Considering how scattered minded he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he has forgotten something," Harry said. He was playing it safe. He didn't want to make an enemy out of the Bosmer if he didn't have to.

"Ah, yes," Enthir said. "I did give him a price for the item he wanted, and he didn't accept it. I'll gladly trade the item for the staff I requested. I have a buyer for the staff already lined up and was hoping I would be able to get a hold of it. Unfortunately the current owner isn't very … approachable I can't trade with them. If you want the item you will get me the staff. I don't care what you do with it afterwards."

"Sure," Harry said. "Do you know where the owner is?" he asked. "I would prefer having some kind of directions."

"Of course, I have a personal interest in keeping track of it," Enthir said. He watched as the young Breton brought a map out.

"Could you mark the location please," Harry said. "I also wonder if there is anyway to get the amulet that Onmund traded with you back. It means a lot to him. He might be foolish to have sold it in the first time, but I was wondering if there isn't some way…"

"Too scared to come see me himself," Enthir said. "He knew all my trades are final before he traded with me. You seem to be picking up other people's slack Harry. But alright, I sold an item. It turned out to be a bad idea. I want it back. If you can get me that item I will give you Onmund's amulet. It so just happens to be another staff."

"And I'm going to assume that you know where your former buyer is as well," Harry said. "Mark that too. I'll see if I care enough to get that one." He leaned back. He wasn't so sure he wanted to care about the second staff. When he looked down at the map though, the mark sat so close to Lakeview Manor that he decided to go there and get it. "Thank you Enthir," he said.

"You are welcome."

Harry left the Bosmer to his own dealing after that. He had the information he needed. Two locations halfway across the country from each other. Two staffs that he now had to find because certain unnamed individuals were incapable of dealing with a few bandits or mages or whatnot. He didn't really care which. _'Why staffs?'_ he wondered. Not that it mattered.

"Harry!"

The raven turned. It was Rhavaniel. "Yes love," he said.

"Could you help me with something?" the elf asked.

"Sure," Harry said. He followed her into the Hall of the Elements and up to the Arch-Mage Quarters. They walked up to her personal alchemy lab.

"I need an extra set of hands. You told me you've helped before," Rhavaniel said.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. What do you need?" he asked.

"I have bleeding crown in the little garden. Could you pick three or so? They need to be take apart try to get as much roots as you can when you pick them," Rhavaniel said.

Harry walked over to the garden and kneeled down. "I'm going to travel back home for a while," he said. "I need to gather some things up and get my magicka stones in order. This place is not going to let me do that. The others are driving me mad."

Rhavaniel hummed softly. "I know. They are quite annoying sometimes," she said. She poured some white power into a mortar. She would have to mix it in with some seeds she had in a pouch. She turned to watch Harry as he uprooted the mushrooms. A small smile spread over her lips. She didn't normally care to stick around when she'd slept with someone. It always got way too complicated for her taste. Harry was different though. He didn't have crazy demands or anything. He used pet names for her which she had realised wasn't that annoying when the person using them wasn't an idiot.

Harry stood up. He walked up to the table Rhavaniel had set up next to the alchemy lab. He sat down so he could focus on the shrooms. He would be spending the rest of the day with the brunette helping her. He would be leaving early the next day. Hopefully someone would be home.

…

 _19th of Mid Year, 4E 206. Turdas_

Wind blew through raven locks. Harry looked down at a letter he had been handed. He had met Korir the Jarl of Winterhold on his way out of the city. When the man had learned that he was on his way through Whiterun Hold, he had handed him a letter to the Jarl there. While he was rather certain he knew what the letter was about he wasn't going to read it. He would probably be asked to deal with it eventually anyway.

He was taking it slow for once. After all the stress they had gone though trying to stop Ancano, he didn't want to hurry.

Clouds had blown in to cover the sun.

In the distance Harry could see Dragonsreach. It towered over the surrounding landscape. The view from the great porch was amazing. Right now he could barely see that though. Beneath him Midun was trotting at her own pace. She knew where they were heading.

Green eyes caught movement amongst the hills, and Harry turned to take a closer look. It was a young Nord as far as he could tell. _'Now, what are you running from?'_ he wondered. He wasn't wondering for long, however. A band of ill flitted bandits showed up following the young man. Harry grabbed the reins and brought Midun into a gallop. He caught up to the bandits in no time. A light jade spell rested in his hand. He narrowed his eyes at the bandits and sent the spell off towards them.

The men stopped dead in their tracks. What were they up to really? Why were they out on the plains of Whiterun? The leader looked down at his sword. He had no need for it now, right? Why did he have it drawn? He shook his head and turned to the others. "Let's go back home," he said in a gruff voice.

Harry watched them walk away. He wanted to be sure that they wouldn't return. Once the bandits had disappeared behind a hill, he turned towards the young man they had been chasing. He had dirty blond hair and his clothes looked like he'd been on the run for a while. "What is your name stranger?" he asked kindly.

The boy looked up at him with cautious dark-blue eyes. "I'm Grimvar Cruel-Sea," he said. He wasn't sure that he should be talking to this man, but he had just saved his life so he didn't want to be rude.

"It is nice to meet you Grimvar. My name is Harry," the raven said politely. "I'm on my way to Whiterun. Would you care to join me?" He watched the teen as the blond thought his suggestion over. He felt like he should recognise the boy from somewhere.

"You're a mage," Grimvar said, his tone was somewhat cold - distrustful.

Harry wasn't affected. He knew what Nords tended to think of mages. "I'm a mage," he confirmed. "I'm also a warrior and an archer. I have battled draugr and bandits and dragons." He moved down from Midun's back. "I don't see why mages are viewed as incapable or unworthy," he said. "We can be just as tough as any warrior." He started walking. He figured that if the young man wanted to come with him he would follow.

It didn't take long. The blond caught up with him. They walked in silence. Grimvar kept glancing over at the raven-haired man. He wondered who the man was.

Clouds gathered in the sky above. They were heavy with rain.

Harry left Midun by the stables before he led the way up to the city itself. "I would recommend staying in the Bannered Mare," he told the blond. "It's clean and the food is O.K." He waved to Adrianne, but she seemed busy so he didn't walk up to her. As he made it up through the streets, people stopped him to just say hello or to chat. It always took way longer than it should to get through the city.

Now Grimvar really was wondering who the man was. Everyone seemed to know him. He looked up towards the inn. A sigh escaped his lips. Another inn. _'The things I'd do for some of Idesa's cooking,'_ he thought. Maybe leaving home hadn't been such a good idea after all. He was about to say something to the raven-haired man when he realised that the man was gone.

Harry pushed the front doors to Dragonsreach open. He walked inside. Balgruuf was sitting on his throne-like chair in the great hall. "Good afternoon, the raven said as he reached the man. He pulled the letter he'd been given out his belt and handed it to the Jarl. "It's from Korir," he said.

"Now what does that stubborn fool want?" Balgruuf said. He opened the letter up. A sigh escaped him. He looked up at the raven. "Can you handle this?" he asked. "He wants to sign the White Peace. You can bring that with you when you go back to the College, can't you."

Harry nodded. "I can do that," he said.

Balgruuf smiled. "I guess you'd prefer getting out of that armour for now though," he said. "Katla is out with the kids. They should be back soon enough."

"I certainly hope so," Harry said. "It looks like a storm is brewing."

The blonde's brow furrowed. "Hopefully they'll be back before they get wet," he said. "You get cleaned up and changed. I'm going to write a response to Korir. We might as well have that over and done with."

Harry chuckled. "I'll be back down soon," he said before heading over to the stairs.

…

While Harry was cleaning up, Katla was doing her best to get back to Whiterun as quickly as possible. She looked back at the teens she had trailing behind her. They were so obviously children of a Jarl. Protected and a bit spoiled. If Balgruuf had been the way his sons were, she would never have been interested in him. Frothar wasn't as bad as his little brother, but he was far to used to a secure life to make it without the comforts he was used to. She couldn't blame Balgruuf for raising them like that though.

"Come on Dagny!"

"Oh, you shut up."

Katla turned around. A brow eyebrow was raised. She did not condone their silly arguments. Dagny had gotten stuck in something. Her facial expression spoke of disgust. "Dagny we need to get back before the rain starts pouring down," the warrior said. She walked up to the girl and helped her.

"My shoes are ruined," the girl wined.

Katla shook her head. "I told you to wear clothes that you wouldn't be all that bothered if they were destroyed," she said. "I warned you." She didn't want to listen to the girl complaining. The children knew that she didn't take well to that kind of behaviour. Breathing in she could scent the rain. It wasn't far off now.

They just barely managed to get back into the reach. The rain started rattling against the windows. It sounded heavy. The little stream running through the city might overflow.

Katla walked up to her husband and wrapped her arms around him.

"How did it go, love?" the man asked his eyes trailing his children.

"Better than expected," Katla answered.

"But not as well as you would have hopped," Balgruuf said a smile playing on his lips. He kissed her softly. "Harry is here by the way," he said. "He arrived not too long ago with a letter from Korir."

"The Jarl of Winterhold," Katla said thoughtfully. "What did he want?" She leaned in closer so she could placed her head against Balgruuf's shoulder as he told her what the letter had said. She chuckled as he took a step back and she stumbled with him.

…

Dagny walked up to her room. She was sooooo going to have a bath. Katla was amazing and all, but being out in the wilderness like that was just disgusting. She picked up some clothes and walked down to the bath. _'By Mara,'_ she thought as she opened the door.

Harry was standing in there. He was obviously done. His towel was tied around his waist and his dark hair was dripping water down his back. She placed her clothes down and bit her bottom lip. Katla told her to be to the point – that there was no reason to talk around things – most of the time at least. "Hello Harry," she said.

The raven-haired man turned around. "Dagny, you want to use the bath?" he asked. "I'm done so…" The young woman had placed a hand against his bare chest. She was looking at him through her eyelashes. He almost started laughing but managed to contain himself. She was trying to look seductive; she wasn't managing.

"Well, I guess," she said. "Would you like to join me? We could have some fun."

 _'_ _Oh, no,'_ Harry thought. He stepped away from her. "Stop Dagny," he said. "I'm not interested in you."

"Oh, come on Harry I'm sure…"

"No Dagny!" Harry said determined. "I think of you as a little sister. Would you try to have sex with Frothar or Nelkir?" He walked over to the door. "It is not going to happen. I really care for you - as a sister. Our parents are married."

"It's that stupid elf isn't it? You're fucking her aren't you," Dagny shouted.

Harry shook his head. He wasn't going to get into that. It was none of her business.

 _'_ _What does that stupid bitch have that I don't? She's probably really old. Maybe she's put some spell on him,'_ Dagny thought. That had to be it. She would have to do something about it. But what?

Harry walked into his room and let the towel drop. _'I'll have to talk to monah,'_ he thought. Someone had to have a long talk with the young girl at some point. He pulled pants and a shirt on before heading out the door. If Dagny was back then Katla had to be too. He was back down in the great hall before his hair had dried despite him using magic on it. **_"Monah,"_** he said happily as he hugged her.

"Hey, **_kulsezii_** ," Katla said. She grabbed him and stepped away from him so she could have a good look at him. "How have you been?" she asked. "Did that Eye business turn out alright?"

"I've been O.K. A bit stressed. Ancano - the Thalmor at the College - went ballistic, and we had to stop him from destroying the world. Apart from that it's been good. I didn't come by and get you guys since the whole thing was magic centred. I don't know if you would have been able to help. Rhavaniel and I took care of it though. They even made her Arch-Mage," Harry said. "Arch-Mage Aren and Master Wizard Ervine were killed as they tried to keep things under control. Thankfully the Eye is no longer at the College."

Katla shook her head. "Sometimes," she said while shaking her head in dismay. "It is a good thing that you have some people around that actually know how to get things done."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, Rhavaniel and I …" he turned around as he heard a humph from behind him. Dagny almost stomped through the hall.

"What is wrong?" Katla asked. She had noticed the girl's behaviour and her son's reaction.

"I'll talk to you about it later," Harry said softly. He shook his head. "As I was saying Rhavaniel and I are pretty good at getting things done," he said.

"You'll have to bring her by the manor sometime," Katla said.

*Chuckle. "Yeah, she and Ra'shall would have loads of fun," Harry said.

"Harry!"

The raven turned to Frothar. "Hello **_malzeymah_** ," he said.

"What have you been up to? Can you tell me? I bet it has been awesome," the teen rambled.

"Hush, calm down Frothar. I tell you a story," Harry said. He turned to Katla. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?" he said before giving her a hug.

"Of course."

…

.

.

"… that's quite intense."

Katla and Harry had settled down together in the raven's room. They had been speaking for sometime - catching up with each other.

"What was that with Dagny earlier?" Katla asked concerned.

Harry sighed and covered his face with a hand. "I …" he tried to figure out how to tell her. "She walked in to the bathroom when I was in there. I don't really care about that, and I was done anyway. But she… she tried to hit on me. She was quite blunt about it. I… she's like a little sister to me. I told her I didn't feel like that for her. She's not happy about it," he said. "I don't really know what else to do."

Katla shook her head. "We'll see what happens for now. If she gets impossible I'll talk to Balgruuf, and we'll figure something out," she said. "Hopefully she'll come to her senses."

"Yeah."

Katla stood up. "We should probably get to bed now though," she said. Harry followed her up and hugged her. "Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight."

* * *

The next coming few days Harry spent in Dragonsreach with his extended family. Eventually he left to travel over to Sunderstone Gorge to fetch one of the staffs Enthir wanted. He passed by Lakeview Manor on they way back, but Ra'shall wasn't there. By the look of things he'd been gone for a while. Harry spent the night there before making his way back to Whiterun.

…

 _28th of Mid Year, 4E 206. Loredas_

Dark-blue eyes looked out over the city of Whiterun. People called the place beautiful. He couldn't see it. Uncouth … that's what it was. Then his eyes caught sight of a woman. _'I know her,'_ he thought. Long brown hair fell down her back. She was wearing a dress, but there was no mistaking the fact that she was a warrior. "Lady Katla," he called.

The woman stopped and turned around. Her eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. "Grimvar is that you?" she said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The blond shrugged as he stopped next to the brunette. "I was just travelling around. I sort of just ended up here," Grimvar said nonchalantly.

 _'_ _Sure,'_ Katla thought. She didn't believe him one bit. "Why don't you come join us up at Dragonsreach?" she said. "I'm sure you'd enjoy spending some time with Nelkir and Frothar the Jarl's children."

Grimvar nodded. The Jarl's house should be more to his standards. "Sounds good," he said. "Thank you for inviting me."

Katla smiled at him. "It's just up this way," she said. She started walking up towards the reach with the teen trailing behind her. She walked through the big double-doors and up the stairs to the great hall.

"Who is the kid?" Balgruuf asked as the brunette walked up to him.

Katla bent down and kissed him. "Grimvar Cruel-Sea his father is Torsten Cruel-Sea," she said quietly.

"Oh, Stendarr," the blond said.

"What is wrong?" Katla asked.

"A few days ago a man arrived. He worked for the Clan Cruel-Sea. Torsten wants his son back home. I told him I hadn't seen the boy. Do you know how long he's been here?" the man said.

Katla sighed. "I have no idea," she said. "He's not truthful with me so I doubt he'll tell us. Where are the boys?"

"They're out on the porch. Will you keep an eye on them?" Balgruuf asked.

"Of course."

Katla turned towards the teen. "If you'll follow me please," she said. She showed him the way up to where the boys were. She introduced him, and then she sat down against a wall. The boys could handle themselves.

…

The sky was darkening when a dark-haired man passed beneath the blooming branches of the Gildergreen. His steps were calm and deliberate. He knew exactly where he was heading. Up the stairs and through the big doors, he went. Green eyes widened slightly as the raven saw the dirty-blond teen sitting by one of the tables in the great hall. He walked over to Katla and kissed her on the cheek. "What's the kiddo doing here?" he asked quietly.

"You've seen him before?" Katla asked.

Harry nodded. "I found him running from some bandits up north before I got here," he said. "He's important somehow?" he sat down next to her.

"He's Torsten Cruel-Sea's son. We met the back in Windhelm, do you remember?" Katla said.

Green eyes went unfocused for a moment as Harry thought back. "The kid you told stories to and whose father got so angry with you," he said.

Katla nodded slowly.

"He wasn't doing very well for himself," Harry said.

Across the room Grimvar had finally noticed the newly arrived raven. _'Shit,'_ he thought. He turned to Nelkir. "Who is he?" he asked.

The young teen looked over to where the blond was pointing. "That's Katla's son Harry. He's like a big brother to us. He's amazing," he said. He continued by explaining exactly why the raven was so incredible, talking all through the meal. "… and he's become a mage despite what people think which is really brave and…"

"Time for another lesson boys," Hrongar said finally interrupting his youngest nephew. The boy had started repeating himself, and it was getting on his nerves.

As Grimvar stood up to leave, however, a hand landed on his shoulder. "I believe that we have some things to talk about," a soft bass said from behind him. The teen closed his eyes and tensed slightly. He had known the moment that he'd seen the raven-haired teen that he was in trouble. He nodded slowly. "Of course sir," he said. He was guided up the stairs and through several doors into a big official looking office. He was sat down in a chair. Behind him the door closed as two more persons walked into the room.

Katla sat down next to her husband and Harry leaned against the desk.

"Your father is looking for you," Katla said. "He wants you to come back home." She wasn't much for forcing the boy home. She would have hated if someone had tried that with her. But from what she had seen the teen was far to spoiled to make it out in the world.

Grimvar took on a closed off expression. Oh, he had seen the man that his father sent after him. He had made sure he hadn't been seen. "I have no wish to go back home," he said.

Balgruuf nodded. "We can understand and accept that," he said. "You are free to stay in the city for as long as you want to. But people will not give hospitality for free forever. As I understand it you're not paying at the inn. This cannot continue if you stay. We will not allow that kind of behaviour. You can work for a pay there are several people in the city that would be happy to offer you a job."

Blue eyes widened slightly. "But I thought that…" he fell silent.

"Yes," Katla said.

"Nothing."

Harry looked over at his mother. It sounded like he wouldn't be needed. "I'll be in my room if you want me," he told her. He bowed his head to Balgruuf and walked over to the door. He really wanted a bath. He made sure to lock the door behind him as he entered the bathroom since he didn't want Dagny to walk in on him. He walked up to the big polished steel sheet that served as a mirror. _'Seems like its working,'_ he thought. He had long been able to decide the length of his hair. Even as a child he could make it grow out when needed. He had been trying to make that apply for his beard or lack there off as well. It had taken him quite a while to manage. It was locked to a string of magic that loosely connected to his illusions and alteration abilities. He could actually change his hair and eye colour with it as well. It was probably something that existed on Earth. He hadn't heard of anything like it on Nirn.

He had a feeling there was more to the power, but he couldn't use it. It didn't matter to him though. It did what he wanted it to – that was good enough for him. He sank down into the warm water that he had filled the tub with. A sigh escaped him. He had a feeling he would have to deal with the whole Grimvar situation eventually.

He wasn't wrong. About two weeks later the city of Whiterun was sick and tried of the boy. Considering the teen's age it was a stretch to have him returned to his father. Harry had decided it was about time for him to get going so Balgruuf had asked him to take the arrogant teen with him. The raven hadn't been up to arguing with the boy so he had simply placed a hand against his back and sent off a calming spell his way. The kid had been rather easy to deal with after that. He had led him down to where the coaches stopped by and paid for their trip to Windhelm. He was straining himself making sure that the boy stayed put. Thankfully he could probably make the annoying blond do pretty much anything. His mind was so weak. It was continually feeding the spell that was difficult.

Bjorlom had driven the carriage on despite the setting sun and the late hour. He had told the raven that he'd rather reach the city and stay at the inn than have to sleep out on the road what with all the bandits and wild animals.

Harry hadn't had anything against it.

When they arrived he'd brought Grimvar home first thing. The boy's mother had been ecstatic to see him again. She had worried so much for her little bear cub. She'd invited Harry to stay with them for the night but the teen had declined. He had made his way down to New Gnisis Cornerclub - an inn that wouldn't serve as such for Nords ever. If you wanted to go unnoticed, it was a far better choice than Candlehearth Hall, and Harry did not want Ulfric to know he was in town. He ordered a drink from Ambarys and walked over to a table. The place was still busy despite the hour.

"Can I have a seat?"

Green eyes looked up. "Sure," he said. He had nothing against Dunmer. He wouldn't have travelled into the Gray Quarters of the city otherwise. He wasn't dumb.

"I haven't seen you around here before," the man that had joined him said. "You're travelling through?"

Harry nodded. "I'm heading to the Rift," he said. "I just had something to drop off here first. What about you. You live in the city?"

"No, I'm here with a ship. I didn't believe people when they said this place was inhospitable. The Nords here really don't like us," the red-eyed man said. "Is it the same in the rest of the country?"

Harry smiled softly. "Far from it," he said. "In Whiterun the Jarls right hand is a Dunmer. Everyone respects her. Though I guess she had to work harder for it than most would have. We're trying to make things better but acceptance won't just appear over night." He shifted in his chair and placed an arm on the table.

"I have heard grumblings about Whiterun. They say that the Jarl is basically taking over the country from the inside without doing anything. The Thalmor don't sound too happy about it either."

Harry shrugged. "We don't want them here. They're better off staying away," he said. "We don't mind Altmer as long as they aren't Thalmor."

"You sound involved," the Dunmer said.

"Maybe I am," Harry said. "I live not far from Whiterun. Pretty much everyone there shares the same opinion."

A smile spread over dark lips. "I guess that is understandable then," he said.

Harry pushed his chair back before standing up. "It was nice talking to you. I wouldn't mind continuing, but I have a long way to go tomorrow…" He fell silent as the other man grabbed his wrist gently. "We could always continue in private," the man said.

Green eyes wandered out over the room as he considered the offer. The hand left his wrist. He moved and let his fingers trail along the dark skin peaking out of the other man's collar. "That sounds like a great idea," he said.

The Dunmer stood up and a led him up a set of stairs and in behind a tapestry that hid the rooms of the inn. "I almost thought I'd been wrong. You took your time," the red-eyed man said as he opened his room door.

Harry shrugged. "It's been a while since I did this," he said. "I wasn't sure I wanted to."

"Oh, don't worry about that," the Dunmer said as he reached out to unbuckle the raven's belt. "We'll have fun."

* * *

 _13th of Sun's Height, 4E 206. Sundas_

The sun stood high in the sky. Harry was sitting in another carriage. He was on his way to Riften this time. They were moving slowly. He didn't mind though. Skulvar had begged him to get a chance to breed Midun and he had agreed. It did however mean that he didn't have a horse. He'd survive. At least he never travelled anywhere without some reading material and the coachmen usually very talkative.

The pulled in by the city gates as Alfarinn finished his tale about a rather unusual Argonian lady.

"Thank you for the ride," Harry said as he walked up next to the carriage.

"You're welcome young man. Thank you for the excellent company," Alfarinn said.

The raven looked up towards the city gates. _'Not going there,'_ he thought. Instead he turned north. He would prefer arriving in Shor's Stone before nightfall. A bear mother and her cubs appeared on the road. _'What are you doing here?'_ Harry wondered. **_"Kaan drem ov,"_** he shouted. He had no wish to fight her. Something moved behind him and he pulled his sword and turned around as fire spread out around him.

"Whoa, cub calm down."

The fire died down and the sword was sheathed. **_"Kaazaak,"_** Harry said happily. He walked forward and enveloped the shorter man in a hug. "So you have been hanging out with your thieving buddies, huh," he said as he let go of the Khajiit.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes playfully. "Yess," he said with a hiss in his voice. "We've been … planning." He was deliberately vague since he knew that Harry didn't actually want details. The teen was safer that way. "What are you up to?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I need to go up north to Shor's Stone. There is a cave just west of there that I have to enter. I need another staff," he said and pointed over his shoulder at the one attached to his backpack. "Don't ask why."

"You've been back to see Katla or have you just been travelling around?" Ra'shall asked. He placed a hand on the teen's shoulder and turned him around so they could continue walking.

"No I've spent almost three weeks in Whiterun. I picked this staff up back in Sunderstone Gorge as well, but that didn't take very long. How about you? I mean you know I don't want the gruelling details but…"

"I'm headed to Irkngthand. The leader of the guild has gone rouge. We need to take him down. My companions and I thought it best if we took different routs," Ra'shall said.

"Do you need any help with that?" Harry asked. While he didn't care much for Thieves Guild matters, he doubted that a journey to what sounded like Dwemer ruins would involve steeling stuff. Ra'shall helped him; he didn't see why he couldn't return the favour.

Ra'shall studied the teen for a moment. He had promised Katla not to involve their cub in any shady business. _'Doesn't change the fact that he would be plenty of help right now,'_ he thought. _'Frey would never be able to count on us bringing a mage.'_ He fought with his own conscience for a while before finally saying, "While I don't want to put you in danger, I cannot deny that your help would be most welcome."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Harry said with a smile. "You don't have to guard my every move. I've probably been through worse and survived what with the mess at the College."

Ra'shall couldn't help but chuckle warmly. "Oh, I know that," he said. Teal eyes roamed over the countryside. He could see a pair of trolls in the distance. "So how were things in the bear den?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "It was alright… you know, apart from Dagny getting the idea into her head that she and I would make a great couple," he said with a grimace. He shook his head. "Hopefully Katla will be able to talk some sense into her."

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. "Teenage girls are insane," he said.

A smile spread over Harry's lips as he started laughing.

They arrived in Shor's Stone, and settled down under a small shelter. There was no inn in the small mining community, but since it was in the middle of summer that didn't really matter much.

…

 _14th of Sun's Height, 4E 206. Morndas_

They dropped by Boulderfall Cave and picked up the staff that Harry needed the next morning. They were headed back north after that. Over mountains, down into valleys, and over the Whiter River, they travelled. Some not to smart bandits tried to make them pay toll. A quick fear spell was enough to send them packing.

They arrived by the old Dwemer ruins by midday. Bandits patrolled the place. From their lookout in the mountains above the ruins, Harry and Ra'shall watched. "We can probably sneak by," the feline-man said. "You have some nifty spells around these days, don't you?"

"I can muffle my steps and turn invisible," Harry said. "I can't say I'm that good at sneaking in itself though."

"I can guide you as long as you can keep the spells up," Ra'shall said.

Harry nodded. He looked back down at the bandits below as he bit into the apple in his hand. He heard a strange ruffle and looked up at Ra'shall. The feline was pulling some kind of armour out of his backpack. He started taking the shrouded armour he was wearing off so he could change.

"What's all this?" Harry asked as he picked up a face mask shaped so it would cover the feline's nose.

"It is a Nightingale armour," Ra'shall said. "It is gifted to those chosen by Nocturnal."

Harry stood up and handed the mask over before he walked up to the feline and helped him with the straps holding his armour together. "So this is what you're going to be using from now on," he said. "It's pretty cool."

Ra'shall smiled at him. He lifted the mask in his hands up to his face. He could feel Harry's fingers fastening it behind his head. He pulled the hood up.

"Well now you look ominous," Harry said. "So we're leaving now right?"

Ra'shall nodded. "Just stay with me," he said. He watched the teen until the boy shimmered and disappeared. He reached out and grabbed onto the teen. "O.K. can you hold that?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't worry," Harry said softly. He waited until Ra'shall had jumped down to a rock that was jutting out from the mountainside before following him. He moved just one step behind Ra'shall all the way down into the ruins. He placed a hand on the feline's shoulder. "Can I let this go now?" he asked. "I'm not sure I can keep it up throughout this whole place."

"You can let go but be ready to put it back up," Ra'shall said.

Harry appeared once more and nodded. "I'll be on the alert," he said. He looked around. They had entered a rather big hall. It was usual for Dwemer ruins. Normally you had to walk through a myriad of hallways before getting to anything else.

By a lit campfire lay several dead bandits. Ra'shall dosed the bodies with a potion before he kicked the fire so it spread out over the bodies. "I guess my friends have been through already," he said. "That looks like their work."

"I guess we can assume they'll have taken care of more then," Harry said. He turned to Ra'shall as they kept walking. "Will me being with you cause problems?" he asked. "I wanted to help you but…"

*Tsk "It'll be fine," Ra'shall said. "We deal with people outside the guild. The trick is that they have to be loyal to us and well… I somehow doubt you're going to sell me out." He looked down into a pool of water. He'd been wondering where the smell came from.

"Of course I wouldn't," Harry said. "I know enough not to have to answer question I don't want to answer." He placed a hand against the wall. His fingers dragged against the rough stone as they walked on. "This place is much bigger than what I've seen before," he said. Normally there were one or two larger halls and then several small ones. They had been walking through one large hall after another. He walked up in front of Ra'shall as they reached a set flame traps spinning slowly. A shield appeared next to him, and they walked through unharmed.

"Now this is easier with you around," Ra'shall said.

Harry smirked.

They walked around a turn and up a set of stairs. There was a Dwemer lift that obviously went down.

"They must have sent it back up," Ra'shall said. He walked out on the lift and waited until Harry had joined him before pulling the lever. The elevator started moving down.

"Mercer's been here. I hope we're not too late," Karliah said as the feline stepped of the lift.

"You're sure?" Ra'shall asked.

The Dunmer woman nodded. "Those bandits upstairs Brynjolf and I found them like that; Mercer's doing," she said. "We have to catch up to him before it's too late." She moved her eyes sharp. "You have someone with you. Who did you bring?" She did not sound happy.

"Whoa, calm down Kali," Ra'shall said. "You have your connections with the College and I have mine. He can't see your faces. He doesn't care who you are; he's here to help. That's it." He moved to the side. "Harry will you come down."

The raven walked up to the others and dropped his invisibility spell.

"You sure you can trust him?" Brynjolf asked.

"Considering I helped raise him," Ra'shall said. "He's safe. Far safer than some other people I could mention."

"I'm here for Ra'shall," Harry said. "He said you had a problem with this guy, and I asked if I cold help."

"Crime is one thing, murder is another," Brynjolf said. "I'll take any help I can get. Mercer will answer for what he's done."

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. He was the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. Murder was pretty common where he was from. "We're ready to go when you are," he said.

"We should tread carefully. I wouldn't be surprised if he's left behind a few surprises for us," Karliah said. She turned around and opened the door. A ball on a chain fell down from the ceiling, but the aim was so off it didn't hit anyone. She walked out to a set of golden walls built so you could see through them. "What a moment … what's that?" she said suddenly as she saw a person moving further down. "It's Mercer. Look down there."

Ra'shall moved over to the wall and looked down as well. "O.K. we should be able to catch up with him no problem," he said.

"He's toying with us. He wants us to follow," the Dunmer said somewhat irritably.

"Aye lass, but we won't let him catch us off guard," Brynjolf said.

"He isn't counting on all of us coming after him," Harry said quietly. "He'll make some stupid mistake along the way."

"You don't know what you are talking about lad," the Nord man said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Trust me. People underestimate me all the time," he said. "We should go this way." He motioned over to a set of thick doors. He pushed one of them open and walked through. A long dusty corridor took them down to the hall they had seen from above.

"Look at the size of this place. Have you ever seen anything like it in your life lass?" Brynjolf said amazed.

"Can't say that I have. Imagine the riches hidden within these walls," Karliah said.

Harry looked over at Ra'shall. A small smile played on his lips. He'd seen bigger. "Tell me what you see," he told the feline man. "I have the most experience with Dwemer ruins we might as well use that."

"There is a gate down the way. The cogs on either side of it aren't moving. I can see huts over that way," Ra'shall said.

"So, probably dual levers that needs to be pulled maybe both at once and Falmer," Harry said. "Do they have any experience with Falmer?" He waved over to the other thieves.

"I'll warn them," Ra'shall said. He moved over to his friends and let them know what was going on. They spread out and searched through the place. The levers were located and pulled so the bars blocking their way disappeared.

Harry pulled his bow and made sure he had his arrows at the ready. He waited until Ra'shall had caught up with him. The feline had the best eyes down there. "Ah, the underground stars," he whispered. He could see again. It wasn't very light, but he'd lived through that before.

Ra'shall ran up ahead and took out another Falmer.

A loud crash tore through the cave.

"What the…" the feline hissed. He gazed around the cave but couldn't see anything that might have caused the noise. He looked up at Harry as the teen ran on ahead. He could hear an arrow sailing through the air. It hit its target.

"So this is what we heard. The entire tower collapsed," Brynjolf said.

"The only reason to do that would be to block pursuit. It must be Mercer," Karliah said.

"It won't stop us though there is a path going this way," Harry said from a ledge above them. "Normally there is more than one path to go through these places. He might have taken the shorter rout, but he must have felt really nervous about us following him to blow something up like that."

"How did he do it tough?" Brynjolf asked.

"It's the key. There is no telling what he can do with that thing," Karliah said.

"Or he just mixed explosives," Harry said. "Pretty much any mage at the College can give you something that will blow up."

Ra'shall snorted. Sometimes the simple solution made far more sense then the complicated one. He walked on ahead. He found several empty chests. _'Mercer must have come though here,'_ he thought. He picked up a magic scroll and then another. _'Detect Life,'_ he though. "Kali you and Brynjolf should take one of these each just in case," he said. He threw the scrolls over to his friends.

Brynjolf took the lead. He walked out of the room and found his way into another big hall. "Shor's bones look at that monstrosity," he exclaimed quietly.

"It's a Dwarven Centurion. Very tough and very deadly," Karliah said.

"We can take the beast on or sneak around, your call lad. We'll follow you," Brynjolf told Ra'shall.

"I'm not as worried about the centurion as I am about the seven or so Falmer down there," Harry said. "We might be able to sneak by the centurion but the Falmer aren't that easy to avoid. I'll take the centurion out if you guys deal with the Falmer. I know how they are built." He didn't even wait for an answer. He ran down to the golden statue and climbed up on it before got a chance to activate. He pulled the power source out of it. The mechanical man collapsed under him. He looked up at the others. They had effectively neutralised every single enslaved elf.

It was getting late. Harry could feel it. He'd pull through. They had to catch this guy, and he doubted that he'd stop. They made their way to another door.

"This is where we saw Mercer. He must be close," Karliah said.

Ra'shall nodded. "We'll move as fast as we can," He looked back at Harry. "Muffle your steps we're going to sneak," he said.

Harry gave a curt nod and activated the spell. He stayed two steps behind Ra'shall as they made their way past a Falmer settlement. They moved silently using the enslaved elves' blindness to their advantage.

"I can here water rushing through these pipes. We must be beneath a lake," Karliah said quietly. She looked up at the ceiling. It didn't bode well.

Ra'shall led them on - past several pipes and through another settlement. They dropped down from a ledge and walked through a strange segmented gate.

"He's close. I'm certain of it. We must prepare ourselves," Karliah said.

Harry fell back and turned himself invisible. Not only to the naked eye but also to detection spells. He had spoken to Rhavaniel about it, and she'd showed him a way to counter spells like Detect Life. It probably wouldn't work against a shout, but since he and Katla were the only ones he knew to use those, he didn't have to worry.

He followed the others through the next door. _'Oh my…'_ he looked upon a giant statue of a man sitting with his legs crossed in a meditative stance. He didn't let himself get distracted for long through. He was quick on his feet as he made it up the way to where he could see a man trying to extract something from the statue's eye. He was the backup, and he'd be in position.

"Karliah when will you learn you can't get the drop on me,' Mercer said suddenly.

Harry smirked. _'Maybe she can't,'_ he though as he moved up behind the man. **_"Krii lun,"_** he shouted before his sword was out and buried in the man's abdomen.

Ra'shall smirked. Harry maybe wasn't a thief, but his magic did give him certain advantages. "What were you saying Mercer?" he said. "I didn't quite catch it." he was a bit shaken considering that the ledge they had been standing on had collapse under them, but he couldn't help but enjoy the look in his old friends eyes. He'd been so surprised when the sword pierced him. He walked up to the man and looked down at him. "This is my nephew. He's good with a blade, isn't he?" he said. "I trained him myself." He pulled his own sword. "Goodbye." He cut the man's head off. Kneeling down he started pulling things out of the man's pockets. He handed the key to Harry as he found it. "Hold on to this," he said.

The teen to a step back and almost whimpered. His mind-shields went into full gear. "Take it back," he whispered. "Take it back! I don't want anything to do with it. Take it back!"

Ra'shall was up on his feet and had the key out of his cub's hand within seconds. He pushed it down in his belt. "Are you O.K.?" he asked concerned.

Harry shook his head, and then a rumbling was heard from over head. "Oh, Kyne," he whispered. "The pipes are breaking. This place is going to get flooded." He looked over at the others. "Grab what you need. We have to get out of here." A bluish streak ascended from him and he looked up. "We'll have to follow the water," he said. He turned to Ra'shall I can make sure we don't drown, but I'm not sure how much else I'll be able to help with after that.

"The Eyes would go a long way to get the Guild back on its feet," Brynjolf said as he picked one of them up. He looked over at the others and saw that they were taking their boots off. He followed suit.

Water filled up around them. A jade light spread from the raven-haired teen and settled around everyone's mouths. He staggered slightly. "This spell isn't supposed to be used on others," he mumbled. Soon enough they were swimming. A rock fell loose in the ceiling above them. "That's our path," Harry said.

The water rose higher and higher.

Ra'shall managed to get back up on dry land and took a deep breath in relief. Harry came up after him, but the teen was so pale. "Cold," he whispered. Ra'shall couldn't but agree. The water had been really cold. He pulled the teen closer to him. "You can go on without me," he told his friends. "I'll stay here with Harry and then I come after you. I know I have to return the key, but he is family. I'll see him back to health before I leave him."

Karliah nodded. "We have some things to speak about before you leave to return the key," she said. "But it can wait." She looked down at the teen. "He did a good job. Have you thought about recruiting him?"

"And have his mother turn me into a rug," Ra'shall said. He shook his head. "He wouldn't accept anyway. He doesn't approve of thievery."

Karliah shook her head. "That is up to him. He walks safe now. He's helped us," she said.

"He better be," Ra'shall mumbled as his friends walked off. He looked back down at the raven. He was glad that eh always had a scroll around that would give him fire but he had nothing to set fire to. "I'll be right back," he whispered to Harry before disappearing off. He had to get a fire going.

…

 _15th of Sun's Height, 4E 206. Tirdas_

Green eyes opened slowly. He was warm and comfortable. He shifted.

"You awake now?"

The raven nodded. "I'm awake," he said. He looked around. "We're still in the cave?" he asked.

Ra'shall hummed softly. "You were not in any condition to get out of here so I decided to set camp and make sure you got warmed up. I have some food ready. Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah, I used a lot of magic I'm not that familiar with yesterday," Harry said. "It wears me out but sleep and some food does wonders. I was fine until I had to make sure no one drowned." He chuckled. "I'm going to train that," he said. "The more I use a spell the easier it becomes."

Ra'shall shook his head as he handed a plate filled with food over. "Eat," he ordered the teen.

The cave they had camped in wasn't big something that Ra'shall had noticed the night before. They got out of there and travelled back to the road.

"I'll see you soon," Harry said. He gave the feline a tight hug. "You stay safe and get rid of that key."

Ra'shall smiled. "Will do cub," he said. "You take care of yourself and don't you worry about me. I've been around longer than you."

Harry rolled his eyes playfully. "We're lucky it is that way old man," he said. He started laughing as the feline swiped at him. He'd danced out of the way. "You can't get me," he teased.

"I'll get you when you least expect it," Ra'shall said dryly.

Harry shrugged. "Whatever," he said. "See you when I see you." He waved.

"See you soon cub," Ra'shall said. He watched the boy until he'd disappeared in the distance. _'Something tells me you won't be here for much longer,'_ he though. He only hoped that they would get to see each other again.

…

Harry walked up the path to the College. He was going to dump the stupid staffs on Enthir and then he would lock himself up in his room. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone. He went by Onmund and gave him back his necklace before he just collapsed in his room. He had no clue why he felt so gloomy; he just did. All he could hope for was that tomorrow would be better.

* * *

 _24th of Sun's Height, 4E 206. Turdas_

 _'_ _Yes!'_ Rhavaniel thought. She smiled at her old friend.

The woman was smiling back at her. "Thank you so much Rhavaniel," she said. She walked up to the elf and hugged her. "Thank you." She pulled away from the brunette as the door opened and a raven-haired man walked inside.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company **_oniksekest_** ," he said. "I'll leave again if…"

"No it's fine Harry. This is Ria. She's a friend from the Companions," Rhavaniel said.

"Ah," Harry's eyes widened. "You finalized it!" he said excitedly. She nodded. "That's amazing." He walked up to her and grabbed her before swinging her around, all the while laughing merrily. He set her back down and kissed her soundly. He took a step back and he could see the look on her friend's face. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"I… I didn't know that Rhavaniel had…"

"Oh, calm down Ria he doesn't bite," Rhavaniel said.

"I take it you had some fun then," Harry said with a smirk. He looked down at the dark-blonde Imperial. "Rhavaniel and I aren't exclusive or anything," he told her. "If she wants to be with someone else she can go right ahead."

"Not that there are a lot of people around here either of us want to have sex with," Rhavaniel said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "So she helped you with a bit of a furry problem?" he asked Ria. "You feel better now?"

The Imperial looked up at Rhavaniel. "You know you can't just run around telling people about us?" she said.

"He already knew about Werewolves," Rhavaniel said. "I talked around it and he figured out what I was talking about. Most people don't do that." She walked up to her friend and kneeled down. "He doesn't hate moon children," she said. "It's nice to have someone I don't have to worry so much what I talk about around."

Ria leaned down and kiss her. Her feelings for the elf wouldn't disappear just because there was a man. When she looked back up the raven had placed himself with hi back against a wall. He was watching them.

"We could always ask him to join us tonight," Rhavaniel said. She smirked at her friend's surprised expression. "Right love?"

Harry shrugged. "Only if you want me to," he said. "I'm not going to intrude."

"You know I won't let a man top me Rhavaniel," Ria said.

"So, he doesn't have to top," the elf said.

Golden eyes widened. She looked over at the raven again. "That's not very common," she said.

Harry just smiled.

…

 _25th of Sun's Height, 4E 206. Fredas_

Harry hurried up the stairs in the Hall of Attainment. He sat down by the table and cut up a piece of bread. "Could you send me the butter please J'zargo," he asked. He heard a snort and looked up.

"See here guys the Arch-Mage's little pet has decided to show himself," Thurinor, an Altmer that attended the second stage classes, said. "You think you're so much better than everyone else just because Rhavaniel likes to fuck you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "My relationship with Rhavaniel has nothing to do with me rising through the grades quickly," he said. "I study hard and I been doing that for years now. That and I do stuff that most of you see as beneath you just because it means manual labour." He knew who this moron was. Rhavaniel used to argue with him all the time.

"You can find someone else to order around," J'zargo hissed. "You try with me again and I'll send Ra'shall after you."

Harry wasn't sure he should start laughing or play dumb. It wasn't like Ra'shall would ever harm him. He didn't really get why they were so unpleasant. He didn't treat them badly. He sighed. "You know what. Go ahead send this Ra'shall after me. Like I care," he said. He didn't move. He wasn't about to let them scare him off. He finished lunch before heading back to his room. He wanted to finish his experiments with the alternative enchantment stones. He was so close to a working solution.

He had to leave the College for that though. He wasn't about to make those experiments in the school in case everything blew up.

He barely remembered to drop the messed up soul gem he had been given for one of the staffs he'd returned to Enthir in Arniel's room so he could continue his own experiments. He let Rhavaniel know he'd be gone for a while, and then he headed out.

Several explosions and a whole lot of work later he did manage. He realised soon enough that different gems were good for different enchantments. He was glad that he'd realised that before he infused them with a mix of grind up Varla and Welkynd Stone. The little gems glowed faintly. He needed to figure out a good way to keep track of them. _'Maybe Katla can come up with something,'_ he thought.

He gathered his equipment up and started heading back to the College. _'Time to face the general idiocy of the masses again,'_ he thought.


	34. A Strange Phial

**A Strange Phial**

 _25th of Last Seed, 4E 206. Loredas_

Harry and Rhavaniel had been travelling around for a while. They had been back down into Blackreach as well as travelled to several other Dwarven ruins since Arniel had asked Harry to help him find a Convector and fix the warped soul gem the man was trying to use in his experiments.

Now they were taking it easy in Windhelm. Eventually they were planning on making it back to the College. They were in no hurry though.

Harry was sleeping in. He was woken up by fast steps heading through the hallway outside the room. The door was slammed open. "We're going to Forsaken Cave!" Rhavaniel exclaimed. Harry turned around in bed. "How come?" he asked sleepily.

"There is an alchemist in town. He's sick and he has information on a phial that is very interesting. I want to at the very least see it," Rhavaniel said. "If I can get a chance to study it, then maybe I can make one like it. Either way I want to get it." She looked down at the raven. "Are you coming?" she asked.

Harry sat up slowly. "I'll go with you," he said. "Just give me a few." He got out of bed and stretched. He needed to get into his armour. Rhavaniel started helping him with the straps. She wanted to get going yesterday so she was a bit impatient. "You know that if we put this on wrong it will harm me more than it will help me right?" Harry said humorously.

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes. "You saying I'm doing a bad job, huh?" she said. She managed to find a brush so she could go over the nest he called hair with it. She put it up for him. "There can we go now?" she said.

Harry laughed. "Do we have enough food?" he asked.

"Yeah, I bought some," Rhavaniel said. "Come on Tuiwon can carry the both of us as long as we don't push him too hard." She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of the city. He sat up behind her on the tan horse's back, and she brought the steed into a gallop.

Harry wrapped his arms around her. He leaned his head against her shoulder and watched as the landscape moved by them. A smile spread over his lips as he recognised Lake Yorgrim. It hadn't been all that long since he was there last. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Just up this road for a bit longer. There is a cave up there that we're going to enter," the elf said. "And then we're going to clear it out and get the phial."

They sat off, and Rhavaniel sent Tuiwon on his way.

Harry walked in to the cave slowly. "This place is really cold," he said. There was thick ice covering the walls even though it was in the middle of summer. A thin layer of water covered the floor. They would have to step carefully. They had to scare two trolls out as they travelled deeper. The snow and ice disappeared as they passed a door. An old wooden ramp led down.

"I always get nervous over these," Rhavaniel said. "Some day one is going to crap out under me."

The cave was still cold, but since water didn't travel down there the same as the area above there wasn't all that much ice. There were draugr though. Quite a lot of draugr.

"Push him back," Rhavaniel called.

Harry didn't even think he just did as she'd told him. Fire shot up around the undead. A vial sailed through the air and hit it. The fire turned into an inferno. The raven backed off. "Well that's also a way to deal with them I guess," he said. He created a shield around him so he could pass the fire without getting burned. He moved through the corridors and burial chambers keeping an eye out for draugr but not really caring about anything else. He'd been through so many old tombs by now that it felt kind of boring. They basically all looked the same.

Rhavaniel trailed behind Harry. She was actually paying more attention to the inscriptions and urns scattered around. They were all quite fascinating. She wasn't going to stop to take notes though. She was far more interested in the phial.

…

"Bow at the ready," Harry said quietly. "Big guy or small fry?"

"Who is faster on the draw?" Rhavaniel said.

Harry snorted. **_"Su grah dun,"_** he whispered. He grabbed three arrows out of his quiver.

Tchick! Tchick! Tchick!

He had fired all his arrows before Rhavaniel had even drawn her first. He was cheating of course. The shout he had used helped increase the speed of his movements. He'd taken out all the draugr but the priest that had just risen from his tomb was all Rhavaniel's. He stood back. "Have fun," he said with a smirk.

Tchick! Rhavaniel fired her first arrow and then she dance around to the side. She watched as a shield appeared around her lover. He was acting bait. Not that he really needed to. She moved around behind the priest and fired off two arrows to the undead's head. The priest collapsed forward.

Harry dropped his shield and walked up to the Word Wall at the other end of the room. **_"Thoringar wahlaan qethsegol monii vahrukt Noomi wen dez los wah aus nin do pogaan Ogiim ronaaz,"_** he whispered. He shook his head. " ** _Aus_** \- suffer." He looked down at Rhavaniel. "Do we need to go down that way?" he asked.

"Yes," the Bosmer said. "Will you come back?"

Harry dropped down next to her, and they headed down a corridor to a small chamber. A ball of light rose to the ceiling so they could see. There was a big vat in the middle of the chamber. He watched as Rhavaniel poured a green liquid into the vat. A rumble tore through the cave and stone lowered. The hall beyond was shrouded in darkness.

"It's broken. IT'S FUCKING BROKEN!" Rhavaniel exclaimed. "Who the hell could have done that?" She held the phial in her hands. She could feel the faint magic still in the glass, but it was so weak. _'I guess we should take it back to Nurelion,'_ she thought. He seemed to know quite a lot about it. Harry placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. "We'll take it back anyway," she said.

Harry nodded.

It was late when they came back to the city. They had to wait until the next day before they could go to give the phial to the alchemist. He wasn't happy. They could understand why. His life work ruined by some idiot.

Harry and Rhavaniel left him. There was nothing else they could do. They went back to the College. Harry had to give the warped soul gem back to Arniel. Hopefully he would be able to proceed with his research now.

* * *

 _4th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Tirdas_

"This is just unacceptable he's still not delivering. I thought that getting set straight the first time would fix this, but of course not he's still impossible to deal with."

Harry walked into Arniel's room. "Is something the matter Arniel?" he asked.

The man looked up at him. "It's Enthir he's once again holding out on an item that is completely essential to my work," he said. "If you could please deal with him. He seems to listen to you."

Harry nodded. "I'll do it," he said. "Don't worry about it." He continued out of the Hall of Attainment. He'd been on his way to see Rhavaniel. _'I guess I can take a bit of a detour,'_ he thought. He let his clairvoyance spell guide him to the Arcanaeum.

"Enthir what is wrong this time?" the raven asked the elf when he found him. "This is the second time you're having problems delivering an item. Last time I can understand Arniel was a bit out of it but what is it now?"

"This time it's not I that is creating trouble. I haven't even received the item myself yet," Enthir said.

"Well that is inconvenient," Harry said. "Do you have any idea where it might be?"

"I don't know a courier was supposed to bring it from Morrowind. He'd passed over into the Rift last thing I heard anything," Enthir said. "I don't get why the thing is so important anyway."

Harry nodded. "Well that is yet to be seen," he said. "Don't worry about it I'll take it from here." He took farewell of the elf and headed over to the Arch-Mage quarters.

"Harry?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Quintus wrote me. He would like to see us. He's found some way to repair the phial for his Master," Rhavaniel said. "I'm guessing he would like our help. Gathering items of some sort or something."

Harry nodded. "Sounds fine. I need to go down into the Rift as well. An item Arniel needs has gone missing," he said.

Rhavaniel snorted. "With everything you are doing for him he better give you some credit once he's done," she said.

"Like that is going to happen," Harry said. "I have my own interests the research though. And I've heard him muttering. Whatever the item is, it is Dwemer made and very rare." He wrapped his arms around the elf. "I guess it's a bit like you and this vial."

Rhavaniel smiled at him before she leaned down to kiss him. "I guess so," she said.

They packed their things together so that they could get going first thing the next morning. By then they were pretty good at organizing before a new trip. They had everything done pretty quickly. Since they had time on their hands they decided to clean the Arch-Mage Quarters up. Rhavaniel preferred coming back to a clean room.

…

 _5th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Middas_

"Thank you for doing this," Quintus said. "You have no idea how much this means to him."

Rhavaniel smiled. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I'll get a hold of the items you need." She took adieu of the man and left. She had to find Harry. The raven had wandered off when they arrived. Thankfully it didn't take her long to find him. He was talking to a guard. She stopped next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"… either way you are requested up at the Palace, sir," the guard said.

Harry sighed. "Fine I'll go talk to Ulfric," he said. "You don't have to show me the way. I know where to go." He looked up at Rhavaniel. "Will you come with me?" he asked. She nodded even though she didn't know what was going on.

They headed up to the huge building taking up most of the northern part of the city. Harry pushed the doors open. He was a tad bit irritated. The guard had not been particularly pleasant. He strolled into the big hall beyond the doors. "You wanted to speak to me, sir," he said as he reached the Jarl.

Ulfric nodded slowly. "Your mother has effectively removed all my support," he said. "I have heard stories though. You are against the Thalmor which means we are basically on the same side. I am no fool. Fighting you now would destroy us," he said. "I wish to join in. We are striving for the same goals."

Harry nodded slowly. "I will have to take your request to Whiterun and present it to **_monah_** and Jarl Balgruuf," he said. "I cannot simply accept it myself."

"Then I will write a missive for you," Ulfric said. "You can take that to Balgruuf." He stood up and walked into a nearby room. He wasn't gone for long. When he came back he held an envelope in his hand. "Here," he said as he handed it to the raven.

"I'll get it to him as soon as I can," Harry said. "It might take a while. I have more places to be."

"I would hope that this would take top priority," Ulfric said. He sounded stern, threatening almost.

"I am a member of the College. First and foremost I take my orders from the Arch-Mage," Harry said. He looked over his shoulder. "Right now I'll go where she wants me to," he said. He turned away from the man.

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes as they walked away. "Jarls really have overblown egos," she said. "We need a number of items to repair the phial that is why Quintus contacted me."

"O.K. so what do we need?" Harry asked.

"Unmelting Snow, Mammoth Tusk Powder, and Briar Heart."

Harry nodded. "We need to go to the Throat of the World for the unmelting snow… the other two things we might find back home in Ra'shall's stock," he said. "Unless you have that stuff."

The brunette through about it for a moment, "No I don't think I have any of it," she said. "If your uncle has it that would save time."

"Paarthurnax will be happy to get some company. The Greybeards won't be happy I'm bringing you up there though."

"Like I care what a bunch of old men have to say," Rhavaniel said.

They left the city of the wind bear. Ivarstead was up next. They were a bit unsure of whether they should head straight to Lakeview Manor after that or if they could try to find the item Arniel had ordered first. In the end they decided to give it a week. If they couldn't find the item within a week, they would move on and go back later.

They met a Khajiit caravan travelling north.

"Harry!"

The raven smiled brightly at the tanned Khajiit. "Hello To'ara," he said. "How have things been?" He slipped off Tuiwon before walking up to her and hugged her. "You look lovely," he said. He turned to Rhavaniel and introduced them to each other.

"To'ara who is this?"

Harry looked up into the eyes of a dark-furred feline.

"This is a good friend of mine Harry, love," the feline said. "Harry this is my," she fell quiet trying to find the word she was after.

"Husband?" Rhavaniel said.

"Yes, that's it thank you," To'ara said. "This is my husband Jo'ush."

Harry bowed his head. "Pleasure to meet you kchi," he said. Kchi was a Khajiit honorific; it sort of meant friend of my friend, but it covered more than just friends. It was complicated. Ra'shall had taught him a couple of them. He hadn't thought he'd ever need to use any though.

Jo'ush narrowed his eyes at the raven. He held a hand out. "Pleasure is all mine," he said.

Harry shook the outstretched hand.

"Will you stay and dine with us Harry? We were just about to settle down to make lunch," To'ara said.

The raven turned to his lover. "What do you think **_oniksekest_**?" he said.

"Sounds good," Rhavaniel said. "We were about to do that anyway." She sent Tuiwon on his way.

Khajiit were very efficient when it came to setting down camp - temporarily or not. They had wood gathered into cooking fires. Harry and Rhavaniel lit the wood up. Their magic was way faster than using flint and steel. They had the fires up and going in no time.

Harry sat down with To'ara and her husband. The tan feline started talking about any and everything as they prepared the meal. Harry had no idea how they ended up talking about Ra'shall of all people. Well, it had started with them talking about Nords perception of Khajiit. They had started talking about Ra'shall because he was giving Khajiit a bad name.

Jo'ush hissed. "He's a disgrace to our mahhakei," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's not like he cares about that anymore. Your mahhakei is dead to him," he said. "He made his own family."

"And how do you know that thieving bastard," Jo'ush hissed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ra'shall helped raise me," he said. "He's a thieving murdering bastard… but he's a good man to people he cares about. He's also one of the cornerstones of the White Peace. And part of the reason Alduin didn't tear this world apart, but I guess you don't really want to hear anything but how horrible he is." He handed a plate filled with cut vegetables over t To'ara.

"Yeah, right," Jo'ush said.

"Just because you don't believe in him," Harry said calmly. "I'm pretty sure that he's changed since you were in contact with him last. Mother has that impact on people." Harry didn't really care much about what that man had to say especially not when it came to Ra'shall.

"Just hush love," To'ara said. "Harry is right. You don't know your brother anymore. You never really knew him to begin with. You only know other people's stories about him."

"Let's not argue," Rhavaniel said. "We all have different ideas about what's true."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, it's not like I can't see his flaws or anything," Harry said. He shook his head. "I don't want to fight about something so stupid."

"The two of you are an item?" To'ara said.

Harry chuckled. "We're lovers," he said.

"That's nice. I was wondering how things would turn out for you," To'ara said.

Jo'ush rolled his eyes. "It's not like it matters as long as he's not getting ideas about you again," he said.

"Either way I heard that the new Mane is trying to make things work out," Rhavaniel said. She managed to get the conversation away from things that constantly got people arguing. They actually managed to have a good time.

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "I know better than to get stuck in stupid arguments." He hugged To'ara. Then he turned to Jo'ush. "I'm sorry if I have upset you," he said. "Ra'shall means a lot to me, despite his flaws. If you get in trouble or something happens. Then go to Whiterun. Katla, the Jarl's wife, will help you."

"Thank you," Jo'ush said.

Harry gave a slight bow and walked over to Tuiwon. He climbed up behind Rhavaniel. He wasn't going to tell the stubborn Khajiit that the reason Katla would help them was because of Ra'shall. They didn't need to know that.

It took them another few hours to reach the Throat of the World. The mountain looked as uninviting as always. They left Tuiwon behind he wasn't really equipped to climbed the seven-thousand steps. The sky was clear and the view beautiful. As they climbed higher, they could see for miles.

"If you like it now then you'll love it from the top," Harry told his lover. She kept stopping to look out over the lands below.

"The trees of Valenwood grow high. This is amazing," Rhavaniel said. "I love climbing higher." She spotted a permanent smile as they went up the steps.

"Now that looks ominous," Rhavaniel said. They had reached High Hrothgar. The grey stone building looked very uninviting especially in the slowly setting sun.

"If we hurry up, we can make it to the top before nightfall," Harry said. "I'd prefer not to have to deal with the old men if we can manage. They might be tough and skilled in the way of the voice, but magic is not their strong suit."

Rhavaniel nodded. She knew what he wanted to do.

They snuck through the fort quickly. There were several men out in the courtyard, but it wasn't that hard to pass by them. What was difficult to do, however, was dispersing the snow cloud blocking their way to the top of the mountain without anyone noticing. Harry was glad he'd train his Thu'um so that he didn't have to shout for it to work.

In the east the sun was setting over the Rift. The clouds were coloured pink and orange.

Rhavaniel's hair glowed red in the sunlight. Her tan skin smooth and her eyes lit with excitement. It wasn't everyday that you got a chance to meet the leader of the dragons. It was summer but snow lay on the ground now. They were so high up that it didn't really melt up there.

Harry reached out and grabbed Rhavaniel's hand. **_"Paarthurnax!"_** he called. **_"Zu'u lost bo fah tinvaak voth hi!"_** He turned to Rhavaniel. "It might take him a while to get back here," he said. "The snow we need is up there." He pointed. He didn't go with her though. The beating of giant wings told him that Paarthurnax was on his way.

The ancient dragon landed next to him. **_"Drem yol lok, malsedovah. Tinvaak voth zey!"_** he said in dragon-tongue and turned his head. **_"Zul mey gut,"_** he shouted.

Harry breathed in. **_"Zul mey gut,"_** he shouted thereby finalising the initial pleasantries that dov held whenever they met.

 ** _"_** ** _Hin zul los muliik - your voice is stronger young one. Your, mindoraan, understanding of the tongue is, naram, growing,"_** Paarthurnax said. **_"It is nice to have the chance to speak to you once more. Hin tiid los naram maltiid - Your time is growing short. This will be the last time we grind, we meet."_**

Harry nodded slowly. **_"Zu'u mindoraan - I understand. My, lokaliin, lover and I will, fey, stay here for a few days if that is alright with you,"_** he said in dovahzul. **_"Rek hind wah tinvaak - she wishes to speak with you as well."_** He turned to Rhavaniel. " ** _Oniksekest_** , come here will you!" he called.

The mahogany-haired elf turned around. Her eyes widened. She had been so occupied with the snow before her that she had completely missed the dragon landing behind her. She walked down to the raven slowly. "Greetings Paarthurnax the leader of dragons," she said.

The old dragon chuckled. "Well if it isn't a little, **_Feyfahliil_** , a Bosmer," he said. " ** _Valokein_** , welcome to the top of **_Monahven_** , what you call the Throat of the World. It is long since I had the chance to speak to one of your **_eylok_** , your kind. Let us get, **_zuk sulvekaal_** , more comfortable." He lay down and curled around himself while Harry and Rhavaniel sat next to him.

They spoke for a long time about things near and afar. They discussed the Eye of Magnus and the problems it had caused. They talked about the war, or what was left of it. Then for a long time Harry and Paarthurnax spoke in length. They switched back and forth between human tongue and dovahzul. Rhavaniel didn't mind. She wanted to spend more time examining the strange snow at the mountain's top.

For three whole days they stayed there despite their hurry.

* * *

 _9th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Sundas_

 ** _"_** ** _Pruzah gluus - Good luck and live well, malsedovah,"_** Paarthurnax said before he took flight once more.

 ** _"_** ** _Nox hi. Guur – Thank you. Goodbye,"_** Harry answered. There was nothing he could say that would fully show the gratitude he felt towards the old dragon.

They made it back down the mountain in silence. There really wasn't anything to talk about. They were not people who felt like they had to constantly fill the silence around them. The quiet was calming, soothing. They made their way down to Treva River and followed it east. Hopefully someone in Riften had heard something about a delivery to the College.

They entered the city that evening. Tired and wet. It had started raining several miles up the road. They made their way to the Bee and Barb and ordered a room. They headed up and dried their clothes before making it back downstairs. They ordered some food and sat back. They needed to get a hold of someone who would tell them what they needed to know.

A smirk spread over Rhavaniel's lips as she caught sight of someone. She finished her meal and stood up. "Let me deal with this," she said before walking off.

Harry smiled softly. _'I wonder what she has in mind,'_ he thought. He finished his food and stood up. He walked up to Keerava, one of the innkeepers, and paid for the food. He avoided looking for Rhavaniel in case she was knee deep in something delicate. Instead he headed back to their room and got ready for bed. He could hear laughing out in the hallway.

The door opened. "… is so amazing could you show me please."

Harry looked up from his book. Rhavaniel was standing in the door with a young Imperial man. He gauged his lover's behaviour and placed the book down so that the title didn't show. He stood up and pushed his armour out of sight. He wasn't sure if she had given the man her real name so he didn't want to call her by it.

"Oh," she said. "This is James. I told you about him." She pulled Harry forward. "This is Marcurio. He's going to show us magic," she said thrilled. "Isn't that amazing?"

Harry bit his lip and nodded shyly. _'What are you up to Rhavaniel?'_ he wondered. He'd play along though.

"Why don't we step inside? Nords tend to be a little uneasy around the finer arts," Marcurio said. Harry and Rhavaniel backed off so he could walk into the room. He closed the door behind him. "Let's sit down," he said. He took Rhavaniel's hand and pulled her over to the bed. The he turned around. "Come on beautiful," he said. "Sit down." He patted the bed.

Harry moved up and sat down next to the man slowly. His eyes trailed over the green sheets.

"So cool, James look," Rhavaniel said.

Harry looked up. Fire danced in the palm of the man's hand.

"This spell can burn down a house if you are not careful with it," Marcurio said. "Be careful Ianith." He close to slaughtered the poor name, but the elf managed to keep a straight face. He showed off a lightning spell as well.

 _'_ _Moron,'_ Harry thought. He was glad that Rhavaniel would be doing most of the talking. He wrapped his arms around himself self-consciously.

Rhavaniel got the man talking about his adventures. She was amazing. How she could just keep giving stupid comments was beyond Harry's understanding. He kept losing track of what the man was saying all the time. That was until he started talking about the Dwemer. Most of what he said was irrelevant drivel. The raven wanted to laugh when Marcurio told them that he'd like to learn more, but that he couldn't bring himself to venture into most Dwemer ruins because of the danger.

"I wish he would have shown me what he carried," the Imperial said with a sigh. "It is probably lost to Faldar's wolf fights by now. Maybe I'll go there and win it."

"What are you talking about charming?" Rhavaniel asked air-headedly. She was clinging to him, her eyes wide and innocent.

"There was a man that came through a couple of days ago. He had some very interesting items with him. He got really drunk and told the whole inn about some special delivery from Morrowind. I caught a glance of it. Dwemer made, had to be," he said. He sighed again. "It won't be easy to get it back from the bandits that hold the fights though." The he smiled charmingly. "The two of you don't have to worry about that though." He kissed Rhavaniel as a hand travelled out to Harry and landed on one of his hands.

The raven could feel magic travel from the man to him. He could tell what it was supposed to do. He met Rhavaniel's eyes. A silent message passed between them. He moved forward and placed his hands on the man's shoulders. He helped him out of the mage's robes he was wearing slowly. He could feel himself being grabbed and thrown down on the covers of the bed.

Marcurio was a good kisser all things considered.

…

 _10th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Morndas_

Brown eyes opened slowly. A smirk spread over thin lips. Marcurio looked down at the pale raven to his left before turning to the tan brunette on his right. Now there was a conquest. It had taken some magic, but he'd gotten what he wanted. He slipped out of the bed slowly. The morning after was just so tedious.

He got dressed and slipped out of the room soundlessly. _'I need a drink,'_ he thought.

"Well that makes things easier," Rhavaniel said quietly. She moved over to Harry and shook him awake.

"Fuck, give me a moment," the raven said. He closed his eyes and breathed in a calming breath.

"He hurt you?" Rhavaniel asked concerned.

"Yeah, it won't take long to fix though," Harry said. He was not doing that again. _'Fucking idiot doesn't know how to be gentle,'_ he thought. He felt how the elf pulled him up into her arms carefully as he healed himself. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly. "There all better," he said with a smile.

Rhavaniel shook her head. "Come on let's get going," she said softly. "We know the place. You can get a lock on it right?"

"With the information we got I should be able to lock onto the item itself. It's still not much, but it should be enough. It will take a bit of time though," Harry said.

"You can search while we take a bath," Rhavaniel said.

Harry chuckled as he got out of bed.

They gathered their things together, pulled some robes on, and left the inn. They made their way out of the city and past a small farm. The water was chill but not cold really.

Rhavaniel grabbed the bottle of soap that Harry always brought with him and walked out after the raven. He had wandered straight out into the water and sat down. She wandered out to him slowly and kneeled down behind him. She uncorked the bottle and poured some of the lavender smelling liquid out in her palm. She corked the bottle once more before spreading the soap over both hands. Long tan finders spread out over pale skin as she started working up a lather. It was her fault he'd gotten hurt. She'd wanted to have sex with the guy. Or rather she had wanted to be in a threesome with another guy and Harry. She had decided to do it with that guy out of convenience really.

Green eyes opened. Harry reached up and grabbed Rhavaniel's hands. "I know where to go," he said. His brow furrowed. "What's wrong love?" he asked.

The elf shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled down at him. "Nothing," she said. She knew he'd just get irritated if she continued showing concern for him now.

They washed off quickly after that.

Harry put his armour on. He was not wandering into a place filled with bandits unprotected. "Basically all we have to do is travel along the shore," he said.

They found a road soon enough. They walked along it eating jazbay grapes and laughing at stupid jokes.

"What's your business here?"

Harry took a few steps back and smiled up at the man. "This wouldn't happen to be where one could win a bit of money, would it?" he said.

The man up on the fort wall grinned. "That be true," he said. "Come on inside. We don't start the fights up until after lunch, but it would be a shame to lose such fine participants."

The gates opened up slowly. There were several men and women standing just inside. "We'll need to see some proof that you have money to bet," a woman said. "You ain't welcome if you don't have enough."

Harry took his backpack off and dug through it for his money pouch. "That good enough for you?" he asked as he showed the contents.

She smirked. "Oh, that's good and well," she said. "Come this way please." She led the inside. They past cage after cage. Some had wolves in them some were empty and some held humans, or mer.

"The nerve of some people," Rhavaniel said. "How dare they leave their guts just lying around?[1]" she kicked some intestines out of her way.

Harry rolled his eyes. "So they are gross when you're not elbow deep in them," he said. He moved out of the way as she swiped at him. "They are fresh then," she said. She walked over the mess and continued down the corridor.

They settled down in a room with a big cage in the middle. For several hours they entertained the bandits with tales and stories. They exaggerated beyond knowledge.

A hand landed on Harry's shoulder eventually. "I did not expect to see you here," a female voice said.

"I have my reasons to be here, Kali," the raven said. He looked up at her. "Is this going to be a problem?" he asked softly.

"Not unless you are planning on causing trouble," Karliah said.

"Don't worry they won't realise what we're up to," Harry said. "They can't do anything with the item we've come here for, and it wouldn't be worth anything to you. It's more dangerous than anything."

"You have free reign here," Karliah said. "None of us want to cross Ra'shall."

"Unless he messes things up royally," Harry said with laughter in his voice.

Clear laugher rang out from behind him. He looked over at Rhavaniel; she met his gaze and waved him over. "They are taking bets now," she said. She pointed down at the wolves. "They are marked by colour."

"Go ahead," Harry said. He knew that they couldn't win every time. It would be strange. They could win more than they lost but frankly he didn't care as long as they got their hands on the item. It meant that he had to figure out who that was, and make sure he or she lost. He'd have to be really careful though.

He wandered around in the shadows.

Watching.

Waiting.

Harry concentrated on his magic again. **_"Laas yah nir,"_** he whispered. His clairvoyance spell was leading him in an area where no one was. He moved out of the room carefully. Between steps he disappeared. He passed a couple of bandits and some skeevers. He pulled a lever and walked through to the bandits' private quarters. He knew that if he got caught in there he'd get into a lot of trouble. Thankfully most of the bandits had made their way down to the arena. He moved slowly so he wouldn't run into anything. It was really dark up there. _'More cages,'_ he thought.

There was a man in one of them. He was dead. He must have died recently though because he wasn't stinking. _'It's locked, great,'_ he thought. He heard footsteps coming his way. He moved into the shadows. It was Kali. He whispered her name. She looked over to where he stood and he became visible. He placed his hand on the bars of the cage. "Could you unlock this for me?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "If you will take a message to Ra'shall for me," she said.

"Of course."

She bent down. It didn't take long.

Click!

The door opened. "You better not be seen," she said before she left him.

Harry walked into the cell and kneeled down next to the dead courier. _'Oh, Kyne,'_ he thought as he pulled a dagger the length of his forearm out of the man's coat. _'How did he keep this hidden?'_ he wondered. It was beautiful. The blade made out of the same stone that the Dwemer used in many of their strange contraptions. He didn't stop to admire it though. He had to get back to Rhavaniel before people realised he was missing.

.

"That's mine," Rhavaniel called. Her wolf had won again. She wasn't cheating though. Not anymore than her wood elf blood would let her at least. She was having fun, talking to the people around her. _'Oh, my,'_ she thought as she saw the Imperial, Marcurio. She wasn't worried or anything. It wasn't her fault that he was so easily tricked. Her violet eyes scanned the room for Harry. He needed to know that the man was there as well. _'Where have you disappeared off to?'_ she wondered.

"Are you going to place a bet Rhavaniel?" the man next to her asked.

She looked down at the wolves. "I'll skip this one," she said. "Neither of those are very good."

"Ah, of course."

Out of the corner of her eye, she followed Marcurio as he walked around. She stood up and walked over to the bar. She bought a glass of wine. It was actually way better than one would guess. She wandered around looking for Harry. She knew she might walk into Marcurio, but it wasn't like she cared really.

"Now, now lovely what are you doing here?"

She turned around. "Hello Marcurio," she said.

The Imperial reached out and ran his thumb over her chin. "I didn't think such a little lovely would be in a place like this," he said.

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes. She could feel how he tried to mess with her emotions. "I'm not some delicate little flower Marcurio," she said. A smile spread over her lips as she saw Harry. He walked up to them and turned to Marcurio. "Hello," he said. He moved closer to his lover. "I got it," he said. She smiled at him. He felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Come here little lovely," Marcurio said through clenched teeth. He pulled Harry up to him.

"That burns," the raven said.

"Oh, poor boy. I thought you like pain," Marcurio slapped Harry.

"You get your fucking hands off him or I swear I make you life a living hell from now on," Rhavaniel hissed.

Brow eyes met hers. "What are you going to do? Cry on me," Marcurio said. "I'm a mage you don't stand a chance against me."

Rhavaniel pulled a vial from her belt and crushed it against his head. Harry stumbled away from him and pulled his sword. "You should have just walked away and never looked at us again," he said. **_"Vopraan hahvulon tik,"_** he hissed.

Rhavaniel took his hand and they left the gambling hole. "What did you do to him?" she asked.

"Gave him nightmares when he's awake for a month or so. What about you?" Harry said.

"He won't be using him magicka for quite some time," she said. "I could have done worse, but he wasn't worth it. If I ever meet him again though, I might not be so nice."

They continued on foot until nightfall. Both of them needed some time to blow off steam. Though Rhavaniel was the more upset of the two. She blamed herself for involving them with that moron in the first place. They could have gotten the information they needed without sleeping with him. As a matter of fact sleeping with him had been completely unnecessary. _'But the look on Harry's face when…'_ she shook herself out of those thoughts. They weren't helping.

* * *

 _11th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Tirdas_

The following day they travelled west. Their goal was to reach Lakeview Manor before sunset. Rhavaniel had called Tuiwon back, but she hadn't mounted him. She'd run. As a matter of fact she'd taken off as soon as the horse showed up.

The only way that Harry could keep up with her had been to mount the steed and bring him into a gallop. He knew she was irritated with herself – that she was angry at herself. He was going to give her the space she needed. He had no reason to push her.

…

"Hello Dora," Harry said softly as he walked to the family cow. "You wouldn't happen to have Katla and Ra'shall home, would you?" She looked up at him with a bored expression. He chuckled. "I know," he said. He walked over to the front door and opened it. "Is anybody home?" he called. He wasn't sure if he expected an answer or not.

As he walked inside, he could hear the beating of Katla's hammer against her anvil. He smiled softly. She was working on something. He led Rhavaniel up to his room so they could dump their things off. " ** _Monah_** is busy downstairs and…" he walked over to the alchemy lab, "Ra'shall isn't here." He thought back to when they had walked into the house. "But his things are downstairs so he's probably not all that far away."

Rhavaniel nodded. That was good news. She didn't like messing with another alchemist's things without their permission. "I'd like to clean up hon," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "We can head down to Lake Ilinalta," he said. "I'm just going to let Katla know we're here first." He made his way down to the basement. **_"Drem yol lok, monah,"_** he said. The fire in the forge rose as it was mentioned.

A bright smile spread over spread over Katla's lips as she saw her son. She placed her hammer down and walked around the forge. **_"Kulsezii,"_** she said happily as she wrapped her arms around him. "It's good to see you again. Your armour is almost done." She walked over to a stand and ran a hand down the cuirass of a Dragonscale armour. "I only have a little to go, but you have to try it on first. It wasn't easy but…" She fell silent before sighing. "I want you to have the best I can give you when…"

Harry nodded in understanding. "I get it," he said softly. He bit his bottom lip. _'Should I tell her?'_ he wondered. "Paarthurnax said that I don't have much time left…" He was cut off as Katla enveloped him in a tight hug. "Who knows how much time that actually is though? I mean he's an ancient dragon. I doubt his sense of time is the same as ours."

Katla nodded slowly and gave a trained chuckle. She wasn't going to start crying though. She almost never did.

"I'm going to go down to the lake with Rhavaniel so we can clean up," Harry said. "We can't stay for too long, but I'll be back as soon as we're done. I'll explain why when we get back."

"Sure," Katla said. She watched him leave _'I'm really making the last equipment he'll ever get from me,'_ she thought. She placed the things she'd been working on aside. It could wait. She knew that Harry really liked the shape and build of his daedric sword, bur she wanted to give him something better. _'I can combine them,'_ she thought determined. It wouldn't be easy, but she'd do it. _'Kyne let him return to get his things,'_ she prayed. She wouldn't be able to finish all of it before he left this time around. Not if he really was in a hurry.

…

Harry chuckled as he was wrestled down into the warm water of Lake Ilinalta. He wrapped his arm around the elf that had forced him down and rolled them around.

Rhavaniel got out of his grip and sat up laughing. She was feeling much better. She grabbed on to Harry and leaned in to his warmth. Softly she whispered something in elvish in his ear. His face softened. He might not understand elvish all that well, but he knew what she had told him. **_"Zu'u lokaal hi ahk,"_** he said in dovahzul. "You know we can't be together though."

Rhavaniel nodded. She moved out of his embrace. "Maybe that is part of the reason though," she said. "I can feel free to because I know you are leaving." She sighed. "I don't like the idea of being stuck with a single person. I don't want to get hurt…"

Harry reached out and wrapped his arms around her once more.

"Issn't that cute. Ssucch little lovebirds."

Harry was standing up within seconds, fire burning in the palm of his hand. It was a good thing he'd been that fast because an ice spear was already headed for the feline on the shore. Fire melted the ice before it reached the man. "One of these days you'll get yourself kill _**kaazaak**_ ," he said.

"I wouldn't have been the first to die cub," Ra'shall said.

Harry snorted. "You always say that right after you've almost been killed," he said. He noticed a bunch of fish hanging from the feline's shoulder. "Heading back home?" he asked.

Ra'shall nodded. "I'm going to start supper," he said. "I take it we're extra tonight?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you back at the house," the feline-man said before he turned around and started heading up the hill to the house.

"He's impossible," Harry said as he turned to Rhavaniel. He concentrated on the soap bottle back on the shore and pulled it towards him. "I guess we should get done though."

Rhavaniel nodded. "We probably should," she said.

They washed up quickly and got back to shore so they could get dressed. Harry reached out and grabbed Rhavaniel's hand as they started walking back towards the house. They could hear rustling coming from the kitchen as they entered the house. Harry walked over. "Do you need any help?" he asked.

Ra'shall shook his head. "I'm fine," he said.

The raven hummed as he walked back out to Rhavaniel. "We'll have to find something to do I guess," he said.

…

"Food's ready," Ra'shall called.

Rhavaniel sat up slowly, straddling Harry. Her eyes trailed over the grass around them. "We should get in there, huh?" she said. She stood up and pulled the raven with her. Her hair was full of grass seeds.

Harry reached up and ran a hand through his own hair. He probably looked even worse. They stepped inside and walked into the dinning room. The table was filled with food. How Ra'shall had managed to make that much food in so short a time was beyond Harry. They ate in silence. They weren't the types to ruin a good meal by blabbing through it.

When everyone was full and satisfied they leaned back.

"So, you said you were in a bit of a hurry," Katla said. Amber eyes moved to Harry.

The raven nodded. "We're helping the owner of the White Phial in Windhelm to restore the vial his store is named after. He's sick though. We want to get back before his sickness sends him on if we can. We came here because we need a Briar Heart and some Mammoth Tusk Powder. I figured you might have those in store," he said as he looked over at Ra'shall.

The feline nodded. "I should have," he said. "I'll have to go through my stock to make sure. I definitely have Briar Hearts though. I just used some."

"Magicka potion or are you preparing paralysis?" Rhavaniel asked.

"You make potions?" Ra'shall asked, his eyes glowing excitedly.

"I do. It is one of the most effective ways of dealing with almost anything," the elf answered.

"Have you tried to add Nirnroot to a paralysis poison?"

"No, I haven't is it effective?"

"Oh, you should see the result. It is amazing. I tried crimson Nirnroot as well. But I don't have…"

"Maybe we should leave them to it," Katla said told Harry softly. "I don't think they'll notice if we sneak off and I want you to try the armour on."

Harry smiled up at her and nodded. He stood up and followed her out of the room. He'd known that Rhavaniel and Ra'shall would get along just fine. They went through the hatch down to the basement.

Harry pulled his shirt off and held his arms out so Katla could fasten the armour around him. The scales were black with patches of silver around the neck and down on the skirt. There were teeth worked in to the pauldrons. The pants were smooth with scales going down the sides and front. He stood still as Katla fastened it in so it would fit him. "Do you want to enchant it yourself?" she asked.

"Yes, I already know what to do," Harry answered. "I'm going to use dovahzul to enchant it as well as the enchanting table." He looked down at the armour. "I don't want it to break… ever," he said.

"Don't start that back up. I don't want to think about it. I know you will be leaving. I'll deal with it when the day comes," Katla said. "Now I just want to spend time with you."

Harry smiled. "I know what you mean," he said. "Let's not think about what tomorrow will bring." He shifted so she could pull the armour off. "I have a missive from Ulfric with me. He wants to join the White Peace," he said after a while.

Katla snorted. "I'll take it with me to Whiterun when I return so I can discuss it with Balgruuf," she said. "Let me deal with that." She held out a gauntlet so Harry could try it on. "I had so many failed attempts before I got it right," she said. "This is far from easy to work with. It will hold against almost anything though. Just harvesting it was really difficult."

"It looks amazing though," Harry said.

Katla laughed. "Only the best for my **_kulsezii_** ," she said. "Sit down."

Harry watched as she worked over the boot she'd made his try on. "I have a couple of jewels I need to be able to transport easily. I always want them with me. Do you think you could work something out for them?" he asked.

Katla looked up at him. "I should be able to. You'll need to leave them with me though. They are special I take it," she said.

"They are my enchanting stones," Harry said. "I need to be able to take them out, but I don't want them to fall by themselves. I also want to have quick access to them because I can use the charge for my spells too."

Katla nodded. "It shouldn't be a problem to make something for you," she said. "I'll make sure it works with the armour."

"Thank you," Harry said.

Katla pulled the boot off. "Why don't you go and get them?" she said.

Harry jumped down from the workbench and headed upstairs.

"Yes I know but if you use Canis Root as well it should…"

"That's true."

Harry shook his head. Rhavaniel and Ra'shall had moved to the alchemy lab. A smile spread over his lips. He was happy they'd found someone they could actually talk to about their potions with. He grabbed his enchanting gems and headed back downstairs.

"Now that is an interesting glow," Katla said as she rand a finger over the stones. "It's your magicka that makes them glow like that?" She looked over at her son.

"Partly," Harry answered. "Some of it comes from the treatment I have given them so they would work for enchanting."

"You have a lot of different stones, why?" Katla asked.

"They work well for different types of enchantments," Harry said.

"That's why you have moonstone and malachite as well?"

"Mmhhm."

Harry sat down on the workbench again and watched Katla as she went back to working on the sword she had started working on earlier that day. It was comforting to just be together. People talked way too much.

…

"Ra'shall is amazing with potions," Rhavaniel said when she lay down next to Harry that evening.

The raven smiled at her. "I knew the two of you would find something to talk about," he said. He wrapped his arms around her. "How long do you think we can stay?" he asked.

"Well finding that knife didn't take us all that long. I don't see why we can't stay for a few days," Rhavaniel said.

"Thank you."

The elf laughed softly. "You're just too cute sometimes," she said.

* * *

 _12th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Middas_

Harry watched Rhavaniel as she got into an argument with Ra'shall the next morning at breakfast. _'Magnus, she's having so much fun,'_ he thought amused. He and Katla were going to treat his armour anyway. He was glad that Rhavaniel had something to do.

"Katla can Rhavaniel have the Elder Scroll you used to learn Dragonrend?" Harry asked as he watched his mother work.

"Sure," Katla said. "I have no use for it."

"Thank you **_monah_**."

During the course of the day, once he'd stopped watching his mother work, the raven brought one piece of armour after another up to the Arcane Enchanter. He handled the gauntlets and the boots that day. He'd basically exhausted his magicka reserves after that.

He knew he'd be alright the next day as long as he ate and slept properly.

 _13th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Turdas_

"Will you join us?" Ra'shall asked Harry.

The raven had made his way down the stairs with the cuirass of his armour in his arms. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just gathering some ingredients," Rhavaniel said.

Harry nodded slowly. "Sure I just have to drop this off first," he said. He headed over to the hatch to the basement and climbed down the ladder. "Here you go," he said as he gave Katla the armour. "The others want to travel out and gather some ingredients."

Katla nodded. "Why don't you go with them?" she said. "I have to finish this and you can't really help me with that."

"O.K. sure," Harry said. He went back upstairs.

"Here," Rhavaniel said as she handed him a basket. "Pick flowers."

Harry just rolled his eyes and chuckled at her short tone. "Yes, love," he said. He trailed after them with a bright smile plastered on his face. Their enthusiasm was so alike when it came to potions. He loved it.

He grabbed Ra'shall's arm as Rhavaniel disappeared behind a hill. "I have a message from Kali," he said. He pulled a note out and handed it to the feline.

"Thank you," Ra'shall said. He put the note away. He'd read it later. He'd spoken to Katla the night before. _'Cub's leaving,'_ he thought. Maybe not yet but he'd be gone soon. He shook his head. _'Damn Riddle'Thar,'_ he thought.

…

 _14th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Fredas_

"We should get going again," Rhavaniel said. "You family is really nice, but Nurelion is dying. We have to get back there."

Harry nodded. "I know," he said. "We'll have breakfast with _**monah**_ and **_kaazaak_**. Then we'll go." He sat up in bed. His clothes were spread out all over the place. He'd been a bit tired the night before. "I don't really need my armour do I," he said to himself. He packed his things away. His movements were slowly. He was still tired. He got dressed in a set of mage robes.

They brought their things with the down the stairs.

"You're leaving?" Katla asked.

"After breakfast," Harry said. His eyebrows narrowed. "You know that knife I found way back the strange curved one. Where is it? I think I need it for a master's task. To learn master spell I have to clear those tasks. It's annoying." He sat down by the table. "The tasks are designed to widen your view or something like that."

Rhavaniel chuckled. "Something like that," she said. "You are way younger than any other expert trying for masters I have ever met though."

Harry shrugged. "They offered," he said. He looked back at Katla. "It's downstairs in the glass case," she said.

"Great!"

Ra'shall stumbled into the dining room eventually. He yawned big and slumped down in a chair.

"Tired, huh?" Katla said. "Maybe you shouldn't stay up that long."

The feline grumbled. He reached out for the milk and poured up a glass.

Katla shook her head in amusement. She offered some jam to Rhavaniel.

"Thank you," the elf said.

They finished breakfast, and Harry went down to get the knife. "I'll be back in a couple weeks or so," he said. He hugged Katla and then Ra'shall. "I'll see you soon," he said.

Rhavaniel dragged Harry outside. She really wanted to get going. She waved at the Nord and Khajiit. "I'll see you some other time," she said. "Go Tuiwon."

The steed took off.

"You really don't like goodbyes do you?" Harry said softly.

Rhavaniel shook her head. "No."

…

They did their best to reach Windhelm as fast as possible. Rhavaniel walked into the White Phial with the ingredients. "Quintus I have the items you needed," she said. She stopped and pulled her backpack off so she could hand them to him.

 **"** Thank the Gods. I'll get to work on the Phial straight away," the Imperial man said. He carried everything over to the alchemy lab and started mixing it together. Rhavaniel did her best to keep up with what he was doing. She really wanted to make her own if she could get a chance.

The man finished what he was doing before he ran up the stairs. "Master look, it's the phial," he said.

"What? How?" Nurelion's rough voice answered.

"It doesn't matter. Look it is refilling with your tonic as we speak."

"Marvellous!"

Rhavaniel closed her eyes. The sounds she was hearing didn't bode well. The old man had gotten too excited. His body couldn't handle it. "This… this can't be happening," she heard Quintus say. She waited. Eventually the young Imperial came back down.

"He's gone. But thanks to you he died knowing that his life's work was not in vain," he said sadly.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Rhavaniel said.

"Thank you. You… you acted very nobly in helping my Master realize his life's work… It. I have never wanted to be anything but an alchemist. I fear that keeping this Phial would only serve to remind me of Nurelion's obsession and how it consumed him," Quintus said. He held the Phial out. "Here take it. You are as much a part of its legend now as Curalmil is. It's only fitting that you should have it. I assume you can figure out how to align its properties if I give you my master notes on the subject."

Rhavaniel nodded. "I can manage yes," she said. "I would appreciate doing it myself." She was handed a set of notebooks. "Thank you. I'll leave you to…" she fell silent.

"I am going to lock the door behind you ma'am," Quintus said.

"Of course."

The elf moved outside. She had to find Harry. She packed her new things down into her pack. She wanted to make White Phials of her own. Hopefully she would be able to do that now. _'I just want to get back to the College now,'_ she thought. She wandered over to Candlehearth Hall. Harry had already paid for a room. She found him sitting in the dining area of the inn. She sat down next to him. "Nurelion died," she said. "Quintus gave me the phial."

Harry sighed. "Oh well, there is not much we can do about that," he said. "We're going back to the College tomorrow then?"

Rhavaniel nodded.

* * *

 _16th of Heartfire, 4E 206. Sundas_

Harry looked over at Rhavaniel. She was muttering to herself. He rolled over in bed and yawned. His hair spread out over the pillow beneath him. He'd decided to sleep in. Later he would speak to Arniel. He'd handed the man the knife he and Rhavaniel had found the day before. The man had needed some time, but he'd asked Harry to come back.

The raven sat up. He grabbed a set of mage robes and pulled them on. He got out of bed. Rhavaniel didn't even notice she was so caught up in whatever she was doing. He kissed her on the cheek before moving out to the hall. He needed to grab something to eat.

Once his stomach was filled he made his way to the Hall of Countenance where Arniel was most likely waiting for him. "So you have everything you need now, right?" he asked as he walked up to the man.

"I do… I do indeed. I never though I would hold Keening in my hands," Arniel said. "But you found it."

"So, what's next?" Harry asked.

"Now… now we see whether my theories are correct," Arniel said excitedly. "I know I haven't been clear about my work. I didn't want to discuss it for fear that this moment would never come. Everyone knows the Dwarves disappeared, no one knows why. This little experiment is the first to try to figure this mystery out." He walked around as he spoke. "Since I lack the heart of a God, I'm using the crystal you helped me craft in its place. I also lack Sunder the counterpart to Keening. I'm still pretty confident this will work however. Maybe the results will differ some though. I'm no Dwarven architect of course." He stopped. "Well I suppose it is time to see what happens. You might want to stand back a step or two. Right then…" he said. He turned towards the soul gem and hit it with the Dwemer blade. He became more and more frustrated as nothing seemed to happen.

Then suddenly a bright light had Harry covering his eyes. When he could see again Arniel was gone.

 _'_ _Well that's new,'_ Harry thought. He walked forward and picked Keening up. "I guess I'll hold on to this," he muttered. _'It is really dangerous after all.'_

.

.

Time went on. Harry was taking his master's tests. One after another. He spent some time back home as well. Katla finished his armour and gave him a fully upgraded arsenal. He did his best to enchant every item so it would hold - preferably forever. He also made sure that not just anyone could pick them up and use them. Dragon runes were so useful sometimes.

Winter came and things slowed down. They wouldn't really pick up again until spring came. Well if you didn't count Rhavaniel actually creating a second White Phial. She'd handed it to Harry filled with the potion she'd made to cure Werewolves. "You know some of them back where you come from right?" she'd said. "If you bring it in this you'll never run out. The bottle won't let you."

Harry had smiled. "Thank you."

Remus, and any other Werewolf that didn't want to have to live through that life any more. He would be able to help them.

* * *

[1] Markiplier from: Let's Play: The Things in the Night | Part 13 | BROKE THE GAME


	35. Tale of Three Brothers - End 2

**Tale of Three Brothers**

 _4th of First Seed, 4E 207. Morndas_

"Please tell me we can leave this place," Harry whined. He was so bored with the stupid College.

"Are you done with all your Masters?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Yes, done! I know all the spells know the intricate little idiocies the teachers spout, and I have figured out that their limitations are bullshit," Harry answered.

The brunette laughed merrily. "And now you have cabin fever," she said.

"Yes, let me out of here," Harry exclaimed.

Rhavaniel started laughing again. She walked over to one of the bookshelves and pulled a scroll out.

Clink!

She looked down at the floor. _'Now that was quite some time ago,'_ she thought. She threw it over to Harry. "Why don't we find all of those?" she said.

The raven looked down at the amulet shard. "I read up on these," he said. "It is said that the amulet belonged to Archmage Gauldur's sons. Either they killed their father of they were killed because High King Harald had ordered Gauldur's death and he didn't want to answer to anyone for it. The only son they knew where he ended up was killed in the ruins of Folgunthur," he said. "We got one of them. Gauldur had three sons."

"At least that's something," Rhavaniel said. "We have a location and we have the first piece of the puzzle."

"So we can go," Harry said as he sat up.

"Sure why not. I don't have anything better to do, and it is getting a bit closed up in here."

"Yes," Harry said. He got out of bed and walked over to his armour. He ran a hand down the black scales. He smiled. Katla really had outdone herself. He grabbed the pants and pulled them on. Boots and then the cuirass were put on. Harry picked up the gloves and tightened them. He fastened his belt and the sting of gems that Katla had designed and made for him around his waist. He pulled his sword. Katla had made a Daedric sword with a dragonbone core. It showed in the blade. The metal was ebony infused with Daedric hearts; it was extraordinary how much stronger the metal got with the hearts. She had down something similar with his bow. It was still an Ebony bow but it had a dragonbone core too. It showed in certain places. Dragonbone wasn't that easy to mould. She'd done an amazing job though.

Rhavaniel smirked at him. "Well don't you look menacing," she said. "I guess you're basically ready to go now." She'd pulled a fresh set of mage robes on. She used magic armour when she needed it after all.

Harry picked his helmet up. He wouldn't put it on unless he really needed it. Now all he had to do was pack food. He grabbed his backpack. His Dragon Mask was in there together with the White Phial and some Soul Gems. Keening was in there as well. He packed down an extra set of mage robes just in case. His fingers ran over the Elder Scroll.

"Let's go hon," Rhavaniel said.

The raven grabbed his backpack and followed her out. They stopped by the store on their way out of the city. Harry had brought Midun back with him last time he'd been down by Whiterun. They would have to travel straight across Skyrim to get to Folgunthur. They weren't really in a hurry so they'd take their time.

It was still early in the year. Snow lay on the ground. The mountainsides were clad in white. As they made their way out on the plains north of Whiterun, they could see grass peaking out from under the slush. Rain started falling as they travelled on, cold and mixed with snow at times. It crept in everywhere.

They had passed a couple of frost trolls and a Giant's camp earlier.

Because of the weather they decided to head north to Labyrinthian.

"Well that was horrible," Rhavaniel said.

Harry chuckled. "How about we dry up?" he said. He focused his destruction magic and forced the water out of his armour. Rhavaniel followed suit. Steam rose from her. They took care of their poor horses as well.

"I have some things I want to take a look at that I think we missed last time," Rhavaniel said.

Harry nodded. "Sounds good," he said. "Meet back here for dinner?"

"Yeah, we'll do that," Rhavaniel said. She wandered up east. She stepped careful on the slippery stairs. She found a door lowered down in the stone. She walked down the stairs slowly and opened the door. _'At least it isn't raining in here,'_ she thought. She dried herself up again before continuing down into the cave. She placed a hand against the brown stone as she turned a corner. There were bone charms hanging from the ceiling. There had been several pressure plates earlier. She wondered if it was all old or if there was someone alive down there. _'Probably not,'_ she though as she came across two draugr. She summoned her dagger and dipped it into one of the jars by her belt before she stabbed the two undead.

They would never rise again.

The cave seemed kind of empty. As she continued deeper she had to admit that someone must have been there though. She found the remains of a small camp in one of the side room. She also found more draugr so whoever had lived down there had probably not made it. The Alchemy lab she'd found was filled with something that had melted straight through the glass and stone. She'd backed right back out again. She knew how dangerous that could be.

Not much further in she found that the structure she was wandering around inside must have collapsed somehow. The floor was tilting. "Well this was boring," she muttered. She walked back out to the previous cave and stopped. She could hear something moving below her. That shouldn't be possible unless there was a way down there. She moved around the cave carefully. _'Ahha,'_ she'd found a dug out hole. Once upon a time there might have been a spiral staircase going down through it. She cast a Magelight down the hole. There were several beams going straight across the gap on the way down.

She dropped down to the first one. _'This should be fun,'_ she though before she dropped down to the next one. A draugr walked up to her ball of light. She twisted around and fell so her legs were holding her up. She gave herself a bit of a push and dropped down right on top of the draugr, a frozen spear drawn. She speared the undead and looked around. It was just a small room. She was pretty certain that the door she could see led back outside.

…

Rhavaniel made her way back down to where she and Harry had left the horses. She'd travelled back down into the caves past the sealed door again. They had been in a bit of a hurry last time they'd been though there. She'd found some interesting things but nothing revolutionary.

She sat down by the burning fire. "Did you find anything interesting?" she asked the raven.

Harry looked up at her. "Well I guess so," he said. "There is a maze over that way. I had to use magic to pass through it. I found a Word Wall in there. I would suggest going there when the weather is better though."

Rhavaniel nodded. "So what are we eating?" she asked.

"Beef with apples and jazbay jelly and grilled potatoes," Harry said. He made the fire die down somewhat so he could start cooking.

* * *

 _5th of First Seed, 4E 207. Tirdas_

Harry and Rhavaniel passed through Morthal early the next day. It had stopped raining at some point during the night but the road was still wet. Not that it mattered after they had passed through the city. They when off the path the first thing they did. The marches of Hjaalmarch were frozen still. The mudcrabs slow. They passed under dead trees and over frozen puddles. Midun and Tuiwon walked on steadily. They had to slow down but not by much.

They slowed down to a stop as they reached a camp. Harry sat off and looked into the tents.

"I doubt anyone is here Harry. The firewood isn't just snowed on," Rhavaniel said.

The raven picked up a note book and held it up. "This is soggy. I have this sinking feeling we won't be able to read it," he said before dropping it back on the ground.

"Well there is an opening over there," Rhavaniel said and pointed. "We can just go in there." She dismounted Tuiwon. She climbed up to the door and opened it up. "Oh, by Azura," she cried. "This place stinks."

Harry walked up next to her. He got what she meant. **_"Yoltaas toor goraag shul,"_** he shouted. A blazing inferno spread down the corridor. "If we wait a moment, it should have cleared out a little. I can blow some wind down there in a moment. We might want to consider using some kind of…" he looked over at Rhavaniel. Then magic spread over his nose and mouth. It was just a faint bluish shimmer, but she could see it. "Just give me a moment and I'll figure this out," Harry said. He walked down into the corridor. Fire didn't really make flesh stink less. It did clear the old rotting corpses out though. He spent some time fiddling with the spell that was really meant for breathing underwater with. As far as he was concerned though, it should work for what he was after now. He'd just have to make it work.

"What are you doing down there?" Rhavaniel asked. She walked down after the raven. _'That's just awful,'_ she thought. Burnt rotten corpse. "How can you stand this? You have a weaker stomach than I do," she said as she reached her lover.

"Use you waterbreathing spell. I'm going to modify it. It'll be a bit draining, but we won't have to smell this anymore," Harry told her.

Jade light spread over Rhavaniel's fingers and a coat of blue covered her mouth and nose.

Harry tilted his head to the side as he started mumbling in dovahzul.

 _'_ _Now, that's way better,'_ the brunette thought suddenly. She couldn't smell the rancid stench anymore. Sure it would be a bit of a strain, but it wasn't all that bad. She looked up at Harry.

The raven had continued down the stairs. "This is a keyhole for a dragon claw," he said as he ran his fingers over the cool metal. "The people who camped outside must have had a claw." He stepped through the opened hole and turned around breathing deeply so he wouldn't throw up. There was a rotting woman lying against a stone table in the next room. His fists closed.

"Are you O.K.?" Rhavaniel asked. Harry pointed over his shoulder, and she looked inside. "Ah," she breathed. "I get it hon. "Come on let's just walk past this." She grabbed his elbow and pulled him with her. "Pull your bow out," she whispered.

Harry nodded. He readied the dark bow with an arrow.

Several cracks sounded through the big room. Sarcophaguses were opening up as draugr woke up. Rhavaniel and Harry moved into the room bows drawn.

Tchick, tchick, tchick, tchick!

Fire spread over the floor. Harry moved back.

"Ops," Rhavaniel said.

They searched through the area before moving on. Considering that others had been there before them they probably wouldn't find much.

"Well that's wet," Harry said as he looked down at a trapdoor. He wasn't about to walk out on it. He looked up at the spiral staircase. That was their only way up. He walked along the edge of the trapdoor until he could move over to the stairs. He climbed up and moved over the ground quickly. He found another dead body. This time he couldn't just ignore it though. There was a dragon claw in the man's grasp. "Rhavaniel!" he called.

The elf was still moving around downstairs. She looked up. "I'll be right there," she said. She didn't even care about the stairs up she stepped up on the table and jumped over the top of on of the coffins before climbing up. "Ah, well that is nice," she said with a grimace.

"He might have something else we need," Harry said. He held the claw out. "This is our key, and he had it."

Rhavaniel nodded. She kneeled down and started going through the man's clothes. It was really disgusting. She did find a notebook though. She read through it quickly. She wasn't going to carry it around. "One of the brothers is buried here, one in Saarhal and one in Geirmund's Hall," she said. "The father was buried in Reachwater Rock in case we need to know that." She dropped the book back down. "Everything else is just fluff," she said.

Harry nodded. "We know where else to go," he said. Purple smoke spread over his fingers. "Bow at the ready," he said. He placed the claw down against the seal and turned it. Rhavaniel summoned her bow. Tchick, tchick! She fired two arrows in rapid succession. The draugr collapsed to the floor.

She moved on ahead of Harry. Her bow was raised. She killed every draugr in their way. She stopped before a gate puzzle. "So do we just pull the levers until this thing opens?" she asked.

"Why not?"

…

They waded through water. They had already set the animal pillars the right way. Harry grabbed the lever and pulled it. He dried his boots moments before he realised that it had been completely unnecessary. Geirmund's Hall really was filled with water leaks. He guessed that's what happened when you built a tomb in the middle of a lake.

"Lord Geirmund; Archmage of Windhelm; Lord Battlemage to King Harald," Rhavaniel read. "Magus, keep thy vigil eternal. Serve now in death as you did in life. By these seals our realm preserve. From traitors three and their charm of strife.' So this is the Archmage then," she said.

Harry walked up next to her. "At least we can let his soul rest now," he said. He walked over to the door and pushed it. "I think this one is locked," he said. "Does Geirmund have a key?"

"Yes, he does," Rhavaniel said. She grabbed the key and turned around. She placed it in the lock and turned it.

Click!

"That's one big spider," Harry whispered. He focused his magic, and an ice spear formed in his hand. He threw it.

The spider shrieked and stumbled back. Its legs got tangled and it collapsed onto a draugr.

"I guess I'll have to torch them now," Harry said.

Rhavaniel chuckled at his predicament. She walked up to a set of bars and kneeled down. She threw a Magelight into the room beyond. _'Now that looks like a place Sigdis might be,'_ she thought. She stood up and walked back to Harry. "Spiders don't burn all that good, do they?" she said.

"Stupid eight-legged piece of shit," Harry hissed. **_"Yol,"_** he shouted. What was left of the spider was blown apart clearing their path. _'Maybe that was a little over board,'_ he thought.

A Draugr Deathlord walked back and forth. He had long since forgotten his purpose. He would kill anyone that made their way down into his domain. That was all he knew now. He turned around. Was someone coming his way? Maybe not. He walked back over to the other side of the room.

Pain flared up in his back. He tried to turn around but his limbs would no longer listen to him. He collapsed. Did this mean he was finally free? His ghostly eyes closed for the last time.

Harry walked over a bridge pulling a lever on the way so he could continue. He froze as a scratching noise swung through the air. _'Oh, great,'_ he thought. _'Blade traps.'_ He walked up to the corridor. He breathed in slowly. There were two ways he could do this… or he could combine them. He tilted his head to the side. _'Why not?'_ he thought. **_"Tiid sein,"_** he shouted and the blades slowed down, **_"wuld nah."_** He moved forward through the corridor. He pulled a ring and chain so Rhavaniel could just walk through later.

The cave floor was filled with water. Little platforms were sticking up from the ground. As he dropped down into the water, the cracking of a sarcophagus' lid reached his ears. He pulled his bow from his backpack. An arrow landed on the grip against his hand. A draugr stood up from his grave. Harry felt a strange magic field spreading out around the room. _'The bastard cloned himself,'_ he thought. **_"Su grah dun,"_** he whispered as he ran up a ramp. His eyes trailed over the coffin before he turned. Tchick, tchick, tchick! He fired one arrow to each of the three draugr.

"What is going on in here?" Rhavaniel asked.

"He sends out two fakes every time he shows up," Harry answered. He dodged an arrow. "Our best bet is to shoot them all at once." He lined three arrows again and fired. "Damn it," he hissed as he missed his target.

Rhavaniel joined him. She'd summoned her own bow. A smirk was flashed Harry's way before she lined her shoot up. Ranged enemies really stood no chance against them. The draugr fell down into the water with a splash.

Harry ran down and fetched the amulet fragment. "Next stop Reachwater Rock," he said.

They made their way back out of the tomb. They rode until they reached Helgen.

* * *

 _7th of First Seed, 4E 207. Turdas_

Wind tore through whipping manes. Harry and Rhavaniel were racing the clouds above. The sun was setting behind them. They had basically ridden the whole day through. Their horses were strong though. And they were planning on taking it fairly slow on their way back.

As they passed over a ridge, they could see Karthspire in the distance. They didn't have much further to go.

"I guess we can slow down," Rhavaniel said. "We don't want to pass by the path up to the cave." Tuiwon slowed. He knew what his master wanted. Midun simply followed his lead. She moved so she was walking next to the stallion.

The entrance to the cave was covered by a waterfall. It was late so they decided to settle down outside the cave. They would enter the next day.

…

 _8th of First Seed, 4E 207. Fredas_

 _Let this place be forgotten forever._

 _Let it be struck from the rolls of history._

 _Let it never be spoken of by man or mer._

 _Let its very name be lost to the ages._

 _Ye who enter here, know:_

 _This place was sealed at great price._

 _Honour those who perished here._

 _Turn back, and leave them to their rest._

"So should we care about this?" Harry asked.

Rhavaniel snorted. "Yeah, right," she said. She picked up a dragon claw and tossed it over to him. "You keep track of that," she said.

"Or I can use it on the door," Harry said. He looked down at the emerald clawed key. _'Snake, fish, bear,'_ he though before raising his gaze and moving the circlets around. He placed the claw in the lock and turned it. He rolled his eyes as one door after another opened. "Why?" he said. He turned to Rhavaniel. "Just why do they have more than one door when they all open with the same key at the same time?"

"Actually I think the door at the end of the hallway isn't opening," Rhavaniel said.

"Oh, really that's amazing," Harry said sarcastically. "You bet we have to use the ivory claw instead."

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes. "That's so mature," she said. She walked forward. There where motifs on the walls. They were old - maybe even older than the people buried down there. It made her wonder what had happened down there before the brothers' time.

Harry opened the second door so they could travel down into a great hall. "There are draugr in those coffins," he said. He stopped when he reached a sand coloured table. There were three pedestals set up. "So do we place the fragments here?" he asked.

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. "Sounds good," she said. She took her backpack off and searched around inside it. One by one she handed them to Harry. Once she'd found them all she stood up. They placed them down.

Three shades appeared, standing above them. One of the shades disappeared only to reappear behind them.

Harry pulled his sword. He walked down towards the lower part of the room. Draugr appeared around him and fell as soon as Rhavaniel got a lock on them. He slashed at the spirit of Mikrul. The shade attacked him and he stepped back before filling his palm with fire. He grabbed the man and held him in place. An arrow shot straight through his head. A purple cloud tore the spirit away.

Rhavaniel placed another arrow on her bowstring. There were two more brothers after all. She had fired the arrows almost before the next shade had fully appeared.

Harry threw an ice spear at one of the spirits as they reappeared. Sigdis rejoined his brothers sending Jyrik out instead. The raven ran forward as the last brother appeared. **_"Krii lun aus,"_** he shouted. Violet light hit the spirit. He collapsed to the ground as his life-force was drained from his body. An arrow finished him off.

Blue fire spread from the three brothers as their spirits passed on. A single man appeared in their stead. A wave of power pushed over them before the amulet fragments were joined back together. Rhavaniel walked up to it and grabbed it.

"That went well," Harry said. He met her halfway and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her soundly. "Can we take a trip by Lakeview Manor?" he asked.

Rhavaniel nodded. "Of course we can. I would love having another talk with an educated alchemist," she said.

"We might not meet Ra'shall back home though," Harry said. "It depends you know. He leads two illegal organisations after all."

"I can live with that," Rhavaniel said.

They stepped through the waterfall on their way out. "Should we stop and clean off?" Harry asked.

"Yes!" Rhavaniel exclaimed. She pulled her mage robes off and stepped in under the water again. It took Harry a little while to join her. He had to get out of his armour first. He placed his hands on her shoulders before he moved then so he could untie her plait for her. She turned around and pushed him up against the rough stone her hair falling out around her face wildly. She kissed him deeply. "Let's have some fun shall we," she whispered in his ear.

Harry smirked.

…

Snow was lying on the road. In the distance they could see Falkreath. The city's little hay covered houses were toped with white. Smoke rose from the chimneys. The sun had set already, but they were so close to Lakeview Manor that they didn't feel like stopping on the way. They were walking now. It didn't really matter how fast they got home.

Hand in hand.

Harry's eyes wandered over the evergreens. They reached the bandits' overlook. **_"Laas yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. Little red aura showed up. "That they never give up," he said calmly. "I don't know how many times **_monah_** has cleared this place out."

"I guess we're going to have to do it again," Rhavaniel said.

Harry nodded. He closed his eyes. "Do you think they would fear a dragon?" he asked.

A roar tore through the air.

Rhavaniel looked up. "Is that your doing?" she asked. She saw the raven nod, but he didn't answer.

The dragon descended. **_"Faas ru maar,"_** the beast roared. A red cloud hit the bandits.

Rhavaniel could hear them screaming in terror. She watched as the dragon landed. People were screaming as they ran in every direction.

The dragon disappeared. Harry opened his eyes. "That should do it," he said.

"I guess the Masters in Illusions was quite the experience," Rhavaniel said.

Harry chuckled. "I surprised Master Neloren. He was teaching me how to mess with people I didn't get why you can't just scare multiple people at once," he said. "He did say that everyone does Illusions differently."

"Harry."

"I kind of like that idea. It really makes sense you know."

"Harry!"

The raven turned around. "What is it?" he asked concerned.

"You're glowing," Rhavaniel said.

Harry looked down at his hands. She was right. He was glowing.

"It's coming from the Scroll," Rhavaniel said.

Harry nodded. "You let Katla and Ra'shall know. I don't want them worrying," he said. He leaned in and kissed her.

There was a small flash and then he was gone.

Rhavaniel placed a hand over her eyes. She breathed in. She didn't want to cry. She reached out and grabbed Midun's reins. She never had managed to teach Harry how to ride without those properly. "Come on dears," she said. She started walking again. She still wanted to get to Lakeview Manor before it got too late.

She turned up left as she reached Pinewatch. What was she going to say? She helped Midun out of her reins and saddle. She walked over to the front door and knocked.

It took a little while but eventually the door did open. Ra'shall was standing in the doorway. "Rhavaniel, come in," he said. He stepped aside and Rhavaniel walked in. "Where is Katla?" she asked.

"She's just upstairs," Ra'shall said.

"Could you call her down, please?" Rhavaniel asked. She walked into the dining room. She took a deep breath. The feline-man came back down with Katla. "Rhavaniel? Where is Harry?" she asked.

 _'_ _I might as well just say it,'_ the elf thought. "Harry is gone. He's been taken back to Tellus," she said.

Katla took a step back. _'He's gone?'_ She wrapped her arms around herself. She looked over at the Bosmer. "Thank you for telling us," she said. "You can stay if you'd like." She turned around and walked to the back of the house so she could go down to the smithy.

Ra'shall looked after her. He had his own grief to deal with. He knew that Harry would be fine, but he was gone. They would never see their cub again. He walked up to the elf and hugged her. He knew she was hurting too. "It will be O.K. … eventually," he said.

And it would be… alright that was. It would take time, but the knowledge that Harry was living on would be enough. They would never stop missing him. They would never forget him. Eventually they did talk about him. But it took time before they were ready to do that. Katla spent a lot of time locked up in her smithy. Ra'shall took his frustration out on jobs. Rhavaniel travelled down into several dungeons just to destroy everything.

She kept in contact with Ra'shall and Katla. The two were some of the more intelligent people in Skyrim. They would meet up every once in a while to talk – to share stories.

The Arch-Mage. The Listener and Master of the Thieves. And the Dragonborn as well as the wife of a Jarl. The three of them really were a force to be reckoned with.

 **~End of Book 2**

* * *

A/N: I'm going to take this moment to thank everyone for your wonderful reviews. I hope you will continue to enjoy the story as it continues on Earth.


	36. There is no place like Hogwarts - Book 3

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks. I'm simply an author who loves playing around in fictional worlds. I do not make money from this nor do I want to. I write these stories for myself and for others to brighten their day.

Warnings: Male/male relationship with sex. Male/female relationship non-explicit. Killing, gore, and some torture.

* * *

 **Book 3**

 **There is no place like Hogwarts**

 _20th of November, 1994. Sunday_

Dumbledore looked down. One of the little golden devices on his desk had just shut down. They monitored a number of different things. All very important. The one that had failed monitored the wards he had placed on the Dursley's household. Worry moved through him. Had something happened to young Mr Potter? He looked out towards the grounds. He would have to wait and see if the young teen was alright the next day. If he was, then a trip to number 4 Privet Drive would be in order.

…

The scent of lush grass filled his nostrils. The roars of dragons filled his ears. Harry breathed in slowly. _'Fuck.'_ His body felt like shit. He pushed himself up slowly. A hand travelled to his temple. His head was spinning, and he hadn't even opened his eyes yet.

 ** _"_** ** _So you have, daal, returned Dovahkiin."_**

Harry had to open his eyes. _'Oh, Kyne,'_ he thought. He was lying right next to a full-grown dragon. **_"It would seem so,"_** he said in dovahzul. He was used to dragons attacking him most of the time, but this one was so calm. He reached out and placed a hand against her side. Her silver-blue scales gleamed in the torchlight. In the distance Harry could hear human voices.

 ** _"_** ** _Zu'u fen jaaril hi - I will protect you,"_** the silver-blue dragon said. **_"They will not, koraav hi, see you."_**

 ** _"No_** ** _x hi - thank you,"_** Harry said. He really needed to wrap his head around what had happened. He'd been sent back; he knew that. He'd always known it would happen, but now that it had, he wanted to curse the gods. He'd never seen Katla and Ra'shall again. He wanted to rant and rave and be soooo… he sighed. It wouldn't lead to anything. He looked down at himself. He couldn't walk into Hogwarts the way he looked now. _'So should I figure out a way to blend in or…_ ' Since the dragons were there he guessed that it was still his fourth year. He guessed he could ask the dragon. **_"Excuse me ma'am,"_** he said.

The dragon tilted her head and looked down at him. **_"Geh, yes little one,"_** she said.

 ** _"_** ** _You were the one who sent me to Vus, to Nirn?"_** he asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Geh ahrk nid - yes and no. Kaan sent you,"_** she said.

 ** _"_** ** _Kaan sent me,"_** Harry said. That was quite something. Kyne had sent him. A goddess. **_"I came back to the same time I left in?"_** he asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Geh, little time has passed,"_** she said.

 ** _"_** ** _What is your name, regdovah, lady dragon?"_** he asked. Apart from Paarthurnax he hadn't had a pleasant conversation with one of the dov.

 ** _"_** ** _Suthiiz, little one,"_** she said.

 ** _"_** ** _Nox hi - thank you for helping me,"_** he said.

 ** _"_** ** _Hi los valokein - you're welcome,"_** Suthiiz said.

Harry smiled softly at her. So he really was back on Earth in his fourth year. Should he illusion his appearance? Should he just not give a fuck and… He couldn't really do that. People wouldn't let him do that. _'And I don't really want anyone to know what I have been through… at least not yet,'_ he thought.

 _'_ _So how do I hide the fact that I'm about five years older than an hour ago,'_ he wondered. He had to make people see a fourteen year-old version of himself. If he combined his magics, he should be able to do it. _'I should probably lock it to an item through,_ ' he thought. Or his mage robes. He didn't really feel like wearing school robes ever again. He wasn't a kid anymore. He took his backpack off and opened it up. He found a gold necklace with a diamond. Maybe that would be smarter. He could wear it all the time. The robes he would have to take off.

He moved closer to Suthiiz. He didn't want to be seen. He did have a bit of a problem since he didn't have an Arcane Enchanter. He drew the symbols he would need on the ground. Vordaas - disguise, goraaniik - younger, iliis - hide, ilos - conceal - were some of the words from dovahzul he decided to use.

He changed out of his armour and into his mage robes. He would have to make sure that no one else could get into his backpack. He bit his lip. He could probably stuff it under his bed under the invisibility cloak for just right now. He needed to recharge his enchanter's gems before he could enchant the backpack. He put the necklace on. He looked up at the Suthiiz. **_"Did I change?"_** he asked her.

 ** _"_** ** _You look smaller again,"_** she said. **_"There isn't much difference. Though, humans look very alike to me."_**

Harry smiled up at her. **_"I understand,"_** he said. **_"Pruzah vulon - good night. I will see you tomorrow."_** He turned invisible and walked out of the dragon pen. If he remembered correctly he had his invisibility cloak when he'd travelled with Hagrid to see the dragons. He had to find it. Thankfully he could simply use Clairvoyance to locate it. He walked through the forest and out on the other side. It had been five years since he'd last seen the castle. _'Well Hogwarts is still Hogwarts,_ ' he thought. The Blue Palace and the Palace of the Kings were small in comparison. Of course he had been the one that had travelled. Nothing had really happened around the castle.

He walked quickly across the grounds. He was tired. _'Now what the hell was the password into the common room?'_ he wondered. Maybe his spells worked on portraits? He at least had no problems remembering how to get up there. He was too tried to care about the things he passed by. He placed a hand against the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was asleep. He sent a wave of magic towards her hoping that it would work.

"Excuse me my lady," he said. "Excuse me."

She woke up for a moment and muttered something before the portrait opened up. "This is such a good security system," he muttered. He wasn't even sure his magic had anything to do with her letting him inside. He walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. He pushed his backpack in under the only empty bed. Then he walked over to the bathroom. _'That's pretty good,'_ he thought as he looked himself in the mirror. He looked kind of like he'd done back when he'd last been on Earth. He fine tuned the appearance some. He wanted it to look perfectly believable.

 _'_ _I guess that is as good as it's gonna get,'_ he thought. He walked out of the bathroom and looked over at the deep crimson hangings around his – _'Magnus that feels weird,'_ he thought – his four-poster bed. He walked over to it and pulled his robes off before sitting down. The bed was soft, too soft. He guessed he'd get used to it. He lay down. His mind was still reeling. He was tired, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to fall asleep.

It had been so long. He had to somehow get back to old routines. Things he'd found important back then felt so insignificant. He would have to change things, but he didn't want people to realise what was going on. Ra'shall had taught him better. He could shift things. The tournament was the perfect alibi. It would have forced him to grow up, something he'd already done. When he'd started out in the tournament he had been three to four years younger than everyone else. Now he was one or two years older than the others.

He slipped into his mindscape. He needed to remind himself of the life he had lived before Nirn.

…

The following morning Harry was up early. He ran around the lake before getting back in and showering. He pulled his robes on and made sure that they looked like parts of his school robes. _'What am I going to do now?'_ he wondered. Wizarding magic wasn't really something he was interested in. Well he guessed the theory could be useful. Either way that left him with… Herbology, History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy. He didn't really care about Potions. He guessed he couldn't just skip DADA. People would never accept that. He knew he would have to take all subjects, and he would do his best, until after his fifth year. The magic part would be tricky. He was pretty sure that he could manage though. He'd have to try to copy someone. If he could make illusions that were believable, then he could deal with magic. His biggest problem now was that he had not kept his wand.

He left the Great Hall and walked up towards the library. He had some brushing up to do. By the time most people at Hogwarts woke up, he was sitting surrounded by books and notes. He'd gotten pretty fast at reading over the years. He was taking notes in accordance to a pattern he'd developed. No one else would be able to read them though since they were all in dovahzul. It was a precaution he'd taken to keep his research safe back at the College.

Green eyes moved towards the door as a gaggle of giggling girls entered the library. Viktor Krum's fan club. _'Poor guy,'_ Harry thought. He wouldn't get anything more done right then. He packed up and walked out. He was going to do something he hadn't had the chance to do in five years. He was going to fly. He managed to get back into the common room after some first-years. He knew the password now at least. He made his way up to his dorm and back down again with his Firebolt.

"Harry!"

He turned around. "Good morning Hermione," he said.

"Are you going out flying? There is no Quidditch this year," the bushy-haired girl said.

Harry smiled at her. "I just want to fly," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"What did Hagrid want last night?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, yeah, why don't you walk with me and I'll tell you," Harry said. It felt so weird to act all friendly with her. Now don't take him wrong Hermione was a nice girl. It was just that it had been five years for him. She was so much younger than he was now and so inexperienced. She was cute. She had potential as well. He'd give her a chance. Ronald was just a waste of time though. He was not going down that road for any reason.

They made it out of the castle.

"O.K. so tell me what happened," Hermione said.

"Yeah, so I met up with Hagrid. He seemed to be on a date with Madame Maxime which was awkward. It wasn't why I was there though. They have dragons just past the forest edge. Four of them one for each contestant," Harry told her.

"Dragons!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yeah, don't worry about it though. I mean we can spend the afternoon reading up on them, but I've been in the library all morning. Krum and his fan girls showed up so I decided to leave," Harry said.

"You have…" Hermione fell silent. She was about to be really rude.

"Yes Hermione I went to the library willingly," Harry said with a smile. "I… I guess seeing the dragons sort of brought it home for me just how dangerous this tournament is. I don't want to die. So I got up early and I went to the library. My biggest problem is that dragons are basically immune to all magic. Alone with just my wand I don't really stand a chance. Omph!"

"Oh, I'm so proud of you," Hermione exclaimed.

"Yeah, thanks I guess," Harry said awkwardly. And he really felt ill at ease. "I need to think so flying seemed like a good idea. If you want to do something else, I'll see you at later. I guess sitting around watching me fly isn't the most fun thing to do," he said.

Hermione smiled at him. "I'm going to go see what I can find to help you. It never hurts to have a second set of eyes," she said.

"Thank you. You are amazing," Harry said. "I'm sorry if I've been acting shity to you these past few weeks. Ron was a moron and then all the pressure from everyone else. No one but you really believing me."

Hermione smiled at her friend. "It's O.K." she said. "But thank you." She felt really happy. "I'll see you later."

"See you later," Harry said. He continued on to the Quidditch field and mounted his broom. He stomped off from the ground. _'Kyne I have missed this,'_ he thought as he soared up. The wind tore through his hair. He laughed happily. He might look like he'd done when he was fourteen he did not weigh the same nor was he built the same. He was going to have to relearn how to fly. He turned and circled the goalposts. He speeded down towards the ground, pulling up just before he touched the grass. He flew up as high as he could manage. His fingers would have been freezing if he wasn't capable of monitoring his own body heat thanks to his destruction magic. He dived and touched the grass. He tumbled around. He was so happy. He headed back up and spun so he was hanging from the broom by his knees. He felt so free. Laughter bubbled up his throat.

He flew around until way past midday before heading in to the Great Hall for lunch. He pulled his notes up and placed them in order. Most of it was class related. He didn't really have to research dragons, but he'd humour Hermione later. He had to find a way to deal with the task that didn't rely on him being Dovahkiin though. _'This is just so surreal,'_ he thought. He had to somehow get back into the flow of living at Hogwarts. He would get so fucking bored. _'I'll have to deal with that later,'_ he thought.

Hermione was sitting surrounded by books. She looked up at Harry as he walked in. The raven sat down. "I have been trying to find information on how to deal with dragons but …" she raised her arms into the air in exasperation, "the only thing I can find is how to treat them. You were right their hides are infused with magic that is almost impossible to get though," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "Let's look into fireproofing spells and start there. Dragons breathe fire so being able to protect against that would be good," he said.

Hermione smiled. "That sounds like a good idea," she said. "Will you help me put these back? They are not helping at all."

Harry nodded. He stood up and picked up a pile of books.

"I guess you can ask Sirius on Tuesday," Hermione said quietly.

Harry nodded. He hoped that he had a letter or something that would give him more information. He couldn't very well ask her. She would think he was crazy. He placed one book after another back on the old shelves before returning to the table and picking a new pile up. When he returned the next time Hermione had sat down with a couple of books. He picked one of them up and leaned back. He realised that he couldn't write down notes in dovahzul with Hermione there. He did take notes though.

The way he took notes might become a problem. He had developed the system over several years. But on Earth he'd never been very good at it. He guessed he could blame being unfocused before. He could act like he just hadn't been trying, which was partly true. It was as good as it was going to get. He wasn't going to act all dumb. He still had to study really hard to get better at wizarding magic. He just happened to know some better methods now. So he wouldn't come across like some genius at least.

"So how do you want to do this?" Hermione asked.

"When you find a spell that could help write it down together with what it does, which book it is from and the page number. We'll go through them after dinner and build a plan from there," Harry said.

"Should I write down the difficulty level too?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Harry said. "Seven-year spells might be a little difficult to learn."

Hermione smiled. It was so nice that Harry was finally starting to take notice of important things. If he continued, she might actually have a friend she could hold intelligent conversations with. Harry had never been dumb. She had found it so sad that he wasn't trying. The dragons had done some good even if they were terrifying.

They continued searching through books until dinner time. As they headed down to the Great Hall, they passed a group of people wearing Potter stinks badges. Harry just shook his head. He was not going to even care.

"They are so…"

"Not worth it," Harry said.

Hermione looked up at him. "Harry?" Her brown eyes filled with wonder.

Harry chuckled and shrugged. "They aren't. I can't live my life after what other people think. I don't mind them supporting Cedric. He is supposed to be in this stupid tournament. I'm not," he said. He realised he should probably tone it down or she would realise something was strange. He couldn't grow five years in a day.

They sat down by the Gryffindor table.

Harry filled his plate with various quite healthy items something that wasn't that usual either. _'Kyne, I'm going to have to come up with explanations for everything,'_ he thought. Thankfully Hermione didn't comment on his choice of food. He couldn't eat the way he had though. He'd been taught better.

After dinner they headed up to the common room and sat down together so they could go over their notes. A lot of the spells were too difficult for the raven. They did find some things that he could use though. In the end they focused more on homework than the fireproofing spells.

…

Harry said goodnight to Hermione before heading upstairs. He knelled down next to his trunk and dug through it until he found his letters from Sirius.

He read though them. Sirius was going to find some way of talking to him at one o'clock in the morning on the twenty-second. That was good to know. He grabbed his backpack from under the bed and dumped it on the covers. He got ready for bed and sat down before closing the drapes around the four-poster bed. He was going to enchant the pack so no one could get into it but him.

He could hear as Ronald started snoring. _'There really is no place like Hogwarts,'_ he thought.


	37. Tinvaak with Dragons and a Marauder

**Tinvaak with Dragons and a Marauder**

 _21st of November, 1994. Monday_

Maardaan looked down at the little mun. He held a lot of power in that small body. He'd snuck into their enclosure at some point before feeding time. At first she'd been ready to turn him into a crisp. She was irritable because she did not like this cold place. She hadn't though. Suthiiz had stopped her. The Short-Snout had vouched for him. He was something different. Not including the fact that he could speak in more than the silly bird's twitter that most mun used. He spoke like a proper dovah. It was a word that had filled her with pride. Dov, it had been lost to them for so long.

 ** _"_** ** _What do they want with us in this staad, this place?"_** Neltoor asked.

Harry looked up at her. **_"Zu'u dreh ni mindok - I don't know_** ," he said. **_"And no one will tell me. All I know is that each of you are going to face a mun, a human. One of them is me. I don't actually know what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to get past you somehow I think."_** He stood up and walked up to the Fireball. **_"We're, kiir, children. Will you please try not to hurt us too badly?"_** He turned to the rest. **_"I won't be able to use my Thu'um to battle with you properly."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Thu'um young one?"_** Maardaan said.

Harry looked up at her. _'They don't know?'_ He breathed in. The keepers outside wouldn't notice. **_"Feim zii gron,"_** he shouted. He shimmered and became ethereal. **_"This is a Thu'um,"_** he said. **_"It is, lu, magic preformed by dovah."_**

 ** _"_** ** _When you breathe, yol, fire or, izz, ice, it is, dovahlu, dragon magic,"_** he said. **_"I guess you just can't hear it."_**

Suthiiz nodded slowly. **_"Kaan told me there was a change coming and a Dovahkiin was going to lead the way,"_** she said. **_"He will help us see ways of old."_**

 ** _"_** ** _If we forgot it maybe it was meant to stay forgotten,"_** Sovenvild said finally joining the conversation. Her green scales were glowing softly.

 ** _"_** ** _I'm not even sure I can teach you how to use Thu'um,"_** Harry said. He looked out through the fence of the enclosure. One of the handlers was coming their way. He could clearly see her indigo-coloured hair past Maardaan. He moved up closer to Suthiiz and turned invisible. She didn't get all that close to them though. **_"I should probably get back to the castle,"_** Harry said as he reappeared. **_"I will come back to see you again especially if I find anything else out in concerns to you. Pruzah vulon - goodnight."_** He walked out of the dragon pen and headed back up to the castle. He had to get back so he could talk to Sirius.

…

 _22nd of November, 1994. Tuesday_

Harry was sitting in the common room. It was past midnight. He had finished an essay for Potions on plants used in memory potions. He was pretty sure Snape had given that to them just because he could. He packed it away and pulled his notes out. He shifted through them and found the ones concerning Potions.

"Harry!"

The raven looked up. _'Where?'_ he wondered. He lowered his notes. His godfathers head was hovering in the fireplace. _'O.K. that's weird,'_ he thought. "Hello Sirius," he said. He moved down closer to the fireplace. The Marauder looked better than Harry's somewhat faded memory of him could recall. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Never mind me," Sirius said. "How are you doing?" He was a bit surprised. Harry seemed so calm. With everything that was going on he'd expected the teen to be a little more ruffled.

Harry shrugged. "I'm O.K. you know apart from the dragon that I have to get past in the first task of this stupid tournament," he said. "I can deal with Skeeter's stupid article and people being idiots I guess. You know I decided not to care about all the unimportant stupid shit. Ronald being a jerk. People just being on my case. Surviving this tournament is way more important." Harry sighed. "I have to figure out how to deal with the dragon."

"Yeah, a dragon we can deal with," Sirius said. "There is something else I want to talk to you about. We'll return to the dragons in a moment."

"What is it?" Harry asked. The man seemed worried about something.

"Karkaroff, he was a Death Eater. You know what the Death Eaters are, don't you?" Sirius said.

Harry closed his eyes. "With everything that has been going on," he said shaking his head. "I have heard about them but…"

"Oh, alright," Sirius said. "They were Voldemort's followers. They did a lot of horrible shit back during the war. Either way Karkaroff got caught. He was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year – to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff last time around - put him in Azkaban."

Harry rubbed his forehead. "That's just great," he said. "How did he get out if he was one of Voldemort's followers?"

"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic," Sirius said bitterly. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names … he put a load of other people in Azkaban in his place. He's not very popular in there. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."

"I promise I'll be careful. I assume you think that Karkaroff might have put my name in the Goblet?" Harry said.

Sirius nodded. "It is very plausible," he said.

They kept talking for an hour or so. Sirius had opinions about all kind of things. One of which was that the attack on Moody before the start of the school year had been real. Harry wasn't sure what to say about that. The haggard man had been about to tell him how to deal with his dragon when Harry had heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "You better go," he told Sirius. "I can hear someone coming." He stood up and walked over to his bag.

It was Ronald. "Who were you talking to?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't see how that is any of your business," he said. He walked past the redhead and headed up the stairs to their dormitory. He really needed some sleep.

As he lay down beneath the crimson bedspreads, he placed his hands over his face. Katla. Ra'shall. Rhavaniel. Kyne he missed them. He slipped into his mindscape. He wouldn't make them appear in there. It would just be harmful to himself. All he would get was a sliver of who they were.

* * *

The next morning Dumbledore sat down by his desk with a sigh. The Dursleys were fine, but the wards were gone. He would have to figure something out in regards to that. How had the wards just fallen? He didn't understand. It shouldn't have happened. Young Harry had to stay safe. He looked down at the papers on his desk. He had so many other things he had to do. With everything concerning the tournament going on, he couldn't spare time right now.

…

While Dumbledore was trying to catch up on his paper work, Harry looked down at his mage robes. He really needed more clothes. He also needed to figure out some way for cleaning his clothes. First things first though. He had to get more clothes. There had to be somewhere down in Hogsmeade that sold robes. _'I can't just walk down there as Harry Potter though,'_ he thought. He shook his head. He'd have to figure something out.

He made his way down to the Great Hall. It was early still so there weren't all that many people around. He had History first thing that morning. He was going to try this time. If he came to the conclusion that Binns was impossible, then he would self study. He was not going to waste his time anymore. His gaze travelled over to the Hufflepuff table. Cedric didn't know about the dragons. _'Should I tell him?'_ he wondered. Cedric was the real champion. _'Why the hell not?'_ he thought.

He stood up from the table and walked after the brown-haired teen as the boy left the Hall. He caught up to him. "Excuse me Cedric could I have a word?" he asked.

"Piss off Potter."

"Are you going to start…"

Cedric raised a hand and stopped his friends from continuing. "Sure," he said with a shrug.

"It's about the first task," Harry said. He gave the others a pointed look. "They've got four dragons just past the treeline of the forest. I'm guessing its one for each champion. I don't know what they want us to do with them though."

Cedric looked panicked for a moment before his gaze went suspicious. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"You're the real Hogwarts champion," Harry said. "I'm going to compete because I have to. I don't actually care about winning."

"Yeah, right."

Harry turned to the guy. "Do you realise just how childish you sound right now?" he asked. "This and spewing Skeeters article back at me. I didn't want to be involved in this bullshit to begin with. I am famous already. I have enough money to make it just fine. You know dead parents and all."

Cedric swallowed thickly. "I…" he fell silent. _'Really it isn't like it will hurt me to believe him,'_ he thought. _'If he's lying to me then I know enough to handle myself, and if he isn't then he did help me.'_ He looked back at the raven. "Thanks Potter," he said.

Harry smiled at him. "You're welcome," he said. He backed off a few steps. "Have a nice day." He headed out of the Great Hall, made his way up the Grand Staircase and headed down the corridor to the History classroom. He walked in and sat down, pulling his copy of _A History of Magic_ up. He started reading. He didn't place the book down until Binns started talking and about halfway through class he raised the book again. The ghost was so boring. He just couldn't learn from that man. Thankfully Hermione was too occupied with her own work to notice his notes which he was writing in dovahzul again.

"You didn't fall asleep this time," Hermione said.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I guess," he said.

"So what did Snuffles say?" the brunette asked.

"He warned me about Karkaroff. Apparently the man was a Death Eater," Harry said. "He told me that there is an easy spell to deal with dragons, but Ronald made ruckus in the stairs so he had to leave before he could tell me what the spell was."

"That's not good. I haven't found anything like that in the books," Hermione said.

They made their way down to Transfiguration. "I'll look into it this afternoon while you have Ancient Runes," Harry said.

"O.K."

They sat down for class. Harry looked up to the front of the classroom. This was going to be interesting. He had to somehow illusion what they had to do now. He needed training with it though because that was how he was going to deal with wizarding magic from now on.

He managed. It wasn't easy but he managed before the end of the lesson, and he'd made it believable enough to fool McGonagall.

…

"See you later," Harry told Hermione before she headed off to Ancient Runes. He didn't go to the library though. He had figured out how to deal with his Hogsmeade dilemma. He made his way up to the Gryffindor tower. He couldn't just walk out looking like Harry Potter, but he had changed enough that most people wouldn't recognise him if he just walked out looking like him and not the illusioned-fourteen year-old. He didn't want to meet anyone that might see through that though. But he could change his hair and eye colour. He stopped in front of the mirror in their bathroom. The glamour necklace came off and he looked at his true appearance. He was glad that the glasses were a part of the illusion.

He closed his eyes. He was going to do something he was familiar with. He had toyed with the idea before but never done it. His breathing slowed as he concentrated. When he opened his eyes again they were amber not bright green. His hair had lightened to brow. Colourwise he now looked like Katla's son. "Kato," he whispered. It was a name that Katla had once told him she would have liked to use for a son – before she had realised she would never have children of her own. He would use it now though. He'd figure a last name out later.

He put the necklace back on so he looked like a fourteen-year-old Harry Potter once again. He would sneak through one of the hidden tunnels out to Hogsmeade. He didn't bother with the cloak.

"Potter now where might you be heading?"

Harry turned around. It was Professor Moody. "Professor," he said politely.

"Come with me Potter," the grey haired man said.

Harry raised an eyebrow, but he followed the man over to his office.

"You are a decent kid Potter," Moody said as he sat down next to his desk. "Sit down."

Harry sat and looked around the office. It was filled with a number of strange objects. Some emitted a power field others seemed to be just regular objects, but something told him that the magic in those objects had to be activated for them to work.

"Like my Dark detectors, do you?" Moody asked.

Harry nodded. "They are interesting," he said. "But I doubt you asked me in here to talk about those, sir."

"True, true you are a sharp one." He leaned back. "So you found out about the dragons, did you?"

"I did," Harry said. "People keep telling me not to wander around but," he shrugged, "I can't help it. They… they are pretty terrifying."

"Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been."

"That makes sense," Harry said. "I figured that since I'm so far behind I could use some extra information."

"But you told Diggory."

"Sure, he's representing Hogwarts as well. Why not give him a bit of a head start too."

"And that's why you're a decent kid, laddie" Moody said. "So… got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?"

"Not really," Harry said.

"Well, I'm not going to tell you. I don't show favouritism, me. I'm just going to give you some good general advice. And the first bit is – play to your strengths."

 _'_ _I'd love to do that – but I can't because people will go nuts, and I don't want them to know,'_ Harry thought. He leaned back. _'O.K. what are strengths he would have seen or heard of that could help me get past.'_ He looked up at Moody. "I could fly," he said. "All I need is a way to get a hold of my broom." He stood up. "Thank you," he said. "Is there something else you need Professor?"

Moody waved him out. "Go get yourself prepared," he said.

Harry walked out of the office and continued on his way. He reached the one-eyed witch and pulled the Marauders' map out. He opened it up and activated it. _'Ah, that's it,'_ he thought. "Dissendium," he said as placed hand on the witch's hump. It opened up, and he stepped through. He pulled the necklace off and started walking. The tunnel seemed shorter now. He guessed it had more to do with him being used to walking long distances than the tunnel shortening though.

He reached the stairs and headed up. He slipped out of Honeydukes using Illusions. He disappeared between buildings and became visible. It was so long since he'd been in town that it took him a little while to find Gladrags Wizardwear. He was so glad that he always had some money with him to Hogwarts. He walked inside. He looked around as he walked further in.

"Welcome to Gladrags my name is Marybeth. Can I help you with something?" a honey-blond haired woman said.

Harry turned to her with a smile. "I'm … actually what I would really want is copies of the robes I'm wearing is that possible?" he asked.

"Is this the only set you have young man?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Unfortunately, I lost my luggage and all my clothes…" he said.

"Oh, that is horrible," Marybeth said. "Of course I can help you. We'll have to find something else for you to wear in the meantime though." She walked off and came back with a floor long front open robe. "Could you change to this?" she asked. She pointed to a change booth. "You can go in there."

"Thank you," Harry said. He walked in and pulled his robes off he placed them in a pile and wrapped himself up in the robe the woman had handed him. He picked the robes up and walked outside. "Here," he said and held them out. "How much will this cost?" he asked.

"Oh, that depends on how many sets you want," Marybeth said. "It should be about two Galleons seven Sickles a set."

Harry nodded. He opened his pouch up and looked into it. He could buy five sets or so. Five sounded good. He let Marybeth know and she smiled at him. He watched her get to work. She was amazing. She basically copied the way his robes were made and then she asked his about colours before she just cut the pieces out. They were sewed together quickly and he was standing there with five sets of College type mage robes. He paid for them and chatted a bit with Marybeth before leaving the store. He walked over to the bookstore and checked it out. He found a couple of books that he really wanted. He couldn't afford all of them right then and there though. He did pick up a book on Modern Magical History just for fun.

…

Before dinner Harry and Hermione sat together. He was trying to figure out how to long-range fake a summoning charm. He could do it short range. As far as Hermione was concerned he was doing fine. It was just that he was using telekinesis not an Accio. Telekinesis was not going to work long-range. He might be able to figure out a Thu'um though. _'And I'll place the broom closer than the darn tower,'_ he thought.

"Do you really think this will work?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think so," he said. "I'm going to go out and make sure I have a good hold of things, but I'm good on the broom so it should be alright."

Hermione smiled. "O.K. I'm going to do some Ancient Runes homework that we got earlier," she said. "Don't be out for too long."

"I won't I promise," Harry said. He headed out with his Firebolt. He flew out over the forest and dived down amongst the trees. He placed his broom down and then he started running. Eventually he stopped. **_"Siiv vuuk orofaal,"_** he whispered as he concentrated on his broom. He smirked as he heard it come flying through the air. **_"Geh!"_** he exclaimed. He caught the broom. Now he just had to cast a fake Accio at the same time as he summoned the broom with his Thu'um – while he prayed to Kyne that no one would realised what was going on. He had made his own Thu'um. Paarthurnax had told him he could do it, but he'd never tried before. Siiv - find, vuuk - item, orofaal - regain. He wasn't sure it would work with items that he didn't own. But if he wanted to take something from someone when he was facing them he could just use Telekinesis.

He tried a few more times before he travelled over to the dragon pen again. Amazingly the massive mother dragons there didn't mind him getting close to their eggs. He guessed it had something to do with his dragon soul and him understanding them. He let them know that he wouldn't be able to talk to them during the tournament. He also told them how he would be dealing with things. All of the winged ladies seemed to agree with his choice of method. It wouldn't hurt any of them. **_"I will see you again soon,"_** Harry said before leaving.


	38. Maardaan

**Maardaan**

 _24th of November, 1994. Thursday_

It was early on the day of the First Task. Harry was sitting by the lake meditating. He was calm. He had his morning lessons and then lunch and then the task. He'd be alright. He wasn't really worried. The dragons wouldn't hurt him - strangely enough. The dragons on Earth were very different from the ones on Nirn. He'd taken a run through the forest earlier. He'd skipped his glamour necklace when he did that. If he was stopped by anything in there, he preferred being himself.

He'd showered and gotten dressed. He should be heading over to the Great Hall for breakfast soon. There was a light breeze blowing in over the Black Lake. Harry ran and hand through his hair. He really missed Katla right then. _'I wish you were here monah,'_ he thought. He stood up slowly. The best way to deal with the longing was to surround himself with people. It would keep his mind busy.

"Good morning Neville," he said as he sat down next to the shy brunet.

Neville looked over at him. "Good morning Harry," he said somewhat shocked. He looked down at his plate. "Are you O.K.? The first task is today, isn't it?" he said.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it is," he said. "It's kind of nerve-racking, but I figure that I've been though worse before." He looked out over the table and located the fruits. He picked an orange up. "Good morning Hermione," he said.

The brunette looked up from her book. "Good morning," she said. She sat down and disappeared back into the book.

Harry shook his head. It was amazing that she got enough to eat. Her nose was almost always stuck in a book. Adorable, Katla might have called her. He shook his head. They would be heading off to Transfiguration soon enough.

Transfiguration

History of Magic

Herbology

…

"I know it is like a non-magical sunflower, but it's poisonous if you eat too much of it," Neville said. "The flowers are beautiful though, and they are really easy to care for."

"You need to wear gloves with them though don't you?" Harry said.

Neville nodded. "At least if you are sensitive," he said. "They can give you rashes." He was really happy. He didn't know why Harry had suddenly started being interested in plants but it was great. The raven was so into it. And it wasn't like Hermione that would spout facts at you. He was actually interested in taking care of plants and really learning about them.

They had sat down and filled their plates with food. They ate in relative silence. They didn't talk, but everyone else couldn't seem to shut up. People were exited.

Eventually Harry could see Professor McGonagall walking down along the table. "Potter, the champions have to come down into the grounds now…" she said when she reached them. "You have to get ready for your first task."

"Oh. O.K." Harry said and stood up.

"Good luck Harry," Hermione said.

"Yeah, good luck," Neville said.

"Thanks guys," Harry said. "I'll see you after." He followed his Head of House out of the Hall. He realised that everyone around him that actually cared about him seemed more anxious about what was going to happen than he was.

Even McGonagall seemed tense. She stopped halfway down the stone steps leading up to the castle and placed a hand on the raven's shoulder. "Now don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head. We've got wizards on hand to control the situation if it gets out of hand … The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any less of you. Are you alright?"

"I'm alright all things considered," Harry said. They had started walking again and she was leading him towards the dragon pen. When they rounded the trees covering the dragons, Harry raised an eyebrow. The dragons were hidden from view by a big tent; its opening facing them.

"You're to go in here with the other champions," McGonagall said in a somewhat shaky voice. "Mr Bagman is in there… he'll be telling you the – the procedure. Good luck."

"Thank you Professor," Harry said. He saw her walk away out of the corner of his eye as he walked into the tent. He looked around. The other champions didn't seem all that calm. Funnily enough he was the calmest one there. He smiled at Cedric as the teen looked up at him.

"Harry! Good-oh!" Bagman said happily. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"

The man looked ridiculous. He was wearing a black and yellow set of Quidditch robes that were way too small for him. Harry faintly remembered him wearing the same robes way back during the Quidditch World Cup. They had been hideous back then too.

"Well, now we're all here – time to fill you in!" Bagman said brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag," he held up a small sack made of purple silk, and shook it, "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different, er, varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too… ah, yes… your task is to collect the golden egg!"

Harry did his best not to roll his eyes. Everyone there knew that they would face dragons. One dragon wasn't that different from another – at least not as far as everyone else was concerned. He knew the difference. He hummed softly and walked over to a corner of the tent before sitting down. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He breathed in slowly. He was calm - collected. He barely registered the hundreds upon hundreds of feet that passed by the tent. He had entered his own safe bubble.

Then everyone else inside the tent changed their pattern. Green eyes opened. Bagman had opened the silk pouch and Delacour had reached down into it. She pulled up a miniature Sovenvild, the Welsh Green. It had the number two hanging around its neck.

As Harry stood up, the pouch was held out to Krum. He pulled out a miniature Chinese Fireball with a three.

 _'_ _Neltoor,'_ Harry thought. He joined the other champions as the pouch was held out to Cedric. The brunet reached into it with shaking fingers. He pulled out a perfect model of Suthiiz the Swedish Short-Snout. It had the number one around its neck.

Harry knew which dragon was left. It didn't actually matter to him. He reached in and pulled out a miniature Maardaan. He'd gotten the Hungarian Horntail. He would be going last.

"Well, there you are!" Bagman said. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment because I'm commentating. Mr Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now Harry … could I have a quick word outside?"

Harry looked up at the man. "Sure," he said. He didn't quite understand why the man wanted to talk to him. He followed the man outside.

"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?" Bagman asked.

"No I'm fine." Harry said. "You'll see me out there." He turned back and walked into the tent before the man could say anything else. He walked up to Cedric. "Breath in breath out and centre yourself," he said. "You'll be fine."

The brunet looked at him disbelievingly. Then the whistle sounded. He turned green as he walked out of the tent.

Harry walked over and sat down by the others. He closed his eyes again.

Bagman introduced the brunet.

 ** _"_** ** _Vuth. Stay back, malsemun, little human,"_** Suthiiz roared. **_"You will not touch my klurre, my eggs."_**

"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow," Bagman commentated.

 ** _"_** ** _Ofaal zek - get back,"_** Suthiiz said.

"He's taking risks, this one!"

There was a massive roar.

 ** _"_** ** _Yol toor shul."_**

"Clever move – pity it didn't work!"

Harry really hoped that the dragons had listened to him. He sat there listening to Bagman and Suthiiz. Then finally the crowd cheered. Cedric had done it.

It wasn't much longer before Miss Delacour was heading out. She was shaking from head to toe.

Sovenvild reacted much like Suthiiz had. She roared at the little French girl. Told her to stay away from her eggs. Bagman's commentary was very strange when you couldn't see what was going on.

 ** _"_** ** _Ag malsemiil - burn little woman,"_** Sovenvild roared.

 _'_ _Oh, Kyne please say that she made it out of that alright,'_ Harry thought. He looked up at Krum as the grumpy teen moved out of the tent. He listened intently until a roar so great it shook through him tore through the air.

"That's some nerve he's showing, and … yes, he's got the egg!"

 ** _"_** ** _Niiiiid! Hi krastov pusojur - you vile bug! I will, vaaz, tear you apart! Vir krilon hi - how dare you?!"_**

 _'_ _Oh, no,'_ Harry thought. _'What did Krum do?'_ He stood up. It would be his turn next. He walked out the same path the other champions had walked before him. He headed to the enclosure. Maardaan was standing on the other side. She didn't seem happy. Harry could understand her. Neltoor had lost eggs. He could still hear her.

He breathed in slowly. He needed to focus his Illusions. **_"Siiv vuuk orofaal,"_** he whispered.

 ** _"_** ** _You will not touch my leret, my nest,"_** Maardaan roared. She blew fire at the human. He rolled out of its way. She wasn't really trying to hurt him. He'd promised not to harm their eggs.

Harry turned as his broom arrived. He grabbed the handle and jumped on. He flew up above the crowd. Wind blew through his hair. He was feeling free. He turned around midair and shoot straight down towards the Horntail. **_"Just give me a chance to get the egg that isn't yours,"_** he whispered. He knew Maardaan had better hearing than any human around.

 ** _"_** ** _You'll have to, genun zey, show me you're worth it,"_** Maardaan roared.

Harry turned and flew around her. He didn't care about anything else. In a way he felt like a little dragon showing off to his mother. The thought made him laugh. He flew around her avoiding her fire breath. He'd caught sight of the golden egg several times. He knew he had to get it. He corkscrewed down and pulled away from the nest. Right now they were just putting on a good show. And then he miscalculated. "Fuck," he hissed as he was hit with one of the long sharp spikes attached to her tail. He pulled up. She took off after him and he dived back down fast. He speeded in over the nest full of eggs and grabbed the golden one. He pulled back up and stopped above the stands. He sighed. He'd gotten hurt. _'Oh, well,'_ he thought.

"Look at that!" Bagman yelled. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr Potter!"

Harry rolled his eyes. He watched as the dragon-keepers ran forward to subdue the Horntail which was really unnecessary. Maardaan wouldn't hurt him. As he looked around the enclosure, he noticed Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody and Hagrid hurrying out to meet him. They were waving to him to come and join them. He flew over to them slowly and landed next to Hagrid.

"That was excellent, Potter!" Professor McGonagall said.

"Thank you Professor," Harry said. "I need to go see Madam Pomfrey. The Horntail hit me."

"Ah, of course it is right through there. Get yourself looked at, at once," the stern woman said.

"Yeh did it, Harry!" Hagrid said hoarsely. "Yeh did it against the Horntail."

"Yeah, I know it went pretty well," Harry said with a wink to Moody. He walked over to the medical tent slowly. He could have healed himself, but that might come across as strange. Hermione would have seen it happen and bug him about it at the very least.

Madam Pomfrey did not look happy. She was standing at the mouth of the tent. "Dragons!" she said in a disgusted tone. She pulled Harry with her inside. He scanned the tent. It was split into cubicles. He could see Cedric silhouette past the canvas. He seemed alright; he was sitting up at least.

He pulled his shirt off so Madam Pomfrey could take a look at his back. She shook her head. "Last year there were Dementors, and this year they have dragons. What are they going to bring into this school next? You are very lucky it didn't hit anything vital. It will need some thorough cleaning before I can heal it up. Stand still," she said. Harry rolled his shoulder and then he relaxed. She poured some kind of liquid into the wound and it stung. Then there was a soothing feeling and the wound was healed. "Now, just sit quietly for a minute, sit! And then you can go get your score," Pomfrey said. She bustled out of his section and walked over to Cedric. "How does it feel now, Diggory?" she asked.

Harry tuned her out. It wasn't his business. He placed a hand over the healed wound so he could sense if it was healed perfectly. It wasn't that he didn't trust Madam Pomfrey to heal him, he was just more used to doing it himself. He reached out and pulled his robe back on. He liked how College type mage robes worked. They fell down to his ankles in the front and back but they were cut to the sides so there were no problems moving around.

"Harry!"

Suddenly the raven had an armful of bushy-haired brunette. "You were brilliant," she said. She could understand now how he'd been so calm. He had done great. "That was just amazing."

Harry looked down at her with a smile. "Thank you Hermione," he said. He hugged her back. "You helped a lot."

She stepped back from him and looked over her shoulder. Ronald was standing there. "Harry," he said very seriously. "Whoever put your name in that Goblet… I reckon they're trying to do you in."

Harry tilted his head to the side. Frankly he didn't care about the redhead. He guessed the guy didn't have to run around thinking that he hated him. He shrugged. "That has occurred to us a couple of times I guess," he said.

"I'm sorry," Ron said. "I was an idiot."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, you were," he said. "Everyone does stupid things sometimes. But you know… You should have known me better than to think that I wanted to be in this tournament." He looked over at Hermione. "I guess I should go out there and hear what they have to say," he said.

The brunette nodded. She looked over at Ron as Harry walked out. "He has forgiven you," she said. "I guess he just wants you to realise that you have to think before you act next time."

Ron nodded and sighed. "I really messed up this time," he said. He walked with Hermione after the raven. They stopped before they entered the enclosure. They could hear just fine from where they stood.

Hermione did her best not to listen to Ron's commentary as Harry was given his scores. It looked really good. It didn't even matter that Karkaroff only gave him a four. He was tied for first place with Krum. She raised an eyebrow as she watched Charlie Weasley come running over to the raven. She couldn't hear what they said to each other, she was too far away. Harry seemed to be heading back into the champions' tent after he'd spoken to the oranget though. _'I guess we'll wait for him back in the common room,'_ she thought. She had a book she wanted to read.

Harry stepped into the tent. He smiled at Cedric, Delacour, and Krum as they came walking in together. He wished he could just heal Cedric's face. He was pretty used to dealing with fire burns - especially from dragons. "Good one, Harry," the brunet said.

"You too Cedric," Harry said.

"Well done all of you," Bagman said as he bounced into the tent. "Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the mourning of February the twenty-fourth – but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime!" … … …

Harry stayed behind in the tent after Bagman left. He looked down at the egg. _'So this holds the clue,'_ he thought. He moved it around in his hands. He really wanted to go see how the dragons were doing. Poor Neltoor needed some comforting.

"You 'ave changed."

Harry looked up. He hadn't realised that he wasn't the only one left in the tent. It was Miss Delacour. The part Veela was looking at him intently. "Ze ozers might not notice, but I do," she said.

 _'_ _What on earth do I say to that?'_ Harry wondered. "I'm not entirely sure I know what you are talking about," he said.

"Don't be silly," Fleur said she walked up to him and he could feel a wave of magic washing over him. He could tell that it should affect him, but it didn't. "No teen would be able to do zat. I just 'it you wiz a wave of Veela allure, and you didn't react."

Harry closed his eyes. He moved closer to her. She could tell he'd changed. He would have to talk to her. "I don't want to talk about this here," he told her. "I don't trust that others won't hear. If you want to know what's going on you're going to have to wait."

Fleur thought about it for a moment. She was interested in knowing what the raven had to say. She nodded. "You better not keep me waiting for too long," she said.

"Of course not," Harry said. "I would assume that you are otherwise occupied this evening."

Fleur nodded. "You would be correct," she said.

"How about we meet early on Saturday?" Harry asked.

"Oui, zat sounds good," Fleur said. "I will see you zen." She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she walked out of the tent.

 _'_ _Great,'_ Harry thought. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell the part Veela. He had not counted on that happening. Since there was no one else around he turned invisible before heading over to the dragons.

 ** _"_** ** _Yol toor shul."_**

Harry threw up a shield.

 ** _"_** ** _Tol mun banaak - that human scum made me step on my own eggs,"_** Neltoor roared at him as he appeared amongst them.

 ** _"_** ** _Zu'u los krosis - I'm sorry,"_** Harry called. **_"I didn't know that would happen. This wasn't my idea."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hush Neltoor,"_** Maardaan hissed. **_"Dovahkiin is right. He didn't know. It was the other mun, the other humans that did this. They should have known better."_**

Neltoor roared in agony. She lay down on the ground. Harry walked over to the devastated dragon. He placed his hands on her snout. **_"I'm really sorry,"_** he whispered. He sat down next to her and started singing softly. He was making up the lyrics as he went.

The other dragons just lay down around him and listened. He fell silent eventually. Lying against Neltoor's snout, he fell into a kind of half sleep.

…

"Harry!"

The raven's eyes opened suddenly. He felt someone grabbing his forearm.

"What are you doing here, Harry?"

He looked up at the person. "They're sad," he said. He wasn't quite with it yet.

"What are you talking about?"

Harry rubbed his eyes. He moved away from the second oldest Weasley kid a bit and looked up at him. "They are sad," he said. "Why did you have to put their eggs in danger?" he asked.

Charlie sighed. "It wasn't my idea," he said. "I was against it. But they wouldn't listen to me."

Harry nodded. "O.K." he said.

"What is a child doing here?"

Charlie turned to the woman. "I don't know Rosalie," he said. "He keeps telling me that the dragons are sad though."

Rosalie sighed. "I know," she said. "We should have pushed harder. Made sure that the eggs were safe."

Charlie nodded. "Do you need me here? He's a family friend so I was thinking that maybe I should help him back to the castle," he said.

"We'll be fine. You better get him out of here before Neculai sees him," Rosalie said.

"Yeah, I'll be right back," Charlie said before he started leading Harry away from the four great dragons. "You do realise that the dragons are dangerous," he told the teen.

Harry looked up at the oranget. "Sure they are dangerous if you make them angry," he said. "I know that." He moved so he was walking next to the second oldest Weasley boy. "I'm fine you know. You don't need to walk me all the way back."

Charlie snorted. "I will believe that when I don't find you sleeping around dragons who could eat you if they felt like it," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "They wouldn't have hurt me," he said.

Charlie shook his head. "Go up to the common room and behave," he said.

"Fiiiiine," Harry said jokingly. He walked up to the great double doors and opened one of them up so he could head in to the Entrance Hall. "Good evening, Charlie," he said.

"Goodnight Harry," Charlie said. "Don't go sneaking out again."

"I won't," Harry said. He turned to walk up to the common room. He guessed Hermione might be in a bit of a snit when he got up there. He'd been gone for a long time. He made his way up quickly.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked as he sat down next to her.

"I wandered around a bit," Harry said.

"Oh, there he is," George said. "Harry come on don't just sit over there," Fred followed up. "We have a party set up for you." "Come on." The Weasley twins really were good at lifting anyone's mood up with their insane ideas.

Harry chuckled. He got out of the armchair and walked over to the twins. They spent hours partying. Everyone else even managed to convince him to open the golden egg up. The shriek had been ear deafening. He'd decided to not open that aging until he'd researched some. Hermione had also learned where the house-elves stayed. She had been obsessed with freeing them for sometime by then. Harry wasn't sure what to think about that. He was interested in going to the kitchens though.

The Weasley twins had gotten the last laugh when Neville had turned into a canary right in front of everyone. Canary Creams. The twins really had some brilliant ideas.

By the time Harry went to bed that night he was too exhausted to think about anything. He just collapsed.


	39. Confidant and Servant

**Confidant and Servant**

 _26th of November, 1994. Saturday_

Harry was sitting by the Black Lake. He was going to meet up with Fleur soon. He was still wondering what he was going to tell her. She knew he'd changed, and he was pretty sure she would tell someone if he wasn't convincing enough. There were plenty of people he didn't want knowing about what had happened to him, but she wasn't necessarily one of them. There was a good chance that those people would find out something was up if he didn't talk to her though. _'Complicated mess,'_ he thought.

He'd already run around in the forest. It felt a little lonely with the dragons gone. He liked them. He stood up slowly and turned towards the Beauxbatons carriage. He walked over to it and knocked on the door. A pale, blond French girl opened the door. "I am here to meet with Mademoiselle Delacour. Could you let her know I'm here, please?" he said.

She gave him a dirty look but she did walk back inside, and not too long after Fleur showed up. "Bonjour, Monsieur Potter," she said.

"Good morning Miss Delacour," Harry said.

"My room is safe from … oreilles, prying ears," she said. "If you would like to come inside."

"Thank you that sounds like a wonderful idea," he said. He followed her. The inside of the carriage was tasteful and clean. It all looked very nice. And just like many other magical places it was huge on the inside despite being so small on the outside. Fleur led him down a corridor and opened a door up. "Our rooms are protected from people listening in," she said.

"That is very practical," Harry said.

"Please 'ave a seat," Fleur said.

Harry sat down in a comfortable armchair. "I'm not entirely sure what to tell you. Nothing I can tell you is something I want people to know. I'm interested in how you noticed something had changed in the first place," he said.

Fleur studied him for a moment. "We will boz share zings we don't want anyone else to know if I tell you zat," she said.

Harry nodded. "I understand. So we can agree to keep each others secrets?" he asked.

"Of course," Fleur said.

Harry had to make a decision. He either had to trust her or hope that no one would believe her. "I…" he reached up and pulled his glamour necklace off revealing his true appearance, "when your Headmistress found out about the dragons, I was there as well," he said. She was looking at him wide eyed. "When I got there one of the dragons spoke to me. She basically sent me to a different world. I've been gone for about five years."

"Ah, zat would explain 'ow you 'ave changed so much," Fleur said. "I could tell because to me men appear different zan boys who are still developing."

"So the fact that I have fully grown up was what gave me away?" Harry said.

"Oui," Fleur said. "But if you were gone for so long zen a lot of zings 'appened, non?"

"Yes, you could say that," Harry said. And then he couldn't stop himself. He hadn't realised how much he needed to tell someone what had been going on the past five years for him before then. He talked and talked about Katla and Ra'shall and everything that had happened with them. He told her about Rhavaniel and the things they had done.

Fleur had disappeared out of the room to get them something to eat eventually. She was an amazing listener. She only stopped him to ask about certain things she didn't understand at times. Harry hadn't felt that good since he'd left Nirn. He got everything off his chest.

"Zat is 'orrible 'Arry," Fleur said when he had reached a stop. "You were pulled from your family."

Harry nodded. "I know," he said. "But I knew all along that it would happen some day. I had to come back here. I wouldn't change going there for anything, but I'll be O.K. eventually."

"It's not fair," Fleur said.

"No I know," Harry said. "But that's the way things are." He looked down at his hands. "You have been just amazing. I considered telling someone but I … I wasn't sure they wouldn't think I was crazy or think that … I'm not sure what. I don't want people to know, yet. Eventually I'll just drop the whole act but right now I don't want people to know. I mean you've read the papers and what they say about me. I don't want that kind of attention. I'm not interested in that."

Fleur nodded slowly. When she had first noticed that the raven had changed. She had thought that Hogwarts was trying to cheat again. But then she had realised that she knew Harry Potter had been born in 1980 so something must have happened. She had been about to just go tell Madam Maxime when she had realised that she didn't really want to do that. She'd wanted answers. The Veela in her had been curious. Now, she didn't want to tell anyone. It had been such a touching story. He seemed like such a nice guy. He wasn't some young boy who didn't know a thing. He was a caring young man. She felt kind of bad with how she had acted towards him before then, and she told him.

"You didn't know me before," Harry said. "I don't feel bad about what you said. I can understand where you came from. I had a harder time dealing with people who should have known me."

Fleur smiled at him. "I guess I can understand zat," she said.

Harry chuckled. "We have to make this some kind of regular," he said. "I have told you a lot but I have barely scratched the surface on a lot of things, and I want to hear about you too. Now it has just been me talking."

"You needed it," Fleur said. "It 'as been interesting to listen to you. Maybe you should return to ze school now zough; it is getting late."

"Oh, of course. I don't want to overstay my welcome," Harry said and stood up. "Tuesday afternoons are completely free for me I only have one lesson after lunch. Could we make that weekly or is that impossible for your schedule?"

"Mardi?" Fleur walked over to her desk and sat down. She moved through some papers. "Oui, Tuesday sounds good. I would be delighted. It is nice to get the chance to talk to someone zat is intelligent and can keep up wiz me." She walked up to him and kissed him goodnight.

Harry chuckled and returned the gesture. "I will see you Tuesday then," he said. He put the necklace back on before they walked out of the room. He made his way back into the castle. Hermione had told him that he should let Sirius know how things went during the task. Some day he would have to thank her for being overly bossy because he would have completely forgotten about it otherwise. He ate and wrote the letter at the same time, and then he headed up to the Owlery to send it off.

…

"Where have you been all day?" Hermione asked when he made his way back to the common room.

"I have been around," Harry said. "Done some thinking." He sat down next to her. "I'm done with all my homework for next week. I was facing off with a dragon yesterday. I just needed some time to think over all the changes I have made."

Hermione nodded slowly. She could understand that she guessed. She was so happy that he was actually doing his schoolwork properly. A smile grazed her lips as he went upstairs and fetched a book before sitting down next to her again.

"Harry come on mate lets play some exploding snap," Ron said.

The raven looked up at the redhead. "No, thank you," he said politely. "I don't feel like it."

Ron walked away grumpily. He had hoped that everything would get back to normal after he apologised. He walked over and sat down with Dean and Seamus.

When Harry went to bed that night he was smiling. Who would have thought that talking about everything would make him feel so much better? He understood talking about bad experiences, but his stay on Nirn had been wonderful. Fleur had been amazing though. Strangely enough he trusted her not to tell anyone more than he trusted Hermione. His clever friend was very nice, but she was so…. She had a lot of respect for Dumbledore and everything that he stood for. He didn't want the Headmaster to know, and he was pretty sure that Hermione would want to tell the man.

He rolled over and closed his eyes.

* * *

 _28th of November, 1994. Monday_

Harry looked leaned back. He was sitting in Charms class. They were revisiting the Carpe Retractum spell. It was a shorter range version of the Accio spell. It was also more visible, easier to cast, and more powerful. He'd sat down with Neville since the shy teen usually had difficulties. He himself could cast an illusioned version just fine so he'd decided to make sure Neville could manage too. The teen wasn't dumb he just needed someone who could counter his nerves.

Harry did wonder if him using a low level courage spell on his friend when they had potions later would improve his performance. He knew very well that it was Neville's fear of Snape that made him mess up so much. He smiled at the brunet as he performed the spell perfectly. "There you go Neville. I told you all it takes is some practice," he said.

The shy brunet blushed at the praise. "I guess it worked out alright," he said. He looked down at the apple he had pulled to him. He watched as it rose up in the air and over back over the table.

"Now try again and try to pull it slower this time," Harry said. "You have to relax. All that tension is messing with your magic." He reached out and placed a hand on the brunet's back. He sent a calming wave of magic through his fingertips. He could feel the teen relaxing.

"Carpe Retractum," Neville said. A beam of golden-orange light connected with the apple. It lifted from the desk and hovered for a moment before it moved towards the brunet slowly. "It worked," Neville whispered.

Harry smiled at him. He'd been right. The brunet's nerves were getting in his way. He'd do what he could to help him with that.

…

Ron looked over at Harry darkly. The raven had sat down with Neville. What did he have to do to get back on his good side? _'I apologised what else does he want from me?'_ he wondered.

Harry didn't really care about potions, but he was still going to do his best. Technically it was one type of wizarding magic he could master. He wouldn't though. He just wasn't interested. He didn't actually need it either. He did his best though. He wasn't going to give Snape the satisfaction of yelling at him.

Every time the overgrown dungeon bat passed by their table he sent a wave of calming and encouraging magic to the brunet next to him. As a result Neville didn't blow his cauldron up. He actually made it through the class and had a passable potion at the end.

Like always the dour Professor gave them a heap of homework.

"I guess we should gathered together and do this as early as possible," Harry said as he checked on the notes he'd done on the assignment.

Hermione nodded. "We could head up to the library right now before dinner," she said.

"Sounds good, wanna come along Neville?" Harry said as he looked over his shoulder.

The brunet's blue eyes had widened slightly. "I'm probably not going to be much help," he said.

Harry smiled. "I was thinking more like Hermione and I can help you," he said. He looked over at Ronald. "How about you?" he asked.

The redhead shrugged. "I guess," he said. He didn't sound too enthusiastic.

They gathered by a table in the library and started going through books.

"You know what?" Harry said. "Let's split this. Neville you focus on land plants. I'll take water plants. Hermione…"

The brunette nodded. "I'll do lesser animals and Ron you can do monsters," she said.

"Then we gather it all together and go from there," Harry said.

They split the books and went to work. They were searching specifically for poisons. Snape had wanted them to write an essay on a lesser poison. But he'd wanted them to start from ingredients and the essay had to reflect that.

When dinner rolled around they gathered their things together and headed down to the Great Hall. Neville wouldn't stop talking about the plants he had found and Harry was just smiling. He was going to get past that shyness and help the teen on his feet. He was also considering trying to teach the brunet how to do Nirn Alchemy. He had a feeling Neville would be way better at that then he was at potions. The difficult part there was to get the equipment he needed.

Ronald had slipped away and sat down with Seamus and Dean as soon as he could. All that school talk was so boring. Harry noticed but didn't care. He was not going to go out of his way to hang out with the redhead. They didn't really have all that much in common.

He sat down with Hermione and Neville after they had eaten so they could all go over what they had found.

Neville was smiling happily when he fell into bed that evening. He had never thought that hanging out with Harry and Hermione would be so much fun. He felt a little bad that Ron had been pushed away. _'I'll do my best to include him,'_ he thought. He didn't want to steal his friends.

* * *

 _29th of November, 1994. Tuesday_

Harry knocked on the door to the Beauxbatons carriage. He waited patiently until the door was opened by a young brown-haired young man. It wasn't like the raven was trying to learn all their names. "Pourquoi êtes-vous ici?" the young man said.

"I'm sorry. I don't speak French," Harry said. "I'm here to see Mademoiselle Fleur."

"Mademoiselle Delacour? Oui," he disappeared back inside.

Harry shook his head. He wondered if the guy had just refused to speak English with him or if he really didn't know the language. He smiled up as the door opened again and it was Fleur standing there. "Good afternoon," he said with a small bow. "I hope you have had a good day."

Fleur giggled. "Please, come inside," she said. They passed by the common room, and one of the girls looked up at Fleur. "Pourquoi est-ce que vous êtes avec cet avorton?" she asked.

Fleur rolled her eyes. "Ce n'est pas de votre affaires, Lucille," she said. She led Harry over to her room. "Lucille needs to mind 'er own business," she said.

Harry pulled his glamour amulet off. "If she irritates you then don't care about her," he said.

Fleur smiled at him. "I wish it was zat easy," she said. "Lucille and I 'ave know each ozer for a long time. Our mères are friends. Lucille is envieux of me because of ze Veela."

"That is just ridiculous," Harry said. "You were born with the Veela genes. It must have its downs though. I can think of a few being Dragonborn so…"

"Oui, zere are some zings zat are difficult," Fleur said. "Before I could control ze allure it went wild at times and men would…" She looked over to a window. A hand landed on top of hers.

"You don't have to. I get it," Harry said.

"Zey never managed to 'urt me zough. Mama wouldn't let zem," Fleur said. "I worry for my little sister, Gabrielle. She's eight. She 'asn't gone zrough it yet."

"But you end school after this year so you can help your parents protect her," Harry said. "She'll have a mother and father and an amazing big sister to look after her," Harry said.

Fleur laughed. "Merci 'Arry," she said. "You are so sweet."

Harry smiled at her. "I do my best," he said. They fell silent for a while happy to just have someone that was willing to listen.

"Does it ever go out of hand now?" Harry asked after a while. "The Veela allure I mean."

Fleur thought about it for a moment. "Oui, when I get malade… sick zen sometimes it goes wild," she said. "It can be very agaçant … irritating."

Harry nodded in understanding. "I can imagine," he said. "Oh, I have to tell you about Marcurio. He must be the closest I've gotten to one of the idiots that tend to be after you." He moved into a more comfortable position. "He was the most self-assured slimy idiot I have ever slept with. It wasn't my idea, but I was in on it. Rhavaniel picked him up because he had some information we needed." He went into the story of how they had messed with that moron.

They were laughing. And Fleur told stories of her own. They were collapsed in giggles from making up evil little punishments for guys and girls they had both met. They probably would never do any of it, but it was just so much fun making it up.

"You are just ze best 'Arry," Fleur said. She was trying to catch her breath. She had been laughing so hard. "You make zis stay so much better," she said. "We should let ze ozers know just 'ow much fun we can 'ave togezer. Ze competition is not so important especially since someone ruined it. Not zat I blame you at all."

"No I know that, but you know what. I'll do my best to stay out of the last task if I can. I mean we have no idea what it is yet so that might be impossible. But I'll stay out if I can," Harry said.

"Zat would be very noble of you 'Arry," Fleur said.

"Thank you," Harry said. "I should maybe let the others know eventually."

Fleur nodded. "Zat sounds like a good idea," she said.

Harry hummed. He looked over at the silver-blonde. She was sparkling. "Is that you allure acting up?" he asked. He guessed he could feel something in the air.

"Oui, it feels good to not 'ave to keep it caged. You are not affected at all it is really comforting to know I can just relax," Fleur said. "It is not very common to meet someone that can just shrug it off."

"I can understand that," Harry said. "I can feel it you know, but I think that my mind shields are too strong for it to affect me. I built them that strong because of Potema."

"Potema?"

"Ah," Harry smiled at her and then he threw himself into telling her about the Wolf Queen. Potema had been a big influence on him. He would never had put as much time into building his own mind as strong as he had if it hadn't been for Potema. It still creeped him out.

…

Harry kissed Fleur on the cheek before he let that evening. "You take care of yourself until next week," he said. He made his way back up to the common room. It was really late. He had stayed for a long time. Fleur was a great girl. If he wasn't still heartsore from Rhavaniel he might have wanted to pursue her, but he wasn't all that interested. He would love to have her as a good friend though.

* * *

 _2nd of December, 1994. Friday_

They had Herbology that morning. Harry, Hermione and Neville were gathered by a set of pots tending for some little green plants. They wouldn't grow big until long after spring had returned but they had to be treated for the cold.

Harry had gotten Neville talking and now the brunet wasn't quiet for more than a second. He was telling them all about the little plants and what they could do. Hermione seemed to have had an epiphany in regards to what he was trying with the shy teen. She had jumped straight on it. It would make his job way easier.

From Herbology they went to Care of Magical Creatures. There were only ten Blast-Ended Skrewts left since they were so intent on killing each other. Harry wondered if they wouldn't be better off if there wasn't a trough of single-malt whisky standing just a bit away from them. He wasn't affected since he made sure the air he breathed was clean. He wasn't afraid of the dangerous hybrid. He did, however, feel like killing them with the sword he had lying under his bed back up in the common room.

Hagrid wanted to try and see if they would hibernate. Harry thought he was crazy. Why would they hibernate? Thankfully he could calm them just fine now so he wasn't worried about them. He was just trying to make sure no one realised that he could do that.

The big scorpion-like creatures were repulsive. Their thick armour protecting their backs seemed impenetrable. He spent most of the class trying to figure out the best way to kill them. He wasn't sure his sword could penetrate that. Now normally he wouldn't wish death upon anything, but Blast-Ended Skrewts were not supposed to live. He didn't even want to consider how that it would have turned out if he hadn't been around. He averted several small disasters without anyone the wiser.

He was so concentrated on keeping everyone safe, that he didn't notice much else. When Rita Skeeter was suddenly standing next to Hagrid, he was surprised. It wasn't his fight though. Hagrid would just have to take care of himself. He caught the last Skrewt with his lasso and pulled it over before tying it up. They hadn't managed to get a single one into the pillow lined boxes that Hagrid had wanted placed out for them. Thankfully Hagrid had realised pretty early on that it wouldn't work out.

They had done their best to just tie the monsters up.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. He was so done with that. At least they were all caught now. His poor classmates had burn marks all over their hands and arms.

There was lunch and then Harry, Neville and Ronald headed up to Divination.

Harry sat back and pulled a completely different book out. He wasn't sure he could quit the subject but he wouldn't waste his time on it. Trelawney kept blabbing about mysterious things. Harry couldn't care less what she said. He didn't put much stock in what she had to say. Doom this and Armageddon that and you'll die soon. Like he cared about her. He would do his own thing. He wasn't going to live his life based on her predictions.

Dinner was good and he was planning how to deal with his DADA homework as he walked up to the common room. "Balderdash," he told the fat lady. The portrait was flung open from the inside.

"Harry!"

The raven took a half step back and caught Hermione as she stumbled. "Whoa! Careful there Hermione," he said.

"I've been looking for you Harry!" the brunette said excitedly. Her hair was even bushier than normal. "You've got to come the most amazing thing happened," she said. "You have to come…" She started dragging him down the corridor.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked. He moved up so they were walking side by side. He didn't like being dragged.

"I'll show you when we get there," Hermione said.

They made their way down to the Entrance Hall and turned down another set of stairs. Hermione dragged him over to a painting of a bowl filled with pears. Harry caught on. The Weasley twins had said that the entrance to the kitchen was behind the painting with the pears. His gaze moved over the rest of the hall. It was lit up in golden hues and filled with paintings of food. It was quite cosy.

Hermione reached out and tickled one of the pears.

Harry waited quietly next to her as the painting opened up. He looked in to the huge room with four longtables. It hit him that it looked almost identical to the Great Hall above. The only difference was that the walls lining the tables were filled with brass pots and pans.

"Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

The raven looked down and smiled. "Dobby!" he exclaimed. He looked down at the little elf hugging his midriff.

"It is Dobby, sir, it is!" Dobby squealed. "Dobby has been hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!" The little elf let go of him and stepped back a few steps. His tennis-ball sized eyes looked up at him, brimming with tears of happiness.

Harry hadn't seen the little guy since the end of his second year. The little guy hadn't changed. His bat-like ears were flapping as he moved his big head. His body was thin in comparison making his green eyes seem huge. He kneeled down and placed a hand on the elf's bony shoulder. His clothes looked ridiculous though. Bright coloured and mismatching. "Dobby, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Dobby has come to work at Hogwarts, sir!" the elf squealed excitedly. "Professor Dumbledore gave Dobby and Winky jobs, sir!"

"That's really nice," Harry said. "So Winky is here too."

"Yes, sir, yes!" Dobby said. He grabbed Harry by the hand. His long spindly fingers were small in Harry's hand. He led the teen through the kitchen over to a small stool in the opposite corner. A small droopy elf was sitting on the stool. Harry barely remembered her from the Quidditch World Cup. "Winky, sir!" the elf said.

Harry moved down next to her. "Hello Winky," he said softly. He reached out and hugged her as she started crying. "Hush, hush little one," he said quietly.

"Oh, dear," Hermione said. She kneeled down next to Harry. "Winky, don't cry, please don't…"

"Don't Hermione it's not going to help," Harry said. He pulled the little elf closer and rocked her. He sat down with her. "It will get better Winky," he said softly.

"Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?" Dobby asked.

"That would be nice Dobby," Harry said with a smile.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed.

"He offered Hermione," Harry said. He really didn't understand her idea about house-elves and slavery. "If someone offers you tea it is very rude to say no. Think about it. If you came home to someone's house and they offer you a cup of tea you don't say no because it is rude."

Hermione opened her mouth and then she closed it again. What was she supposed to say to that?

Harry reached up and accepted the cup from Dobby. "Thank you," he said. He placed it down on the floor so he could lift the cup of the saucer. He took a sip and rubbed Winky's back soothingly. "How long have you been here Dobby?" he asked.

"Only a week, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby said. "Dobby came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir. You see, sir, it is very difficult for a house-elf who has been dismissed to get a new position, sir, very difficult indeed…"

Harry looked down at Winky as she started crying harder. He started rocking her again.

Dobby told them about his life. He had travelled around for two years looking for work. But he hadn't gotten any because he wanted to get paid now. Harry could see his point of view. The other elves in the kitchen didn't seem to like it much though. They turned away and left when he started talking about money. Then they left completely as Dobby exclaimed that he liked being free. It obviously wasn't something they agreed with.

As Dobby told them about meeting Winky, the elf in question was wailing in Harry's arms. He told them about how they had decided to go to Hogwarts to find work. And then the conversation turned to money and Harry moved away with Winky. "Hey Winky," he said. He moved her out from him. "I have a question."

Big brown eyes looked up at him. "What does Mr Potter want to ask?" Winky said.

"I know that you miss Mr Crouch," Harry said and that's alright. "But …"

"What are you being paid Winky?" Hermione asked.

The elf turned to the brunette. "Winky is a disgraced elf, but Winky is not yet getting paid!" she said. "Winky is not sunk so low as that! Winky is properly ashamed of being freed!"

"Ashamed?" Hermione said blankly.

"Don't Hermione," Harry said. "She's upset we don't need that to get worse." He looked down at Winky. "Why don't we go over here?" he said. "I still want to ask you something?"

"Winky will go with Mr Potter," she said.

Harry led the little elf over to the other side of the back wall. He threw up an illusion that would keep Hermione from noticing what he was about to do. He kneeled down. "Winky," he said. "You don't seem very happy working here at Hogwarts."

Winky looked down at the floor. "Winky misses Master Crouch. Master Crouch needs his Winky but he doesn't want his Winky," she said. "Winky has been looking after the Crouches all my life, and my mother is doing it before me, and my grandmother is doing it before her."

Harry sighed. "When an elf has been freed does it ever happen that the Master takes them back?" he asked.

Winky looked up at him. "No, Winky was bad elf. Winky deserved being freed," she said. It looked like she was about to start crying again.

"Now I asked you over here to ask you if you would like to be my elf," Harry said. He reached up and removed his glamour medallion. "Winky."

"Mister Potter would like to have Winky as his elf?" Winky said. Her big ears lifted up. "Even though Mister Potter knows Winky is a bad elf."

Harry nodded. "And you know what Winky? I don't want to know anything about Mr Crouch. I would be very proud if you would continue to keep his secrets. Just, you'd have to keep mine too," he said. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like that?"

Winky's eyes were extra big. She could have a Master, and he was not going to be mean to Master Crouch. She looked over at Dobby. Would Dobby be angry with her? She looked back up at the wizard in front of her. She could get a Master.

"If you want to think about it that's alright," Harry said.

Winky looked up at him. She took a deep breath. Mr Potter had been right Master Crouch would never take her back. She really wanted a family. She was a bit confused though. He was much older now. She guessed that was a secret he wanted her to keep. "Winky would like to be Mister Potter's elf," she said.

Harry reached out and took her hands. "If I feel a need to fire you I will not use clothes, alright," he said. "I want you to wear a proper outfit. No tea towels or pillowcases." He closed his eyes, and a wave of magic passed from him to her. **_"Hofkinaar fahdon aar,"_** he whispered.

Little marks appeared around Winky's arms. Her eyes widened. She could feel the magic it bound her to her new Master in a way she had never knew existed. It was amazing. She felt so happy. "Master Potter," she said her eyes were sparkling.

"Could you use Harry please Winky," Harry said.

"Master Harry," Winky said.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said. "Could you pick up my robes from my bed and clean them. I don't want anyone else to see them. I've been doing it myself, but elves are just so much better at it."

Winky glowed. "Of course Master Harry. Winky be taking care of Master's laundry. Humans not be knowing how to do it right."

Harry smiled at her, and she disappeared. He walked over to Hermione. "She's a little happier now," he told her. "We should probably get back to the common room though."

Hermione nodded. She was surprised Harry had managed to talk to the little elf. She waited until they had left the kitchen before she said, "I think that Dobby is the best thing that ever happened to those elves, you know," Hermione said. "They will see how happy Dobby is being free and all. It will slowly dawn on them that they want that too!"

Harry just nodded. He didn't agree with her, but he didn't want to get into an argument with her either.

…

"Winky," Harry said as he sat cross-legged in his bed.

The little elf showed up. "Is there anything Master Harry wants from his Winky?" Winky asked as she showed up.

"Could you sit down? I want to tell you how I changed alright," Harry said.

Winky nodded and sat down.

Harry started telling her about his adventures in Skyrim. He needed her to understand him. It would be something he'd do for the following couple of evenings. It brought them closer.


	40. Gringotts in the Snow

**Gringotts in the Snow**

 _8th of December, 1994. Thursday_

Harry was sitting in the Owlery looking out over the snowy grounds below. He was petting Hedwig. Professor McGonagall had dropped a bomb on them earlier that day. There was going to be a ball. A dance. Now, if there was something he didn't know how to do, it was dance. Sure McGonagall had offered them lessons, but he somehow doubted that he'd learn in that short amount of time. And then he had to ask a girl out. He had to dance since he was one of the champions. He smiled as he saw Fleur walking into the Beauxbatons carriage. Maybe he should ask Fleur. He got up. He was at least going to ask her if she was willing to teach him how to dance since he really needed lessons.

He made his way down to the courtyard and over to the carriage. He knocked on the door. A girl opened it. She gave him a hard look and went back inside. They knew him well enough to know who he wanted to see. Most of them didn't like him much, but they were polite enough to tell Fleur he was there.

The blonde showed up not long after. "'Arry 'ow nice I zough you 'ad ozer zings to do today," she said.

"I'm not intruding then?" Harry said politely.

"Non, not at all," Fleur said. "Please come in it's cold out 'ere." Harry followed her in to her room. "So what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked.

"Well I just learned that there is going to be a ball at Christmas. The thing is that I have no idea how to dance. It is not something I have learned. So I would like to ask you if you could help me with that," Harry said.

Fleur laughed. He was looking at her with such a pathetic gaze. He looked so cute. "I'll aide you," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Harry said happily. He'd taken the glamour off the moment the door had closed. He stood up and bowed low. "Will you dance with me mademoiselle?" he said and held a hand out.

Fleur laughed again as she took his hand. He helped her up and placed his right had on her waist. "This is right, yeah?" he said.

"Oui," Fleur said. She shifted a little, and pulled her wand. She pointed it at a music player and then she made her furniture move out of the way. "Zere," she said as the music started playing. She moved them in time with the music. It didn't take long before Harry was the one leading. He messed up at times, but the longer they went on the better he did.

"Zis is very nice," Fleur said softly. She leaned in closer to Harry.

"Do you want to go to the ball with me?" Harry asked. "I can change how the glamour work so you can see the real me. You'd have to stand everyone else being idiots of course."

"I don't care about what ozers zink," Fleur said. She smiled up at him "You are a good friend. I would razer dance with you zan any of ze idiots in zat castle."

Harry smiled at her and twirled them around. "I guess all you really need is some confidence," he said.

"Oui, zat makes it easier," Fleur said.

"You know what though. I'm going to need other dress robes. I would prefer a set that actually fit the real me. The once that were bought for me I had no hand in buying. I'd prefer to have a say," Harry said. "I would need to take a trip to Gringotts for that though. I don't have enough money to buy that on hand." He looked down at Fleur. "Would you please help a man with no fashion sense get a hold of a set of dress robes that won't look completely ridiculous on him, mademoiselle?"

Fleur nodded. "Oui, I would love too," she said.

"There is a Hogsmeade trip planed on the seventeenth. But that doesn't take us to London," Harry said. "It does mean that no one will notice that I just disappear though."

"Don't worry 'Arry I will get us to London I've been to Diagon Alley before with mama," Fleur said determined. They swayed back and forth with the music for a while Fleur corrected the raven when he did a mistake. "I wish I could see my family zough. Zis is ze first winter I'm not going 'ome," she said after a while.

"I never went home," Harry said. "Back before my trip to Skyrim. I never went back to the Dursleys' for Christmas. They didn't actually want me so it felt pointless."

"You 'aven't told me about zem," Fleur said. "You 'ave mentioned zem before."

Harry nodded. "I lived with Petunia Dursley and her family after my parents were killed. She's my mother's sister. They didn't like me much. They weren't …" He closed his eyes. "Mostly they weren't physically abusive. They did refuse me food when I preformed magic, and they would lock me up in this boot cupboard under the stairs. It was my bedroom until I turned eleven and the Hogwarts letter arrived addressed to my bedroom," he explained. "My cousin Dudley would beat me up when he could catch me. I was pretty fast on my feet though. Uncle Vernon backhanded me one or twice that I can remember, and he did belt me a few times. But mostly it was a lack of food. All of that was dealt with when I was in Skyrim though. Katla and Ra'shall helped me deal with all of it. I'm not going back now. If that means that Harry Potter has to leave Hogwarts then so be it. I'm not going back." He could feel Fleur's allure crackling around him. She was furious. "You can come stay wiz us if you want to 'Arry," she said angrily. "No child should be treated zat way. Zose people are monsters."

Harry smiled. He hugged the quarter Veela close. "Calm Fleur you're making the air sparkle," he said. "I'm O.K. now. I had years to think about all that, and I know why they didn't like me. They were afraid of magic. I'm not going to be the monster they though I might become." She kissed him on the cheek. "You are a very nice person 'Arry," she said.

They had stopped dancing. Fleur had pulled out a photo album and they were looking down at pictures of her and her sister. They were sitting together in a cosy loveseat. Fleur was telling stories with the pictures.

"The only photos I have are of my parents and their friends," Harry said.

"Really can I see?" Fleur asked.

Harry nodded, "Sure." He shifted away from her slightly. "Winky," he said.

The little elf appeared. She looked really neat. She had made a maid uniform out of Harry's old clothes. She had been stunned when he'd said she could do that. "What does Mater Harry want from Winky?" she asked.

"Could you fetch my photo album, please… and it should be about dinner time now," he looked over at Fleur who nodded, "could you make some oven baked salmon with a nice fresh salad please," Harry said. Hermione would've killed him if she'd heard him.

"Winky will be right back with Master's album then Winky will make food for Master and Master's friend," the little elf said before disappearing.

"Zat is your elf 'Arry?" Fleur said. "She's cute. The dress is very fitting. I 'ave never understood why zey 'ave to wear such ugly clothes."

"She sewed it herself I just asked that she wore something less discriminating. She is amazing. All of that was my old Hogwarts robes. Though I guess they aren't really all that old I got new ones before this year… she did it herself though," Harry said. "Thank you Winky," told the elf as she handed him the photo album.

There was a faint pop as the elf disappeared again. She landed in the kitchen. She had a new Master. She was conflicted though. He was so different from Master Crouch. She didn't want to think badly of her old Master but… She pushed the thoughts away. Maybe she could work that over later. She walked over to the storage. Her Master wanted her to make something special. The other elves were happier around her now too. They didn't mind that she worked for one of the students at all. She looked over at Dobby as she cut the tomatoes for the salad. He had been a little put out when he'd heard that she was Master Harry's elf. She had asked Master why he hadn't taken Dobby since they knew each other. He had told her he didn't trust Dobby to keep his secrets like he trusted her. She was protecting her old Master still and he respected that. It had made her happy.

She finished the salad and laid it up on plates. The fish was almost done.

 _'_ _There,'_ she thought as she placed the fish down as well. It looked really nice. She had done a good job. She took the plates and popped out. "That looks lovely Winky," her Master said. She felt all warm inside.

"There is a table over there. We'll act like civilised people when we eat," Harry said. He stood up and offered his hand to Fleur. He walked her over to the table and pulled her chair out.

Winky had popped out and fetched water for them.

"Thank you Winky, Harry said as she placed the carafe on the table.

"Thank you," Fleur said as well.

Winky turned to her. She looked over at her Master. "This is Fleur," Harry said. "Fleur this is Winky the best elf on Earth."

"Master is being bragging," Winky said. She looked back up at Fleur. "Miss Flower is very nice not like Miss 'Mione who says evil things." She placed her hands over her mouth to quiet herself.

Harry chuckled. "Don't worry Winky," he said. "Just no talking like that in front of Hermione."

Winky nodded. "Of course Master Harry," she said. *Pop!

"She is quite somezing," Fleur said. "Your friend 'Ermione is irritating 'er?"

"Hermione sees house-elves as slaves. She wants to free them all," Harry said. "The house-elves in the kitchen don't seem too happy with her."

"Ze marks on 'er arms. What do zey mean? Zey are dovahzul, non?" Fleur said.

Harry nodded. "They mean steward, friend and servant," he said. "She will basically be in charge of my household. I need a house first though."

They fell silent as they ate. It was really good.

"Zis is really good," Fleur said. "A lot of ze food 'er is very fat."

"I guess they just make whatever the students like. Kids aren't all that smart when it comes to food," Harry said. "I developed my food habits with two persons who spent most of their life travelling around by foot. Just fat food is so bad for you it doesn't give you the energy you need. I have considered asking Winky to cook all my meals. Her cooking is better than the other house-elves."

"Oui, oui, j'accepte," Fleur said. "This is the best I have had since I left 'ome."

"I would have to agree with you there," Harry said.

The relocated to the loveseat for another hour or so before Harry decided that it was time to leave.

…

The next coming week Harry did his best to stay away from girls who wanted to go with him to the ball. He kept telling them he was taken. Apparently that unlike a lot of other things did not spread like wildfire.

The best moment during those days had been when Ron finally realised that Hermione was a girl. Harry and Hermione had been sitting together doing homework in the library. They had decided it was enough for the night. They were walking back up to the common room when Hermione said she'd forgotten a book and headed back. Harry wondered if he should have told her that she could have just Accioed it. He made his way up to his dorm to drop his bag off. When he got back down he heard Fred ask Angelina out to the ball. "Way to go man," he said as he lightly tackled the guy.

"Yeah, you have one too Harry," Fred said.

"Sure I do. Asked her first day we learned about the ball," Harry said.

"That's the way to go. Listen to that little brother," George said as he play punched Ronald.

"You really have a date?" Ron asked the raven as the other teen sat down in one of the armchairs.

"Yes, I do," Harry said.

The redhead sighed. "Am I the only one without a date?" he asked whiningly. "Did you hear that Neville asked Hermione out?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "I did he asked me if I knew she had a date or not. I told him I didn't know. Apparently she does have one though," he said.

"Or she said that to get rid of Neville because she didn't want to go out with him," Ron said.

Harry shrugged. He doubted that was the truth. And he knew Neville had a date as well. He glanced over at Ginny.

"What are you boys up too?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked up at her with a smile. "Ron is having girl crisis," he said. "He doesn't have a date."

"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" Hermione said. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you."

Harry felt like he was missing some part of that conversation.

That had been when it happened. Ron had stared at Hermione as though he was suddenly seeing her in a whole new light. "Hermione, Neville's right… you are a girl…"

"Oh, well spotted," Hermione said acidly.

"Well you can go with me!"

"No, I can't," Hermione snapped.

"Oh, come on Hermione," Ron said impatiently. "I need a partner. I'm going to look really stupid if I don't have one, everyone else has …"

Hermione just narrowed her eyes.

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just ignore him," he whispered in her ear.

"I can't go with you because I already have a date for the ball," Hermione said there was a faint blush clinging to her cheeks.

"No, you're not!" Ron exclaimed. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the common room. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Don't care about him," he said. "He is an idiot. You're a very pretty girl I'm not surprised someone noticed."

"I would have rather gone with Neville than him anyway," Hermione said. "At least Neville is nice."

"I don't know what he has against Neville," Harry said. He ran a thumb along her cheek. "Better now?" he asked.

Hermione blushed. "Yeah, I'm better," she said. "Thank you."

Harry let go of her. "He's not worth you anger. Just ignore him," he said. "He'll see when you stand there on Yule Day."

Hermione smiled. "You are right," she said.

They headed back in to tuck in for the night.

* * *

 _17th of December, 1994. Saturday_

Harry passed by Filtch and noted his absence down for the day before he walked over to the Beauxbatons carriage. The door opened as he reached it. "Bonjour Fleur," he said.

"Bonjour 'Arry," Fleur said as she pulled a hood up tighter around her head. "It's cold 'ere."

"I'll do something about that in a second," Harry said. He held his arm out so she could take it. Fleur was melting the snow in front of them as they walked. They passed the gates and then they passed the wards.

Harry scanned the area for anyone else. When he didn't find anyone around he stopped them. He took his necklace off. "I'm going to change my appearance slightly. It won't be much," he said before changing his hair and eye colour to brown and amber respectively. "This is Kato," he said. "I prefer to just use another name for now. Means I don't have to worry so much about people recognising me."

"It is a good idea I guess," Fleur said. "Kato… It is a nice name."

"Katla liked that name," Harry said. "I took it because of her." He wrapped his arms around the blonde. His magic moved out around them. "That's better right?"

"Ahhahah, oui, much better … Kato," Fleur said. "I'm not cold anymore."

"So how do we get to Diagon Alley?" Harry asked.

"Just 'old on …Kato," Fleur said. "You might want to close your eyes."

Harry nodded and his amber eyes closed. He held on to Fleur tightly. Then he felt like he was being pressed from every direction. His magic moved out and wrapped around them. He breathed through his nose doing his best to stay calm. And then … it was over. He opened his eyes again. They were standing on the mains street of Diagon Alley. _'That was … useful,'_ he thought. He figured he might want to learn something similar himself. He wasn't entirely sure how to do that though. It was something he would have to consider.

"Zere see I got us 'ere," Fleur said.

"That you did **_lokzii_** ," Harry said.

"Lokzii?" Fleur repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"It means angel in dovahzul," Harry said. "Or sky spirit if you take the word apart."

Fleur laughed. "Zat is very sweat of you 'Arry," she said. A hand landed over her mouth. "Je suis désolé," she said her eyes wide.

"It's O.K." Harry said. "I don't think anyone heard. Just a bit more careful, yeah."

"Oui."

They made their way up towards Gringotts Wizarding Bank. The white building was covered in snow. As they made their way up the stairs, there was something just out of Harry's grasp. Then the doors came into view. _'No way,'_ he thought as he looked at the burnished bronze doors. "Winky," he called.

The little elf showed up next to him. "Master Kato," she said with a bow.

"Can you fetch my backpack from under my bed, dear?" he asked her.

She disappeared and reappeared with the bag. "Thank you Winky," Harry said.

"What is going on Kato?" Fleur asked.

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Harry said. "I just want to be prepared." He smiled at her. He walked up to one of the tellers. "Good morning sir, I would like to speak to the goblin in charge of the Potter vault, please," he said.

The goblin teller looked him up and down a few times. Then he turned and said something in Gobbledegook to another goblin. "You can wait over there sir," he said he said and pointed towards a set of benches to his right.

"Thank you," Harry said. He led Fleur over to the benches and sat down. He pulled her down into his lap. "There you go," he said.

Fleur couldn't help but laugh.

"If you would come with me Mister."

Harry looked up at the goblin. There was something about him. He waited until Fleur had stood up before he rose as well. They followed the goblin through a series of halls and up a set of stairs. He stopped in front of a door and opened it for them. "Just inside sir," he said.

"Thank you Griphook," Harry said finally realising why he recognised the goblin. It was the same one that had led him to his vault the first time he had been to Gringotts.

Griphook's eyes widened momentarily, but he gave no other sign of recognition.

Harry and Fleur walked into the room and the door closed behind them. There was a white haired goblin sitting by a desk in the office. He was looking through a stack of papers.

Harry lifted a hand and changed his colours back. He had no wish to create any kind of subterfuge around the goblins at the bank.

The goblin looked up. "Ah, well now a Potter," he said. "It has been a long time." His eyes narrowed. "You are older than you should be," he said. He placed a piece of parchment out and handed Harry a quill. "Sign this; it will handle any oddities connected to your case," he said.

Harry reached out and grabbed the quill. He wrote his name down in swirly script. The back of his left hand stung and the ink or rather blood on the parchment glowed for a second. He placed the quill down and the page was snatched up by the goblin.

"Everything seems to be in order Mister Potter. I am Gogil the Potter account manager. I could swear that you are too old, but well, this doesn't lie," the goblin said.

"My circumstances are a bit strange. It is a long story," Harry said. "Right now I would like to make sure that I am the only one with access to my vault. When I first entered the Wizarding World my key was handled by Rubeus Hagrid. It was never given to me. I'm pretty certain that Molly Weasley used my key to access my vault this previous summer. I do not mind this happening though I would prefer that it did not happen again."

"Of course Mister Potter," Gogil said. "Now that you have officially been declared as an adult by Gringotts the lock on your vault has changed. It will no longer open to anyone but you."

"Ah, that is perfect," Harry said. "Is there anything else we need to deal with now?" he asked. "I would like to go down to the vault."

"No there is nothing else we need to deal with Mister Potter. Griphook will show you down to your vault," Gogil said.

"Thank you Mister Gogil," Harry said. He stood up and took Fleur's hand. His hair turned brown again and his eyes changed to amber. "Why don't you find a good store and I will find you there," he told her. "I doubt you'd like the ride down to the vault. It is quite rough."

"I would like to miss out zen," Fleur said. "Will you be able to find me?" she asked.

"Yes that won't be a problem. Don't worry," Harry said. He kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you soon." He watched her head over to the doors leading out of the bank until he was led to the underground monorail. He sat down in the cart.

Griphook grabbed a lever and pulled it. The cart moved slowly at first and then it took off. The raven leaned back. He didn't care about the wind rushing by him really. The cart slowed down to a stop.

"Place a hand against the emblem on the door Mr Potter," Griphook said.

Harry nodded as he stepped forward. He placed his hand against the emblem. The door clicked and opened up. "Well that is nice," he said. He walked in and took his backpack off. He searched around for his money pouch. It was quite heavy. "Griphook?" he said and walked back to the opening of the door. He opened the pouch up. "Can I do anything with these?" he asked and held a bar out.

The goblin took the piece of gold and studied it for a moment. "Where did you get a hold of this?" he asked.

"That is a long story," Harry said.

Griphook looked up at him with a suspicious gaze. "This is gold held in very high regards by our people. No wizard can simply get a hold of it," he said. "Did you steal from goblins, human?"

"No I did not," Harry said. He heard an echo travelling though the cave. It was distorted but he recognised the tone. **_"Bo stin dovah - fly free dragon,"_** he roared. He turned back to the goblin. "I wondered what had happened to the Dwemer," he said.

Griphook truly looked shocked this time. "That is a name hidden from humans," he said. "How do know it?"

"I have been to the world the Dwemer originated from. I have walked their old ruins," Harry said. "That is how I carry the same kind of gold your ancestors possessed."

Griphook looked down at the gold bar. "I will need to show this to the head goblin. He needs to know about this."

Harry nodded. "I will be around Diagon Alley until about six or so this evening after that I will ask my house-elf to answer my account manager's call," Harry said. "I am going to leave the rest of the gold here I can't pay with it." He emptied the pouch out and filled it with galleons instead. He placed the bars in a neat little pile before walking back out. The doors closed behind him. He turned around his dragonbone dagger drawn. He carved the text: Tahriik kogur rahnd laviik Potter nid vorey rahnd nuz lahvriiluz Gogil, in. Then he placed his hands on either side of the text and spoke the words powering them with his Thu'um. He backed off and placed a hand on his forehead. That had taken a lot out of him.

"What did you do human?" Griphook asked.

"I just made this a lot safer," Harry said. "Now no one else goes in there." He looked down at the goblin next to him. "Not because I don't trust the Dwemer but rather because I don't trust anyone else," he said. He sat back down in the cart.

It took a little while before Griphook joined him. The goblin had a contemplative look on his face. He headed straight for his cousins office when they reached the surface.

Harry headed the other way. He needed to catch up with Fleur. A blue trail appeared before him. He had figured out how to hide it from everyone else. He could also show it to whoever he so chose to. He followed it to Twilfitt and Tattings and walked inside. It was obviously a high class shop. Everything was sparkling clean and the fabrics were … he didn't even know how to explain it.

"Excuse me sir would you please not come in here."

Harry turned to look at the man. "I'm sorry sir you don't think my money is good enough?" he said.

"Mister would you stop. I'm not interested."

Harry turned to where his blue trail was still leading. "Fleur sweetheart," he said. He reached the blonde and there was a rich buffoon holding on to her upper arm. "Sir I suggest you let go of her," he said. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright **_lokzii_**?" he asked.

Fleur looked up at him. "I would be much better if zis idiot was not 'arassing me," she said.

Harry narrowed his eyes and breathed in. A chill spread through the shop as a dark creature moved out from the shelf behind him. The man's eyes had widened and his breath was shallow. A bony hand moved out from behind the cloak. The man shrieked and ran out of the store.

"What 'appened Kato," Fleur asked.

"I made him think there was a Dementor behind us," Harry said.

She smiled at him "Zat severs 'im right," she said. "I found a perfect robe for you. It is over 'ere." She placed her arm in his and led him over to another section of the store. "Zit is it," she said as she pulled a robe out.

"And how much is that dear?" Harry asked.

"Zese are not marked. You need to try it zough," Fleur said. She moved the 'brunet' over to a changing booth. "'Ere try it," she said.

Harry chuckled. He placed his backpack down on the floor before pulling his robes off so he could try the stylish green and sliver. He put them on before opening the door up again. "Well," he said.

"You are 'andsome Kato," Fleur said. She reached out and fixed his collar. "Zere," she said.

Harry looked himself in the mirror. "You are right these are nice," he said.

"Of course I'm right," Fleur said. She turned to the shopkeeper. "'Ow much are zese?" she asked him.

"Forty-five galleons miss," the man said. "But from the look of your companion he doesn't…"

"I'll take them," Harry said. He walked back into the booth and changed again. Fleur took his arm as he made his way up to the counter. He placed the robes down before pulling her pouch out of his backpack. He counted out the forty-five galleons that it cost. _'There has to be an easier way,'_ he thought.

The teller folded the robes up and packed them into a very nice box. "Please come again," he said.

Harry almost rolled his eyes. He led Fleur out of the shop and over to a private room at the Leaky Cauldron. The private rooms were quite nice actually. They enjoyed a light lunch before the two of them split up so they could do some private shopping. Harry exchanged some of his galleons for pounds and disappeared over into the non-magical world. He wasn't sure how he found his way to another Gladrags Wizardwear. He walked in glad that he still had a good amount of galleons with him. He found a cloak made out of a fabric that was see-through. It was a very nice indigo colour with lighter hems of lavender. He walked over to the teller and bought it. He would make some personal adjustments to it as well.

He also made it into a couple of clothing stores in the non-magical world. He'd done a quick illusion of his clothes so no one would look at him strange. Then he made his way back to Diagon Alley. He found gifts for Ron, Neville and Hermione as well. Then he met up with Fleur in Sugarplum's Sweets Shop. She was looking around when he entered. "Zey don't 'ave anyzing nice," she said.

"You might want to go into the non-magical work for sweets," Harry said.

"Really?" Fleur said.

"Yes definitely," Harry said. "I can take you to a shop I passed earlier."

Fleur looked down at herself. "I cannot walk out in ze non-magical world like zis," she said.

"Don't worry about it I can fix that," Harry said. He led her back over to the Leaky Cauldron. He placed his hands on her shoulders and illusioned her robes to a dress and coat. He moved, held his arm out for her and illusioned his own clothes as they walked through the inn. He led her over to a confectionery store that sold beautiful little chocolates.

"Now zis is nice," Fleur said. She walked around looking at the little chocolates. "My sister loves chocolate. I wanted to send 'er some," she said. She was very picky.

Harry couldn't fault her though. There were some nasty fillings in there. He helped her figure things out a couple of times when she found something she didn't know what it was. They spent almost a whole hour in there before making their way back to Diagon Alley.

A falcon caught up to Harry. It had a scroll in its talon. He reached out and took it. "Thank you," he said. He opened the scroll up and red through it. _'Ohhhh, 'kay,'_ he thought. He gave it to Fleur. "The goblins want to see me. This might get messy. You don't have to be there," he said.

"I'm not going to leave you to go zere on your own," Fleur said.

"Thank you my lady," Harry said. They walked back to the bank.

"If you would come with me Mister Potter," Griphook said as they reached the goblin. He led them further up in the big marble building. They were taken to a big hall. Seven thrones stood in there with seven different banners behind them. A goblin sat in each throne. They were all dressed differently. Three of them wore armour. Two of them wore thick leather clothes and two wore robes. They were all armed though.

Harry walked into the room and bowed. "I did not expect to meat with the Clan Heads of the Dwemer," he said. "It is an honour."

"You have been called before the Clan Heads of the goblins because you have been found in position of old gold," one of the goblins said.

"I brought that gold with me from Skyrim," Harry said. "Dwemer once lived there before the race disappeared during the eruption of the Red Mountain in Morrowind. I assume your ancestors' brought gold with them from Nirn when they came here."

"How can a mere human know of our history of old?"

"He just told you Vokur," another goblin said. "He went to the world our people come from."

"That isn't possible. Our ancestors tried to make it back and they couldn't manage," Gordac said.

"That was because they used three items to get here," Harry said. "They used the hammer Sunder, the armguard Wraithguard, and the dagger Keening. He took his backpack off and kneeled down. Then he pulled the dagger out of his pack. Keening crafted by Lord Kagrenac, Chief Tonal Architect of the Dwemer."

"That does not belong to you human!" one of the goblins growled. He got out of his throne. "Hand it back."

Harry shifted. He could pull his sword in about five seconds. "I will give this blade to the Dwemer race or to the clan that descended from Lord Kagrenac," he said. "You cannot claim something that is not yours. I do not lay claim of ownership on this dagger now that I know the goblin were Dwemer. It belongs to your race, but I will not have someone claim what is not theirs. He moved as another goblin rushed forward and pulled his sword. He blocked the goblin's strike and kicked him back.

"Call your man back Thorgall," one of the other goblins roared. "The young man is right. No one here can claim ownership of the dagger." He turned to Harry. "You say you will hand the dagger to our people?" he said.

"Of course sir," Harry said. "I didn't expect to meet the Dwemer when I got back to Earth. But I have no problems with returning an item that belong to your people to you. I just don't like the idea of someone using it to exert dominance or take credit for work I did."

The old goblin nodded. "But you will return it… My name is Gardock," he said. "I am head of Clan Zoldark. We are smiths. That dagger will be positioned upon a place of honour." He looked to his left and then to the right. "Does anyone object to Clan Zoldark handling the dagger Keening?" he asked.

Harry placed his own sword back before walking up to the goblin. He turned the knife around and handed it to the Dwemer descendant.

"Ah, this really is something special," Gardock said. "Thank you young man."

Harry bowed and stepped back.

"And the gold?" Thorgall said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The gold I gathered and earned," he said. "I didn't know goblins had to steal from their clients."

"Of course not young man."

Harry turned to the goblin that had spoken.

"I am Hahkun Head of Clan Magun and Head of the British branch of Gringotts," he told the raven. "We are willing to buy the gold from you."

"Buy it that gold belongs to us!"

"Quiet Grognar," Gardock said. "Hahkun is right. If we stole from the clients then wizard would take their money elsewhere."

"But he stole it from us!" Vokur said.

Harry held a hand out and the room changed. It showed a Dwemer ruin. A Dwemer spider ran across the floor. His breathing became laboured. He had to let it go.

The argument that followed was held in Gobbledegook so Harry had no chance of understanding it. He smiled at Fleur as she placed a hand on his arm. "Zings are going alright?" she asked. He sighed. "I don't know **_lokzii_** ," he said. "We'll see when they are done."

"You are tired 'Arry," Fleur said concerned.

"I have used a lot of power today," Harry said. "I need to eat and rest."

Fleur nodded.

They stood there together as the goblins argued with each other. They were quite passionate.

In the end Gardock made the others fall silent. He looked at Harry. "We will pay you for the gold," he said. "It would be theft to do otherwise. There is something else we need to speak to you about though. If you would take over Hahkun."

The Head of Gringotts nodded. He looked over at the humans. "According to Griphook you sealed you vault with magic unknown to him. We want to know what you did," he said.

Harry nodded. "I sealed the vault to the family and magic of the Potter family. The only other being who can enter the vault is my manager," he said. "I used dragon magic from Nirn to do it. I doubt there is anyone else on Earth who can. I didn't do it because I don't trust goblin but rather because my first trip through the bank took me past a vault that was later broken into."

"Would you be willing to provide this service for others?" one of the goblins Harry didn't yet know the name of asked.

Harry considered it for a moment. "Yes," he said. "I would be willing to do that. The runes I used can be used for anyone. They basically say: safe secure access owner, and then the owner's name, no other access but manager, and the manager's name. The difficult part is the power I have to use to make it work. It is a lot of power that has to go into that."

"You also said something while down there," Hahkun said.

"I spoke to the dragons down there. I doubt they could actually hear me though," Harry said. "It was a greeting of sorts."

"You can't speak to dragons," Thorgall said.

"As a matter of fact we have old scripts that speak of the Priests of dragons who could actually speak to them."

"That is just…"

"Ivor is right Thorgall," Vokur said.

"But there is no way for anyone to just travel between worlds let alone a human," Grognar said.

"Even if that human was guided by a goddess, Kyne?" Harry asked.

"The Nordic pantheon?"

Harry nodded.

"A god or goddess can do things beyond any mortal's understanding," Ivor said. "You all forget that this room will not allow lies to be spoken. This young human cannot lie to us. And he hasn't tried to."

"We will have the best for our customers and that is what matters," Hahkun said. "We can debate this in a moment. Young man if you could meet up with your account manager before you leave he will have some suggestions for you."

Harry nodded. "Of course sir," he said. He knew he was dismissed and frankly he didn't want to listen to them any more. He led Fleur out and Griphook led them down to Gogil's office.

…

Harry shook his head and sighed. He'd dropped Fleur off at the Beauxbatons carriage. The goblins had offered him work. He had spent a long time haggling with Gogil for how big a cut the goblins would get from his work. It had made perfect sense to him. What hadn't made sense to him was that they wanted 50 percent. It turned out that his manager had wanted him to haggle. Humans tended to just accept the prices goblins gave them. It was like a sign of intelligence when a human wasn't just giving in to the initial price or suggestion. They had settled for 30 percent.

They had also decided how much his services would cost. Taking in to account that some people would actually haggle. Apart from that they had set up an alias for him. Strangely enough his last name had come from his own heritage. Peverell. The maker of his invisibility cloak had apparently been a Peverell. Goblins had long memories. They had done it because it was safer for him. They would make more money of him if he was safe.

So now he was Kato Peverell in his dealings with the goblins. The last thing that had happened was that he'd been handed a port-key that would take him directly to Gogil's office. The goblins wanted him to start working as soon as possible.

He lay down in bed after hiding the gifts. He was so tired. The gold he had brought would be auctioned out. Gogil had told him that some families would pay an extreme amount of money for that gold. All his family wanted was two bars in compensation for handling his dealings. He had been fine with that.


	41. Alastor Moody

**Alastor Moody**

 _20th of December, 1994. Tuesday_

It was late at night. Long pale fingers moved over an old piece of parchment. _'Now what is that?'_ Harry wondered as his finger trailed over a name. "Winky," he said softly.

The elf showed up. "Master Harry. What does Master Harry want from Winky?" she asked.

"Does Mr Crouch have a son Winky?" Harry asked. "You don't have to tell me anything about him. I just want to know if he has a son."

Winky nodded slowly. She like her Master Harry and telling him Young Master Barty existed was not wrong. "Master Crouch son is Young Master Barty," she said.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said. "You're a good elf. I won't need you anymore tonight. You can do as you please." He placed a finger back down on the map. There was one dot labelled Alastor Moody and another labelled Bartemius Crouch. Barty sounded like a pet version of Bartemius. He watched them for a moment. There had to be something with that. He'd have to check it out. _'But not now,'_ he thought.

He put the map away and lay down. So much was going on. He hadn't thought that he would have so much to do when he got back to Earth. But, well… he wasn't left bored that much was for sure.

…

 _21st of December, 1994. Wednesday_

 _'_ _Well that is strange,'_ Harry thought. Moody wasn't Moody. He couldn't say he was surprised. It answered a lot of questions. Like who had put his name in the goblet. It raised other questions though. Why was Moody not moving in his office?

He guessed he should do something about that. He stood up and walked over to the Grand Staircase. He headed up the stairs and through the draughty corridors. He could understand why Fleur disliked it. He took a shortcut to Moody's office. He wondered why Dumbledore hadn't noticed that Moody wasn't the real Moody. They were supposed to know each other really well.

A wave of magic moved out to the door. There were a couple of safety precautions taken around the door but nothing further in. **_"Feim zii gron,"_** he whispered. His body went clear but not invisible. He walked straight through the door. _'Now where is he?'_ he thought. He wasn't sure he could use the clairvoyance spell. He didn't know the real Moody. His eyes fell on the chest in the room. It was big enough to hold a body. Then he had the problem of finding the key. And the fake Moody most likely had the key. He sat down in a chair. He would figure something out.

…

Moody limped through the corridors. All these stupid children and their idiotic ideas. He opened his office door up. It would be worth it though. His Master would return. His eyes widened slightly as he realised that Professor Dumbledore was standing in his office. The door slammed closed behind him.

"You don't have to do this my boy," the old wizard said. "There are other options Bartemius."

The fake Moody blacked out.

When he woke up again his Polyjuice Potion had worn off. He looked up. Dumbledore was still standing there. The chest he had hidden Moody in was open. _'Ooh for…'_ he thought. So much effort - so much work. It was all wasted. He looked around. He had to get away. He moved back slowly. He managed to get to the door without the old man noticing. He opened it up and then he was running. On his way out of the castle he knocked a kid out and took his wand. He would have to get back to his Master.

…

Harry rolled his eyes. Sometimes Illusions were so practical. He moved over to the door leading up to the private quarters of the Defence teacher. He had moved all of Moody's items into the bedroom. Maybe he should have killed Barty. He didn't like killing though. He placed a hand on the chest of the man lying on the bed. He sent healing magic through his fingers down into the man. He asked Winky to show up so someone could look after the former Auror.

"I want to know if he wakes up dear," Harry told her. He headed out. He needed to get outside, needed to get some air. He reached the great doors and pushed one of them open. His breath came out in clouds of white smoke in front of him. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

"Master Harry, Strange man be waking up now," Winky said.

Harry nodded. "Could you get us something to eat, dear?" he asked her. "It should be something easily digested for Moody."

"Winky can do that. Master needs to eat. Master needs his energy," Winky said. *Pop!

Harry turned around and headed back into the castle. He made his way up to the Defence teacher's office. He could hear a lot of grumbling coming from the bedroom. He opened the door. "I see you have come too Mister Moody," he said.

The one dark eye the man had focused on him. "And who are you?" he asked gruffly.

Harry walked forward and cast a Magelight to the ceiling so they would be able to see.

"Well, well is it isn't James' son," Moody said. He would recognise that mess of hair anywhere.

"You knew my father Mr Moody?" Harry asked.

The grey haired man nodded slowly. "He was a good man, laddie, and a good Auror," he said. "So you are responsible for getting me out of that chest?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I seem to be the only one that noticed something was off," he said. "I figure I should do something about it. Barty Crouch Jr. isn't here anymore. I scared him off. You are at Hogwarts it is Yuletide. Today is the twenty-first. He turned to the side as Winky popped in. He had seen Moody's reaction as the elf showed up. He was glad he had placed the man's wand on the other side of the room. "This is Winky. She is my house-elf. You should eat – regain your strength."

Moody looked down at the broth Winky placed down over his lap on a tray. He was giving it a suspicious stare.

"I have no reason to harm you after I spent an hour or so healing you," Harry said.

"Where is my wand?" Moody asked.

"Your wand, wooden leg, and magical eye are all on the desk over there. I did not let him leave with any of those," Harry said.

"You should have neutralised the bastard," Moody said. "Leaving enemies alive is not a wise decision."

Harry shrugged. "At least he doesn't know it was me that found him," he said.

Moody nodded. "That's good laddie the less you enemy know the better," he said. He looked down at the broth again. The kid had a point, and he was James' son. He didn't like just trusting people, but he'd give the kid a chance. The broth felt good. He hadn't had anything to eat in a while. "Can you get me the eye laddie?" he said.

Harry placed his own plate down and stood up from the chair he had pulled into the room. He picked the eye up and walked over to the man. He held it out and Moody took it. The man pouched it into his empty eye socket. It spun around like crazy for a couple of turns as the magic of the eye connected back with its owner magic. He looked over at the raven-haired teen. The boy was glowing. _'Fuck,'_ he thought. The kid was glamoured. "Who are you?" he asked. "You are not Young Potter."

Harry turned to him. "I take it that the real owner of the eye is better at using it than the fake was," he said. He reached up and removed the amulet he was wearing.

The rainbow glow disappeared. The raven looked older but nothing else had changed really. It was still James' son. "So either I have been out for a long time or you have done something not so wise with an ageing potion," Moody said.

Harry looked over at him. "It is a bit more complicated than that," he said. "I take it that you won't trust me if I don't actually tell you what happened." He stood up and walked out of the room to fetch the Secrecy Sensor. He placed it down next to the bed. It wasn't humming anymore. "So this should be able to tell you if I lie to you, right?"

"Yes, it will," Moody said.

Harry leaned back in his chair. He had quite the story to tell.

…

Moody was studying James' son. The kid had been through a lot. He was a warrior though; that much was clear from what he was told. And not a single lie. That wasn't common in teens. He would have expected the boy to exaggerate. It had been very common in the boy's father and godfather. But there was nothing like that. He was to the point and didn't make himself seem better than he was. "And you haven't told Dumbledore any of this?" he asked grumpily.

Harry looked up at him. "I don't trust Dumbledore," he stated. "In my first year he pulled Voldemort to the school by placing the object he knew the man wanted in a hidden chamber down in the dungeons. In my second he knew where the opening to the Chamber of Secrets was but did nothing about it."

Moody nodded. He had his own thoughts regarding his old friend that he would keep to himself, but he didn't fault the boy. "How many know about your change?" he asked.

"You, the French champion and the goblins," Harry answered. "The goblins won't say anything because I'm going to make money for them, and I brought things that they really want to get their hands on with me from Skyrim. Some of those things are knowledge so they need me. Fleur and I have shared secrets. I trust her. You, I figured you wouldn't trust me at all if I didn't tell you and it is good to have someone among the grown-ups that I can rely on."

"The goblins are fine. They are more interested in gold than getting involved with human affairs," Moody said. "The girl could be a problem, though."

Harry shrugged. "That is my problem," he said. "I trust her." He tilted his head to the side. "If I choose to not trust anyone, then my life will get really boring. I'm not scared of danger. I know I have to be careful, but I have lived in a world were basically everyone around me was a possible enemy. I learned how to tell which people I could trust and which I had to be careful around."

"Experience," Moody said. "It is the best teacher." He looked over to his desk. "Could you get me my other things?" he requested. He needed to think about what the kid had said. "So no one but you and your elf know that there was a fake Moody around?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "I didn't tell anyone else. I wasn't sure how you wanted to handled things," he said.

"Good, good," Moody said as he put the wooden leg on. "What a mess," he muttered. He felt weak. He didn't like that. He would have the whole Christmas break to heal up.

"You should probably take it easy," Harry said. "I have healed you, but your muscles have taken a beating."

"So, you have learned a lot that no one here would expect laddie," Moody said.

"Definitely," Harry said. "I'm doing my best to make sure that no one realises what's going on. I mastered an array of magic, learned how to use a sword and a bow and I can talk to dragons plus use magic restricted to dragons on Nirn. Dragons here on Earth have forgotten how to use it. They can no longer hear the **_Thu'um_** in their voices."

Moody stood up. "I have a cane," he said.

Harry held his hand out. He made the door to the office open, and then he pulled the cane though. "Here," he said as he held it out

"Thank you," Moody said. He wobbled over to his desk and grabbed his wand. He checked himself out. _'Looks good enough,'_ he thought. The kid had done a good job. He just needed to eat proper for a while now. There was so much he had to deal with. He kind of like the idea of no one knowing that it hadn't been him teaching the past term though. He turned to Potter. "You'll have to tell me what the fake me has been teaching you," he told the teen.

Harry nodded. "I will need to get back to the common room soon," he said. "People will get really suspicious otherwise."

"Write what you have been up to down until tomorrow, and try to make a list over things that the fake Moody did that you paid attention to," Moody said.

"Will do sir," Harry said. "Take it easy. Winky will show up if you call her. Don't tell her that the fake Moody was Barty Crouch though. She used to work for the Crouches."

Moody nodded in understanding. He didn't need a hysterical elf on his hands.

* * *

 _22nd of December, 1994. Thursday_

Moody was going through the notes taken by his fake self. The guy had been quite thorough. There were notes on basically every student. He moved through the notes slowly wondering how accurate they were. Young Potter would probably be more reliable. Of course he could always ask the teen to go through the notes. The boy could tell him how accurate they were.

James had been his protégé together with Sirius. He would do his damned best to make sure that Harry was prepared. The teen had a good starting point, but he needed help to understand the magical world. He was not going to let the boy die.

There was a knock on his door. He walked over to it and opened it up.

"Good morning sir," Harry said.

"Good morning laddie. You are up bright and early," Moody said. He moved to the side so the raven could walk into the room. He sent off a spell at the teen's back. It didn't make contact.

"What are you trying to do Professor?" Harry asked.

"Check if you are aware of your surroundings. You would have grown antlers if you hadn't blocked that," Moody said.

Harry chuckled. "I guess that's fitting though," he said. "Dad being a stag animagus and all."

"It's dumb to get hit no matter what the spell is," Moody said. He pointed over to the notes. I want you to go through those and check how valid they are," he said. "Do you have the list I asked for?" He was handed a roll of parchment.

"That is as good as I can do. I was away for five years in the middle of that," Harry said. He looked down at the notes. "I don't know all that many students," he said.

"Just check the ones you know. If those are correct then I can assume the rest are fairly good to," Moody said.

"Makes sense," Harry said. He started reading through the notes.

 _Weasley, Fred and George_

 _Inventive but a pain in the ass to teach. Always comes up with new idiocies._

 _Keeps testing the magical eye._

 _Weasley, Ronald_

 _Unfocused, easily bored. He's useless at magic. If it wasn't for Granger and_

 _Potter he wouldn't get anywhere. Not very powerful._

He shifted through a couple of more names.

 _Granger, Hermione_

 _Book-smart but not as good with spells as she is with her written work._

 _Over enthusiastic. Always wants to answer questions. Keeps repeating_

 _exactly what the books say._

 _Malfoy, Draco_

 _Arrogant but not all that smart. Reminds me of his father._

 _Basically thinks his daddy is going to make everything the way_

 _he wants them to be._

Harry moved through a few more notes. "The ones I know add up alright," he said. "You would probably have more opinions, but these aren't wrong."

"I want to see how you deal with making the teachers think you're using wizarding magic," Moody said. "I want to know if my eye can tell."

Harry nodded. "Sure," he said. He got up from the chair and walked out to the open area that Moody had created for them. "So simple spell like Expelliarmus, would be." A scarlet beam of magic flew from the tip of his mock wand, and the wand Moody was holding flew out of his grasp.

"It certainly doesn't look the same," Moody said. "One eye sees the disarming charm the other sees something quite different. There aren't a lot of people around with an eye like mine though. It is pretty unique."

"And the fake couldn't tell the difference," Harry said.

"He wasn't good enough at using the eye," Moody said. "It felt like a disarming charm." He grabbed his wand as it was moved back to him. "How does that work through a shield charm?" he asked.

"I have no clue," Harry said. "I haven't tried."

"Do it again," Moody said.

Another scarlet light flew across the room. It went straight through the shield and pulled Moody's wand out of his grasp. "I'm going to have to work on that," Harry said. "If I just bypass shields later that is going to be a problem."

Moody nodded. "It will be favourable later that you can just bypass the shield though," he said.

"Lessons are pretty boring," Harry said. "I would like something a bit more challenging."

"Auror level strategy books I'm thinking," Moody said. "You'll have to make them look like something else though."

"Sounds good," Harry said. He caught a spell that the older man sent at him. And then … they were fighting for real. He had to use every type of spell in his arsenal to keep up with the experienced former Auror. He was hit in the chest with a white beam and doubled over. He fell down on his knees.

"You are good kid," Moody said. He pointed his wand at the boy's neck. "Dead," he said.

Fire sprung out from Harry. He grabbed Moody's wrist and tripped the man so he fell down on the ground. An ice spear appeared in his hand as he stood above the man. "Dead," he said.

Moody started laughing. "Help me up laddie," he said. "Normally I would tell you that doing what you just did is stupid, but my experience of Death Eaters is that they will try to do exactly what I just did."

Harry nodded. "I can't be perfect," he said. "But if we continue this I'll definitely get better. I also didn't use my **_Thu'um_** at all this time."

"The dragon magic is different?" Moody asked.

"It is," Harry said. "I don't want to rely on it though because if I get silenced then I'm not sure I can use it." He helped Moody return the classroom to normal.

"So the goblins want you to work for them laddie," Moody asked.

Harry hummed. "I have an alias for that so no one will know it is me," he said.

"Good thinking boy," Moody said.

They spent most of that day going through everything that had happened up until that point. Moody had been told certain things by Dumbledore and he was now asking for Harry's view on those same things. The teen was very cynical. He was to the point though. Dumbledore had a tendency to really irritate him by talking around things. He wanted information not a guessing game.

…

That evening when Harry reached the common room he walked straight up to Hermione. "Do you still have your first year Ancient Runes book?" he asked.

The bushy-haired brunette looked up at him surprised. "Yes, yes I do," she said.

"Could I borrow it? I'm trying to expand my knowledge base. Divination is pretty useless, but I doubt they will let me change now you know. So I figured I could at least learn a little on my own," Harry said.

Hermione beamed up at him. "That is a great idea Harry!" she said. "Can I give it to you tomorrow? I'm not entirely sure where I have it. I know it is in my trunk though."

"That's fine," Harry said as he sat down.

"So what have you been up to?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, Professor Moody wanted some help. I've been down in the Defence classroom," the raven said.

"That's nice of you," Hermione said with a smile. "How are you doing with your homework?"

"I'm almost done. We can finish up tomorrow," Harry said.

Hermione nodded. "That works. Should we ask Ron and Neville too?" she asked.

"Sure."


	42. May I have this dance?

**May I have this dance?**

 _25th of December, 1994. Sunday_

Early on Christmas morning Harry was woken up by Ronald and the other teens in his dorm rummaging around, opening their Christmas gifts. It was the only morning they had woken up before him. He sat up slowly and placed a hand on his amulet. It was active like always. He pulled his scarlet bed curtains aside.

"Merry Christmas Harry," Neville said as he noticed that his friend was awake.

"Merry Yule," Harry responded. He looked down at his pile of presents. He moved down to the foot of the bed and reached down. He packed up a box filled with candy. He wasn't sure what to do with that. Candy wasn't his favourite anymore. He liked baked goods, but candy wasn't all that good. He guessed he could eat it over time. He might enjoy that.

Ron had given him Dungbombs and Hermione a book on Quidditch. Neville was the real treat among his Hogwarts friends. He had given him a set of all around secateurs that were supposed to be used when magic wasn't a good idea. Fleur's gift was amazing. She had given him a pair of really nice dragon skin boots in black. He could tell that they were enchanted. He wondered what enchantments they were though. There was a note with them that suggested he wore them that evening.

Sirius gift was a penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot. He really liked that one. It was like a Skeleton Key without mind tricks involved. It would come in handy he was sure. He packed his things down into his trunk and gathered the paper together in a neat pile. He knew that Winky would show up and clean it up later.

"Thanks Harry!"

The raven looked up. Neville was holding his new apron with a set of very interesting enchantments on it. Some of which were hidden in dovahzul. There was a knife with the apron. It would cut through basically anything but human tissue. And, a set of jars that would keep things fresh for quite a long time. It had all been a set and Harry had though it would be perfect for the plant loving brunet.

They got dressed and went downstairs.

"Thank you for the books Harry. Those looked like they might be really rare," Hermione said.

Harry shrugged. "I thought you'd like them," he said.

"Oh, I have already started reading the one about Nordic Runes. I didn't think it would be so… It is almost like a story book but it teaches things," Hermione said. "Did you know that…"

Harry smiled as Hermione started telling him exactly what the book had said. He knew basically what it said. He'd speed read the book before buying it to make sure it was a good one for the brunette. They went down to the Great Hall and sat down by the Gryffindor table. Harry had porridge with banana slices in it. He wanted to take a trip outside, walk around some, travel into the forest maybe. He didn't have training with Moody that day. It was Yule day after all. It didn't mean he would just sit still the whole day up until the ball.

Going from the Great Hall, he left his friends and headed outside. He made his way to the forest. There wasn't as much snow under the tall trees. The long spindly branches held it off, and the evergreens looked like they were coated in frosting. He took his amulet off before he started running through the forest. He avoided the Acromantula nest and the Centaurs as best as he could. He didn't want to deal with either. It was freeing to just run. When he returned to the courtyard he found the others knee deep in a snowball fight. He joined in by hitting Fred in the back. _'Oh, no,'_ he thought as the twins started approaching him, evil grins on their faces. He backed off.

"We got you now, little Hawy." "Can't escape us," they said before launching at the raven.

Harry hit the snow with a thud. He struggled against the twin terror Weasleys. He laughed and pushed them off him one by one. He got up on his knees and rolled out of the way for a snowball before jumping at Fred. He wrestled the redhead down, but before he could repay the teen he was tackled to the side.

"What you need three hours to get ready?" Ron said.

Harry sat up. He looked over at Hermione. "You going?" he asked.

The brunette glared at Ron before nodding to Harry. "I'll see you later," she said.

"Sure, later," Harry said. He grabbed George and pushed him down in the snow.

About an hour or so later he excused himself.

"Really Harry you're as bad as the girls," Ron said.

The raven shrugged. "I just don't want to be elbowing with everyone else later," he said. He headed up and stepped into the shower. He had to change how his glamour amulet worked. Right now it would make anything he wore look like the school uniform. He'd have to negate that since he wanted his dress robes to look like his dress robes. He walked out of the shower and dried up. He'd been making sure that his glamour had started growing its hair out as well. It was nowhere near what he preferred, but it was getting there. At least Fleur would be seeing him without his glamour from now on. It was a bit tricky making it all work but not impossible. He was getting better and better at dealing with the smaller details of Illusion magic.

He got into his dress robes and fixed the cuffs. Fleur had some very specific ideas. He'd do his best to keep to those. He brushed his hair before grabbing it and put it up in a low ponytail. He put his new boots on before he straightened the wrinkles out. He was done as the other guys came into the dorm.

"Whoa, Harry mate, what are you trying at," Seamus said.

The raven raised an eyebrow at his sandy haired Irish dorm mate. "I'm looking stylish that's what," he said. "You'll get why when you see my date. Good luck." He headed down the stairs. The common room was still nicely empty. Everyone was getting ready for the ball. Fred and George were some of the first people back down in the common room. Their robes had obviously been changed some. They had done an amazingly good job.

"Well, well Harry you look dashing," they said in unison.

"Thank you. You're not too bad yourselves," Harry said.

"You think Angelina will approve," Fred said as he twirled girlishly. "I don't look fat in this right."

Harry chuckled. "I think she'd be overjoyed as long as that impression wasn't supposed to be of her," he said.

"It better not have been," Angelina said as she walked down the last steps of the spiral staircase leading up to the girl's dorms. Her purple dress flowed around her.

"Ah, my pretty lady will you forgive this poor jest for his missteps," Fred said dramatically.

The dark-haired witch shook her head in amusement. She took Fred's outstretched hand, and he hugged her close.

Alicia came down not long after her. She took George's hand.

They were all on the Quidditch team. Katie came down as well and all of them were gathered. The Gryffindor Quidditch team. They spent fifteen minutes or so just talking to each other. They ended up on the subject of Quidditch eventually.

"…well who says we can't play some?" Harry said. "They just said there won't be a competition this year. That doesn't mean we can't play. All we need to do is talk to the other teams you know. The only bad part is that we don't have a Keeper. But you know what maybe it would be a good idea to look for one this year and train them so they're ready next year."

Angelina smirked. "Oh, that is such a good idea. No one else will actually think about that," she said.

"So up until the weather gets better we look for people who are interested then?" Alicia said.

"That would be the plan," Harry said. "I spent hours flying before it got to cold. We should be able to make a game of some sort out of training to now when slave master Wood is not running the team."

"And then we get serious when it matters," Angelina said. She looked up at the stairs as footsteps made their way down the girls' stairs. "Oh, my," she said.

Harry turned towards the stairs. A smirk spread over his lips. "You look lovely Hermione," he said. He held his arm out for her. "I'm going to assume that your date isn't a Gryffindor," he said. "May I walk you downstairs?"

Hermione's bushy hair had been tamed down and put in an elegant knot at the back of her head. Her dress was blue and really showed that she was a girl. Harry doubted anyone would have troubles seeing that now. She blushed and took his arm. "You look quite stunning yourself," she said.

Harry walked over to the portrait hole with her by his side. The rest of the Quidditch team followed behind them. He smiled softly. Hermione was quiet for once. She seemed rather nervous. "Don't worry," he said. "It'll be fine. You'll have a lovely evening, you'll see." He guided her down to the Entrance Hall. "Are you leaving the castle?" he asked.

Hermione nodded slowly. "Yes," she said.

Harry looked over his shoulder. "We'll see you guys later," he said. He led Hermione out of the castle and into the cold evening. He warmed her up as they walked out towards the ship. The courtyard had been turned into a maze of ice tunnels. It looked magical. They made their way to the Durmstrang ship and up the gangplank. Harry reached out and knocked on the door to the forecastle.

It took a little while, and then the door opened. It was Viktor Krum. "Herm-own-ninny you are butiful," he said. He turned his head and looked at Harry.

The raven smiled. "I'll leave you now. I have my own lady to get to," he said. He kissed Hermione on the forehead. "Have fun," he said. Then he backed off before turning around. He needed to go and meet Fleur. He wasn't the only one standing by the Beauxbatons carriage. There were several Hogwarts students out there. Two Durmstrang students were out there as well. The carriage opened and several French girls came walking out. Harry smiled brightly as Fleur walked out, the indigo cloak he'd given her wrapped around her shoulders. Under it she wore a strapless long flowing dress in silver with flowers along the upper hem. "Bonsoir, Mademoiselle Delacour," he said as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Bonsoir, Monsieur Potter," Fleur said. She took the arm offered to her. The people around them stared at them. "People are so annoying," she said.

Harry nodded. "It's not like they matter," he said.

Fleur giggled. She leaned in closer to him. "You are right 'Arry," she said.

They walked back to the Entrance Hall through the icy maze that had been made especially for the ball. They entered the Hall and walked up to Fred and George. Harry introduced his date and the twins started laughing. "Oh, this is priceless," Fred said. He bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you Mademoiselle Delacour," he said.

Harry smiled. The twins really knew how to behave apparently. They introduced their own dates, and Fleur started talking to Angelina and Alicia. They actually found themselves having a lot in common. Harry smiled over at Hermione when she entered with the Durmstrang students.

Then they heard Professor McGonagall's voice call, "Champions over here, please!"

"We'll see you in there," Harry told his friends before he led Fleur over to the closed doors to the Great Hall. They were joined by Krum and Hermione and Cedric and his date who was a cute Asian girl in a silvery-white kimono cut dress. He was sure he'd met her before, but it was ages ago for him. He turned to Professor McGonagall as she instructed them to wait to the side of the door as the other students entered so they could all walk inside in procession. It was supposed to be a show that much was clear.

Harry smiled at Fleur. "We should stay together," he suggested to the other two champions.

"Zat sounds like a good idea," Fleur agreed with him. "Unless you would rather sit with your friends."

Viktor looked down at Hermione. "Vuld you like to stay vith the other champions?" he asked her.

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yes that would be nice," she said. She turned to Harry. "As long as you guys don't make all conversation about Quidditch," she said.

The raven chuckled.

"What is wrong with Quidditch," Cho said with a smile. "I'm up to keeping the champions together," she added

Cedric nodded. "Sounds good," he said.

"You all play Quidditch?" Viktor asked surprised.

"Oh, no," Hermione said with a smile. "What have I started?"

"We're all seekers actually," Cedric said chuckling. "But I think that Miss Granger is right. Maybe tonight is not the time to talk Quidditch."

Viktor nodded. "You are right Cedric," he said.

Behind Harry the other students where walking into the hall still. Once they were all inside Harry turned around with Fleur.

"Now you if you would all enter in line after me please," Professor McGonagall said. She walked inside and Harry waited a good minute before he and Fleur started walking in slowly. The customary house tables were gone and replaced with about a hundred smaller tables. "Winky," Harry whispered. He felt the elf's presence next to him. "Could you add another table especially for the champions and their dates in front of the top table please?" he asked. He was glad that Cedric and Cho were walking behind them so Hermione didn't hear him.

All around them students were clapping. Harry noticed the look Karkaroff was giving Hermione. He'd have to keep an eye on that. He trusted Hermione and he guessed he trusted Viktor well enough, but he didn't want the bossy brunette to get hurt. Madame Maxime was looking at him with a somewhat displeased expression as well. He didn't fear her though. She might be a half giant, but that didn't bother him at all. He pulled out Fleur's chair for her before sitting down himself. The others joined them as well.

Hermione was talking intently with Viktor. She didn't seem to have noticed that the table they were sitting at had appeared from nowhere.

"Zis is razer tacky," Fleur said as she touched the golden plate in front of her.

Harry hummed. "It is the school colour strangely enough. I mean my house Gryffindor uses gold as well. It isn't really fair on the other houses," he said.

"We 'ave ice sculptures at Beauxbatons at Yuletide," Fleur said.

Harry nodded. "Every place is different," he said with a shrug. "It would be so boring if every magical school did things the same." He touched the menu lying next to his plate. "Winky said she would prepare something special for us," he said softly so only Fleur could hear. "I would love to see Beauxbatons though." He'd returned to a more normal conversational tone.

"She's such a lovely elfe," Fleur said as the food appeared. She had been drinking a wonderful grape juice as an aperitif. "You could come wiz me zis summer," she said softly. "Ze school is open during the summer too." She looked down at the samosas on her plate. She picked her fork and knife up and cut it the golden crust open. It smelled wonderful. She would have to remember to thank Winky later. She realise that they were vegetarian half way through her first one. Winky was such a little sweetheart. It was nice with something new.

The main dish was grilled chicken with green bean salad. The warm tomatoes were nice and sweet.

"Vell, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable," Viktor told Hermione. He noticed that the others were listening to and moved away from her a bit so he was talking to the entire table. "Ve have just four floors, and the fires are lit only for magical purposes. But ve have grounds larger than even than these – though in vinter, ve have very little daylight, se ve are not enjoying them so much. But in summer ve are flying every day, over the lakes and the mountains it is vunderful."

"Zat sounds razer 'orrible," Fleur said.

"It's good motivation to learn to keep warm," Viktor said. "And the viev in summer is vurth it."

"But Durmstrang is hidden from all but the students and teachers right," Harry said.

Viktor nodded. "The headmasters are a bit, параноик, paranoid?" he said. "It's a shame in some vays. It vuld be nice to shov others the grounds - not the school so much."

"Beauxbatons is ze same way," Fleur said. "We 'ave some exceptions zough."

"I guess now that we're all gathered. I can let the two of you know that depending on what the last task of this competition is I'll do my best to sit it out. I never wanted to be in this in the first place. I'd prefer that the last task is between the real champions," Harry said.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Harry are you sure?" she asked. "You might not have wanted to but you're in it like everyone else now."

The raven shrugged. "What am I supposed to do with glory and money Hermione?" he said. "I'd rather walk away from this competition with new friends." He placed his hand on Fleur's. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was as much as he was going to tell them.

"That… that is very noble of you," Cedric said. "What if you can't sit it out though?"

"Then I'll fight as hard as everyone else," Harry said.

"Fair enouf," Viktor said. "You can only sit out if you can sit out."

They talked through dessert deciding that they would have to meet up more after that. They might be competing, but that didn't mean they had to hate each other. They all had things in common after all.

"Has everyone finished eating?" Dumbledore said. "If you would all stand up, please."

Everyone stood up. The champions moved so they were standing side by side with their dates. The Hall fell silent as the Weird Sisters walked out on a small stage that Dumbledore conjured along the right hand wall before he'd made all the tables float back to leave the floor clear. Applauds sounded throughout the Hall as the punk dressed musicians picked up their instruments.

Harry and the other champions walked out on the dance floor as the lights went out all around the room. He led Fleur out on the floor. She smiled up at him as he placed his right had on her waist and took her right had in his left. The music started playing, and they started dancing. Out of the corner of his eye Harry could see Hermione. She was smiling brightly at Viktor.

Eventually others joined them on the floor. Neville was guiding Ginny Weasley up. She looked really cute in her pastel dress in blue and green. Harry was glad that one of the older girls had taken matters into her own hands and changed the pink to blue. He spun Fleur around. "How does it feel being away from your family?" he asked.

Fleur hummed softly. "Not as bad as I zought it would be," she said. "You are very good company, and my friends aren't impossible to be wiz. We are 'aving fun. I wish you could join us, but ze ozers wouldn't be 'appy wiz it." She rolled her eyes. "Zey are being stupid."

Harry chuckled. "Well you are just that much smarter you know. That's why you're the Beauxbatons champion," he said.

They danced straight through Mara knows how many songs. Eventually they moved away from the floor to get some refreshments. They found Hermione sitting alone and Fleur sat down next to her.

Harry tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow to Hermione. He knew she didn't really like Fleur's attitude. "So Fleur has been looking into other ways of using the anti-cheating spell," he said. He walked away from the girls knowing that they would be deep in discussion within seconds. He found his way to a punch bowl and filled two cups.

"Harry."

The raven turned around. It was Viktor. "Hi Viktor. On your way back to Hermione?" he asked.

Viktor nodded. "Yes, I haff been trying to get back but these girls vunt leave me alone," he said.

"I left Fleur with Hermione just hang on. We'll get back there," Harry said.

"You are a good flyer," Viktor said. "I sav you against the dragon. There is a game Seekers can play if they have a training snitch. I am vundering if you vuld like to try ven the vether gets better."

Harry nodded. "Sounds like a good idea," he said. He looked back ahead of them. "Oh, that's trouble," he said.

Ron was standing by Hermione. He didn't even seem to have noticed Fleur.

"He's your friend, yes," Viktor said.

"He is but he's got his bad sides and I wouldn't put it past him to try and ruin Hermione's evening," Harry said.

"He vuld do that?" Viktor said his brow wrinkling. That didn't sound like a good friend to him.

"Obvious, isn't it? He's Karkaroff's student, isn't he? He knows who you hang around with… he's just trying to get closer to Harry. He wants to get inside information on him or get near enough to jinx him," Ron said.

Harry sighed. "Vot is that supposed to mean?" Viktor asked him. "Karkaroff was a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's followers in the war. I am starting to regret telling Ronald. I don't judge you by your Headmaster actions," he explained. "Let's stop this before it goes any further." He walked up and kissed Fleur on the cheek as he gave her a glass of punch. "Ron that's enough. Hermione is having a good time with Viktor. I'm here with Fleur. It isn't like she is the only one who is dating a student from another school. If you can't be pleasant then we don't really want your company tonight," he said.

Ron turned to face Harry. "You can't be fine with this," he said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You do realise that I have spent every Tuesday afternoon since the first task with Fleur in the Beauxbatons carriage. That is way more time than Hermione has spent with Viktor," he said. "I like the idea of making friends. I am hoping that Viktor and I will become friends as well. Consider how much we have in common it shouldn't be that difficult."

Ron backed away. He was giving the raven a dark look. "You really have changed," he spat.

Harry shrugged. "If I have, I don't care. I enjoy gaining friends," he said.

"Let's go," Fleur said. She looked over at Hermione. "Come zis bouffon isn't worth our time," she said. She took Harry's hand, and they walked away – Hermione and Viktor not far behind them. They went back to dancing.

A few dances later Harry led Fleur over to the Bulgarian champion and his date and tapped him on the shoulder. "May I steal your lady for a dance?" he asked.

Viktor bowed his head and held Hermione's hand out to the raven as he took Fleur's hand.

Harry led the brunette away from the other two before he positioned his hands and started leading her across the floor.

"You are very good at this," Hermione said.

"Constant training for hours on end with Fleur," Harry said. "And I'm a fast learner when I put my mind to it."

"You didn't tell me you spent time with her."

"You didn't like her. I knew there was more to her than what people saw," Harry said before twirling her around.

"You are an item?" Hermione asked.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "No we're just friends," he said. "It's a good thing I have been doing other stuff though right." He smiled at her. "Viktor might never had pulled up the courage to ask you out otherwise."

Hermione blushed. "I guess that's right," she said.

Harry made sure that they moved back towards Viktor as they were approaching the end of the song. He caught the Bulgarian's eyes and spun Hermione away from him. Fleur stepped out of the way and Viktor caught the brunette.

The next song was slow and Harry pulled Fleur close. "Whoever catches your eyes is a very lucky man," he said.

She smiled at him. "Merci," she said. She gazed into his bright green eyes. Then she reached up and kissed him.

Harry returned the kiss. He wasn't sure he should be doing that. He knew he wasn't ready for another relationship. Fleur was amazing, but she couldn't compete with Rhavaniel. They had stopped dancing.

"Zis won't ruin our friendship, will it?" Fleur asked. "Ze Veela in me didn't react at all. We're not compatible as lovers. I don't want to lose what we 'ave zough."

Harry hugged her. "I'm relieved," he said. "You know I still miss Rhavaniel. I really like you, but," he sighed, "I don't think we would work out."

"Agreed," Fleur said.

"At least we're on the same page," Harry said.

"And don't need to feel awkward any more," Fleur said.

"Yeah, something like that."

They danced until the last song and then Harry followed Fleur outside to the Beauxbatons carriage. He kissed her goodnight before walking back to the school. He should have figured she'd try. They had gotten pretty close after all.


	43. Member of Clan Magun

**Member of Clan Magun**

 _27th of December, 1994. Tuseday_

Barty made his way up to the old overgrown manor house that had once belonged to his Master's father. He had failed. How Dumbledore had suddenly realised that he wasn't Moody was beyond him. He would take whatever punishment his Master would give. He sincerely hoped there was another way to bring the man back. The Dark Lord had to rise again.

He entered the manor and walked up to the study. He took a deep breath. This wasn't going to end well for him. He knocked on the door.

"Come insssside," the cold hissing voice of Lord Voldemort drifted out through the door.

Barty opened the door and walked inside. He kneeled down with his head bowed. "Dumbledore found out about me," he said. "I don't know how he did it. I was lucky the old fool is so soft. I could escape while he was dealing with the real Moody."

The homunculus sitting in front of him hissed angrily. His plans had been ruined. _'Albus,'_ he thought angrily. At least Barty was back with him. The young man was far better help to him than Wormtail. He should have counted on Dumbledore ruining his plans. "Leave me, Barty," he said. "I have sssome planning to do. We'll have to change our approach. Keep Wormtail away from here!"

Barty stood up and bowed before exiting the room. He had been lucky.

* * *

 _28th of December, 1994. Wednesday_

Harry sat up and breathed in deeply. He had tears running down his face. _'Katla…'_ he thought. Fuck he missed her. He missed all of them. He closed his eyes and let his emotions flow. He wasn't one to cry in front of other people, but he knew better than to keep his emotions in.

"Is Master Harry alright?"

The raven looked up. "I'll be O.K. Winky," he said. "Is there something special you wanted?" he asked as he wiped the tears from his face.

"Mister Gogil gave Winky a letter for Master Harry," Winky said. She held a pristine envelope out to him.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said.

"Winky is going to be making breakfast for Master Harry now. Don't Master go anywhere," Winky said before popping away.

Harry chuckled. He sat up properly and opened the envelope up.

 _Dear Mister Potter,_

 _The biding for the Nirn gold has ended, and you are requested_

 _back to the Bank to accept the prise for your gold. While I have_

 _access to your vault it would not be right to remove major_

 _treasure without you presence._

 _Your Account Manager,_

 _Gogil of Clan Magun_

Harry placed the letter down. Hopefully Hermione was going to be busy with Viktor that day. He wouldn't be able to slip away as easily if she wasn't distracted. Winky showed up again with a tray. She placed it down over her Master's legs. "Master Harry will eat," she said.

"Of course Winky," the raven said. He lifted the spoon up from the tray and dipped into his porridge with red berries. It was just right. Next to the bowl there was an egg. He grabbed it and cracked it open. Winky made a breakfast that would keep you going forever.

The little elf came back and removed the tray so Harry could get out and have a shower. He pulled on a set of robes once he'd dried his hair. He's slept in that morning, but things were back to normal so his dorm mates were still asleep and would probably not wake up for another hour at least.

He walked through an almost empty common room before making his way down to the tunnel to Honeydukes. He needed to get outside the wards to use his port-key, and the wards ended about halfway through the tunnel.

"Good morning Gogil of Clan Magun," Harry said as he landed in the goblins office.

"Good morning Mister Potter," Gogil said. He held out a paper to the teen. "Look through that. It is the final offers you have received. There is more that one offer per two bars of gold. You will be able to decide who will get what."

Harry read through the list. "So the Clans aren't all friendly with each other right?" he said.

"No they aren't," Gogil said. "Some you don't want to make even worse enemies out of though."

"Do I represent a Clan or do I stand alone?" Harry asked.

Gogil smirked. This human was asking all the right questions. "Your dealings are handled through Clan Magun. If you do a good job, you represent us."

"And if I don't you want nothing to do with me," Harry said. "O.K. so I have several bids. All of our allies should get bars. And Clan Zoldark because we want them to be on our good side."

"Vokur can become a real problem if we don't make at least a little nice with them," Gogil said.

"So Clan Gordac then," Harry said. "And then one of the warrior Clans and extra for Clan Zoldark." There were fourteen bars in total. After Clan Magun took their two bars there was six sets of two left. They had chosen to sell them two and two. Harry had also brought coins but the gold ratio in those weren't the same as in the bars. The bars were pure. "Split the coins between the highest bidders," Harry said.

Gogil nodded. "Good choice," he said. "We should go down and retrieve the gold. Then we will meet the Clan Heads in the Heart of Gringotts." He stood up and walked over to the door with Harry following him. The teen had taken his amulet off before he'd used the port-key. Now he was moving over to Kato's colours. He wasn't going to be dumb and get himself recognised.

The trip down to the vault and then back up again was rather uneventful. Harry carried the gold into the same Hall he had first met the Clan heads in. He walked up to a table placed in the middle of the room. The gold was counted out according to what he had decided earlier. There was one clan left without any gold. The Warrior Clan Hodat was left without gold. They had been against him the most and were also long time enemies of Clan Magun.

Goblins walked forward and brought the gold back to their Clan Heads.

"This is outrageous," Thorgall exclaimed. He looked straight at Harry. "You have made an enemy here today young man," he threatened.

Harry shrugged. "I can't say I'm worried, sir," he said. "You are not the only warrior here."

The dark haired goblin threw his head back and laughed. He obviously didn't believe that Harry could fight.

The 'brunet' didn't care. He knew what he was capable off.

Gogil had moved up to Hahkun and whispered in his ear. "If you wish to attack this young man you will have to go though us first," the Magun Clan Head said. He got out of his throne-like chair and started walking towards the door. "Walk with me human," he said as he passed Harry.

The 'brunet' followed the Clan Head out of the room. They headed through several marble corridors. They reached a hallway that was lined with statues of goblin warriors.

"I must say I was a bit surprised to learn that a warrior clan runs the bank," Harry said. "Not to say the warriors are stupid in anyway. I'm just surprised."

Hahkun chuckled. "Goblins are well versed in many things. Our clan is classed as a warrior clan but that is not the only thing we can do. Every clan has their own area to handle for the good of our people," he said.

They entered the Head Goblin's Office, but they didn't stay there. They headed into another room to a lift that very much resembled the old lifts in Dwemer ruins apart from the fact that it was safer. The lift took them down – deep down.

"This is the family hall of Clan Magun," Hahkun said. "To become a part of our Clan you will have to prove yourself."

They entered a big room laid with a thick carpet. The walls were filled with weapons.

"Do I need to prepare myself for a fight?" Harry asked.

"You do. No real weapons will be used though. We don't want to lose any warriors today," Hahkun said.

Harry nodded. He walked out on the carpet. "Winky," he called before pulling his robes off leaving him in his pants only. He handed the robes over to the elf. "I'll need these back soon enough," he said. He sat down on the floor and closed his eyes. He breathed in slowly. He could hear door opening and feet moving into the room. He could hear voices but couldn't understand what they were saying.

Then Hahkun was speaking, and everyone else fell silent.

Harry opened his eyes. The room was filled with goblins.

Hahkun made a motion for the human to rise.

Harry stood up. He looked out over the sea of goblins around him.

"This is our Clan," Hahkun said. "You are the first human in over seven-hundred years who is invited to join the Clan. This is not a common occurrence. But you have high potential to further our family standing. You actions so far have all been positive for us. You will also make our bank safer which is an important thing for our continued dealings with humans."

Another goblin started growling and spitting angrily in Gobbledegook.

"Well you fight him then," Hahkun said.

The floor cleared out around Harry.

"You are trained with a one handed sword?" Hahkun asked and Harry nodded. "Hand a prop to him," he called.

A wooden sword was tossed to Harry, and he caught it. He balanced it in his hand before swinging it around a few times. He heard the goblins around him muttering. The goblin that had challenged him came walking out of the crowd with an axe in his hands. They circled each other. Harry wasn't one to make the first move. He was patient. The axe came swinging through the air. Harry caught it with his blade and pushed the axe away. He caught strike upon strike learning his opponent's pattern. Then the axe came sailing through the air again, and he moved to the side before stomping down on the axe handle and bringing his own blade to rest against the goblin's throat. He moved away. They both knew who had won.

Another goblin walked forward. He was holding dual blades in his hands. Now that was a different story all together. The blades moved swiftly through the air. Harry was glad that they were not real blades. He would have had cuts all over his legs and arms. Now he'd just have bruises. It didn't mean that he wasn't dealing out hits himself as well. He spun around and hit the goblin over the back of his shoulders. He hissed as one of the blades hit his knee.

"That's enough," Hahkun said.

"This human isn't worthy of joining us," the dual wielding goblin said. "He can barely keep up with one blade."

Harry walked away and healed himself up. "Fight me for real with real blades," he said. "Third blood wins."

The goblin chuckled. "Your loss human," he said. "I accept."

"No armour," Harry said.

The goblin froze. "You will take half my equipment from me?" he said. "I don't think so. I will wear armour. It isn't my fault if you don't have one." He walked in among his kin to prepare himself.

Gogil walked up to Harry. "You will get yourself killed human," he said.

Harry smirked. "He just said I can wear my armour and use my own weapons," he said. "Winky fetch my backpack for me will you dear," he said kindly.

The elf popped away and came back with the pack. Harry walked up to her and kneeled down. He didn't care if the entire Clan watched him change. He was going to wear his armour. He strapped himself in and picked his sword up. He grabbed his helmet and put it on.

Gogil looked up at him. "This is made of dragonscales," he said.

Harry nodded. "And it is enchanted to self repair," he said. "He let me put on armour that is almost impossible to get through." He moved his sword around. "If he accepts a real fight, that is what I'll give him."

"Who made this?" Gogil asked. "Who is the blacksmith?"

"My adoptive mother," Harry said. "She is a Nord from Skyrim. She made my armour and my weapons from a forge powered by her own **_Thu'um_**. Dragon breath."

Harry walked out to the middle of the floor again. He looked around. Gogil wasn't the only goblin that reacted to his armour. He waited patiently until the sea of goblins parted and a goblin dressed in full light armour came walking in. Harry raised his sword to the side. Legend said that goblin made weapons and armour was the best on Earth. It wouldn't surprise him if they over the many years they had lived on the planet had developed stronger smithing than back on Nirn, but he had some of the best himself. "Third blood drawn," he said.

The goblin nodded. "Third blood. Be ready to lose human," he said confidently. The initial surprise of seeing the human in full armour had worn off. Nothing human made could compete with goblin smithing. He moved in and aimed his first strike. He was going to teach this over blown human that he couldn't win. His blade was caught, and the human moved out of his reach. A quick blade was aimed at him and caught his armour cutting through the metal like a warm knife through butter.

"First blood," Gogil called out.

Harry tilted his blade, and he didn't block the next blow; he cut it. His sword made a dent in the goblin's blade. He moved his sword over to his left hand delivered another cut. He felt how the goblin's blade hit his side. It didn't cut through the scales though.

"Second blood," Gogil called.

The two warriors danced around each other dealing unsuccessful strikes.

"First blood," a voice called out.

Harry's armour knitted itself back together. He moved away from the second sword and delivered his own strike.

"Third blood," Gogil called.

"Done," Hahkun said. He walked down to the two combatants. "Jarlis, are you satisfied.

The goblin looked over at his Clan Head. "His armour saved him," he said.

"He did suggest not using armour," Hahkun said.

Jarlis turned to Harry. "You're lucky human," he said.

Harry shrugged. "If I had to fight you to death I wouldn't use just my blade," he said. "The fact that I'm restricted to only my sword for this is a hold back for me. I'm a trained mage as well as a swords man and an archer. In normal combat I use my magic in the hand that doesn't wield my sword at all times."

"So you are a battle-mage," Jarlis said. "How come we were not told this a battle-mage is nothing like a normal warrior." He had turned to his Clan Head.

"Don't you have some sort of dummy test that you can throw me through? Thrust me I have more experience than you think," Harry said. "It will show you more of what I'm capable off than me fighting your people like this."

Hahkun looked at the young man for a long time before he said, "There is the Pit."

Gogil shook his head. "We can't send him down there," he said.

"How long will I be gone assuming I make it through?" Harry asked.

"About five hours," Hahkun said. "It could be faster if you know what you're doing. It is a test given to those who want to become higher members of the Clan. You aren't accepted as a full-fledge adult until you have passes through the Pit."

Harry walked over to Winky. "Let Fleur know what is going on and ask her to make an alibi for me if I need it." He kneeled down. "I'm going to need something to eat so you have to get me that O.K. Don't worry about me I'll be fine," he said.

"Winky don't like this Master Harry," Winky said.

"I know," Harry said. "But I'm going to do it. I'm not afraid."

"Winky will be right back." *pop

Harry grabbed his backpack and pulled it on before fastening the sheath of his sword to his belt. "What can you tell me about the Pit before I go?" he asked.

"Nothing," Gogil said. "You have to go in blind."

 _'_ _Great,'_ Harry thought. He walked with his account manager and the Clan Head of the Clan he was about to join. If he understood them right, it was a pretty high risk he wouldn't come back at all. Then again they hadn't seen him in Skyrim.

"You have to take this lift down," Hahkun said. "You'll come back up over there if you make it. The challenges changes every time. None of us knows what is down there. It will adapt to you skill set as well. It will really test you. You don't have to go down there."

"You have both done it," Harry said.

"We have," Hahkun said. "Every member of our Clan that wants to be a full adult must do it."

Harry turned as Winky showed back up. She gave him some food that he packed down in his bag. "Miss Flower gave Winky this to give to Master for good luck," she said and held out a hair clip with an orchid on it.

The raven took his helmet off and accepted the clip. He pulled his hair up and attached the clip.

"You're going without your helmet. That is not a good idea," Gogil said.

"Oh, I'm going to wear something else," Harry said as he grabbed his Dragon Priest mask and put it on. He walked over to the lift and let it take him down. He conjured a ball of light and let it go. He had managed to work out a way for only him to see it. He had to do something with his actual magic while at Hogwarts. He started walking slowly. **_"Laas yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. Shapes showed up along the path he would have to walk. He could hear the lift behind him rising. He was stuck now. _'Oh, well here I go,'_ he thought. He reached a door and opened it up. The area beyond raised warning signals in his head immediately. Magic pooled down into his hands. The room flickered and then I went dark. It had been an illusion.

As the teen kept going, he found himself in a pitch-black room. He reached out and grabbed the little ball of light hanging over his shoulder and charged it so he could throw it to the ceiling of the room. As light spread throughout the room, he could see skeletons moving around. **_"Yoltaas toor goraag shul,"_** he shouted. Fire spread from him and mowed the skeletons down. Blue light extended from him and led him to the right. So there were paths that would take him a long way around. He pulled his sword and cut a skeleton down on his way to the door. He pushed it open and walked through.

The air got colder and colder as he walked. His breath started coming out in puffs of white smoke. Did they have a Dementor down there? He stopped as he reached thick curtains. He closed his hands and purple light spread from both. He was searching for both living and undead enemies. Ice built in his hand. He reached out and pulled the curtain in front of him to side. He narrowed his eyes. _'How do you hide something in a bunch of curtains?'_ he wondered. He froze the air smelled wrong. He threw up his modified waterbreathing spell. There was a mist of some sort filling the room. "Ven, hunt," he said as he conjured his griffin. She took off, and moments later he could hear the creature in there screech in pain.

He checked his path again before moving on now accompanied by his familiar spirit.

…

"Who walks there?"

Harry froze again. He threw a Magelight forward so the tunnel he was walking would light up. It ended soon enough.

"Who walks there? Answer me or die!"

"My name is Harry Potter," Harry said. "I'm here to pass through to prove myself to Clan Magun."

"Who is to say I will let you live human?" Dirty golden fur and a dark tousled mane. The long black tail looked like it belonged on a scorpion.

Harry closed his eyes. It was a manticore. He knew this being could kill him if he wasn't careful. He made Ven disappear. "I'm not here to harm you," he said. "But I will fight you if I have to."

The big feline hissed. "You really think yourself great and strong little human," he said.

 ** _"_** ** _Vuth tul nisbo,"_** Harry shouted as the feline pounced. He had made sure that the feline wouldn't move. His heart was beating fast in his chest. Then he heard a roar. _'Dragon,'_ he thought. Wings moved through the corridors. The sound came closer and closer.

A small dragon landed on the manticore's back and tore into the lion-like creature. It was shorter than the lion. The tail took up almost half its length and the body and was only half of what was left. It was a small dragon. As the manticore fell to the ground, the dragon turned to Harry.

 ** _"_** ** _Fos los hi?"_** it said. **_"Los hi dii monah - are you my mother?"_**

Harry walked forward slowly. **_"Ahnok mal gein - hello little one,"_** he said. **_"I'm not your monah. Is your mother gone?"_** He walked forward and reached out towards the little dragon.

 ** _"_** ** _Monah!"_** the little dragon cried and jumped forward.

Harry took a stepped back and caught the dragon. " ** _Hey, little one,"_** he said. It was so small he could easily hold it.

 ** _"_** ** _Monah, monah, monah,"_** the little dragon repeated over and over again.

Harry looked down at it. **_"I'm not,"_** he sighed, **_"come on little one,"_** he said. He guessed there was no point in arguing with the little dragon. It was too young to understand. He had no idea how big its kind could get. It was about two thirds the size of the manticore. It was slimmer than most dragons he'd seen. Its wings were thin but they seemed strong. **_"Fos los hin faan - what is your name?"_** he asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Faan, name, what?"_** the little dragon asked.

Harry looked down at the little creature. He stopped and knelled down so he could place it down before he placed his hands on either side of the dragon's head. He needed to try to make the little being understand. **_"Fos los hi faan?"_** he said. **_"What are you called?"_** He was opening his soul up to the little dragon to try and make him understand. He'd figured out that it was a male at least.

 ** _"_** ** _Zu'u… zu'u dreh'ni lost faan,"_** the little dragon said. **_"I… I don't have name. No name, not me."_** He sounded so sad.

Harry sat down on his calves. **_"I… I can name you little one._** ** _Fund hi med tol -_** ** _would you like that?"_** he asked.

Big peridot-green eyes looked up at him. **_"Fen hi - will you?"_** the dragon asked.

Harry nodded. **_"Sure I will,"_** he said. He rubbed the little dragon's long blue-shimmering neck. **_"I need to know more about you through."_** He turned to the side. **_"Can you do any of this?"_** he asked. He sent out fire and then ice, but the little dragon didn't do anything. Then he threw lightning and the dragon flapped its wings. Little bolts hit the floor in front of them.

 _'_ _Qo - lightning,'_ Harry thought. **_"Malqo,"_** he said. **_"Little lightning."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Malqo, Malqo,"_** the little dragon repeated happily. **_"Zu'u Malqo, I Malqo."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Come on Malqo, let's go,"_** Harry said. He started walking again. He wanted to get back out. They entered a bigger room again and he sent out a ball of light. He breathed in slowly. He needed to keep calm. He'd found a dragon's nest. It was full of broken shells.

 ** _"_** ** _Hofkiin,"_** Malqo said.

Harry shook his head. The little dragon lived there. How did he survive? **_"Come here Malqo. Let's go."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Coming monah,"_** Malqo said. He skipped after Harry happily. He wasn't alone anymore. The other dragon was strange, but he knew a dragon when he met one. He moved up so he was brushing against the two-legged dragon's leg. He had been alone for so long.

Harry walked on with his little dragon next to him. It was sad. He had no clue how old the little one was. He knew some about dragons, but Nirn dragons didn't… they couldn't lay eggs not after they had been killed and then resurrected. On Earth the dragons had eggs and little dragons. He had no clue how to deal with that really. He wasn't going to just abandon the little one though. He reached the lift out. The dragons were supposed to be something to fight. He was going to have a very stern talk with someone about that. **_"Stay close to me Malqo,"_** he said darkly.

The little bluish dragon curled around his legs.

The lift started moving up.

The look on Harry's face was grim as they reached the top.

"You made it," Gogil said. He sounded relieved. His eyes fell on the dragon. "Eh, Mister Potter that. That dragon where did you find it?" he asked.

Harry pointed down. "Down there," he said. "A manticore and dragons. There were at least ten crushed eggs down there. Who keeps that place filled with so called monster that your kind can kill to prove that they are warriors. It's disgusting. Kept in the dark all alone." He kneeled down. "Killed just so you can say you're fighters."

"If one of our people killed a dragon like that they wouldn't be allowed back to the Clan!"

Harry looked back up. It was the goblin that had challenged him earlier. He met the man's eyes for a long time. Then he nodded. He wasn't being lied to.

"Did you kill the manticore," the goblin asked.

Harry shook his head. "No this little one did," he said. "You know what type of dragon he is?"

"He's a Cristallum Parvus. They are presumed extinct. They were hunted for their scales. The name is Latin and it isn't quite correct. If I translate it from Gobbledegook it would roughly be Size-Shifting Crystalback. My name is Dagnar by the way," the goblin said.

Harry nodded. "So they were hunted because humans found their scales pretty?" he said.

Dagnar grimaced. "We did it to," he said. "We stopped when we realised what it was doing to the species though. Humans didn't. You shouldn't have been able to find one of them down there. We only use full grown dragons and the deal isn't to kill them. We might not be able to talk to them, but we don't mistreat them."

 ** _"_** ** _Monah, who that?"_** Malqo asked.

 ** _"_** ** _They are, Dilfahliil, Dwemer,"_** Harry said.

 ** _"_** ** _Alright, Dilfahliil good?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Dwemer is O.K. Malqo,"_** the raven said.

Malqo moved forward quickly over the floor and stopped in front of Gogil. He rose up on his back legs. He reached about halfway up the goblin. His big green eyes blinked. The goblin looked uneasy.

"He's just curious," Harry said. "He won't hurt you." He walked up to the dragon. **_"Come here yunkliin,"_** he said as he picked the dragon up. He felt the tail wrap around him.

 ** _"_** ** _Monah,"_** Malqo said softly. He placed his head on the strange dragon's shoulder.

"Now that is far from normal," Dagnar said. "Dragon's don't usually act like that around humans."

"I was born with a dragon's soul," Harry said. "I'm Dragonborn. That's… it makes dragon's like me better than most. That I can talk to them helps as well." He looked down at the little dragon. "He calls me his mother. I think that's because I'm the first dragon he's met. I don't know that much about hatchlings though."

Gogil shook his head.

 ** _"_** ** _You can't come with me little one you're to big for me to hide,"_** Harry told the dragon.

 ** _"_** ** _Monah,"_** little Malqo said sadly. **_"Malqo go with monah. Malqo can hide."_**

Harry sighed. **_"No Malqo. You don't understand little buddy,"_** he said, and he was about to put the little dragon down when it shrank in his hands until Malqo was so small he could curl around his wrist. **_"Oh, Kaan,"_** he whispered. **_"Malqo please tell me you can return to normal?"_** he said.

 ** _"_** ** _Malqo go with monah,"_** the dragon said once he had returned to his real size.

"I guess that's what Dagnar meant by size shifting," Harry muttered. **_"You can only come with me if you'll stay small unless I say otherwise,"_** he told the little one.

 ** _"_** ** _Malqo will listen to monah,"_** Malqo said.

 ** _"_** ** _Wrap around my neck little one,"_** Harry said. **"We need to get going."** The goblins had started looking at him impatiently.

Malqo shrank again and curled around his mother's neck. **_"Malqo stay with monah,"_** he whispered.

Harry shook his head. This was insane. He was glad that dragons were way better at listening to their elders than humans were, but he could tell that it was going to fuck up at some point. "We should go and speak to Hahkun?" he asked the two goblins.

"You're going to keep that dragon, human?" Dagnar asked.

"I have to. He's decided I'm his mother. If I'd been just a human, I don't think that would have been a problem but his soul resonates with mine. He isn't going to survive without me," Harry said. He followed them into a great hall. Long tables stood filled with food, they led up to a table facing the rest much like the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The hall was filled with goblins. The raven walked through the hall slowly. He had no reason to rush. He grabbed the mask he still wore and pulled it off. "Hahkun Head of Clan Magun I Harry James Potter have passed through the Pit," he said as he reached the high table.

Hahkun rose from the table. "I Hahkun Head of Clan Magun greet you Harry James Potter as a full-fledged adult of the Magun Clan. Let it be known to all that this wizard… he stopped talking at the look on Harry's face.

"Don't say wizard please," Harry said. He turned around. "I have been called battle-mage. I am Dragonborn a mortal born with a dragon's soul. **_I greet Clan Magun as Dovahkiin._** " He roared the last part and he knew that everyone could feel his Thu'um. "You still haven't accepted a wizard into your ranks in over seven-hundred years Clan Head." He could hear the goblins around the hall laugh at his statement. He walked down to the tables.

Dagnar waved him over. "Come sit with us," he said. "Eat!"

Harry chuckled. He did eat but since he'd eaten while down in the Pit he didn't have much.

"Now what's with the hair clip," one of the goblins close to him asked as they ate.

Harry shook his head. "A good luck charm from a special someone," he said.

"Oh, a lady friend."

Harry turned to the goblin. "You're female right," he said somewhat carefully. It was a bit har to tell when it came to goblins.

She nodded. "That's right. Name is Glint," she said. "I'm a healer someone has to keep an eye on these idiots when they get themselves hurt. You don't have a scratch on you though."

"I am a Master Healer," Harry said. "I self heal when I get hurt. And not like witches and wizards. My magic works in a completely different way." He lifted a piece of meat up so Malqo could eat it.

"That's good we need more Healers," Glint said.

"Master Harry needs to come back now," Winky said from behind the raven suddenly.

Harry turned around and looked down at her. "Trouble?" he asked.

"Miss Flower says you need to come back," Winky said. "Winky don't ask Miss Flower why."

Harry stood up. "I'll have to go. I'm trying to live two lives in a way and the other one is a mess," he said. "I apologise for my abruptness." He stood up and walked with Winky. He used his port-key to get back to the spot he'd left from. His trip through the school was quick. He needed to know what Fleur wanted. He slipped into the Beauxbatons carriage and over to her room without anyone noticing him. "What is wrong Fleur?" he asked.

The silver-blonde woman turned around. "'Arry!" she exclaimed and hugged him tight. "Do you 'ave any idea 'ow worried I 'ave been? 'Ow dare you keep me waiting like zis?"

Harry hugged her. "I had to socialize with the Clan," he said. "The Pit wasn't anything worse than what I been through before." He sat down with her. "I'm sorry for worrying you. Did something else happen or were you just tired of waiting?"

Fleur blushed. "I might 'ave gotten tired of waiting," she said. "You were gone for a long time." She placed her hands on his chest. "You are wearing armour," she said. She stood up from his lap and pulled him up. "You are 'andsome," she said. Then she reached out and ran her fingers through the loose strands of hair hanging from her clip. "You wore it," she said with a smile. "You look good in zat."

Harry laughed and nodded. "Do you have access to a bathroom?" he asked. "Cause I could really use a shower."

"We 'ave a pool," Fleur said.

"I thought we came to the conclusion that we wouldn't' work as a couple and here you're trying to get me naked," the raven said teasingly.

Fleur started laughing. "Non," she said. "We don't care about British prudishness zough."

"I'm not getting out in front of the other French students naked Fleur and it isn't me being a prude," Harry said. "The glamour is made to show what people around here would know. When I first got to Skyrim I had scars from beatings I'm not…" She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry I didn't zink of zat," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm back, I'm safe, and I'm in dire need of a shower. I'll go up to the castle to get one." He kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you for worrying," he said.

"You be careful now," Fleur said.

"Promise," Harry said. He pulled his amulet back on before he made his way out of the carriage and over to the castle. He hurried up to the Gryffindor common room. His steps were careful as he walked through the filled room up to his dorm. He made sure no one could see him as he took his armour off.

 ** _"_** ** _Daar los dremsil - this is nice,"_** Malqo said softly. **_"Can I go big?"_** he asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Geh, you can but stay close,"_** Harry said. He did his best to make sure that no one else would see the little dragon if they walked in. He was going to have to spend some time with dragon care books the next day. He also needed to figure his egg out. The following day seemed as good as any. He would have to spend some time with his friends after his shower though. He'd been gone most of the day. He knew the effort would be worth it eventually.

He stopped in front of the mirror. He started laughing as he realised that he was still wearing the hair clip. He'd just leave that in. _'Let's see how many people notice,'_ he thought. **_"Malqo come here,"_** he said. He reached out and helped the dragon up on his shoulder where he shrank down to fit around his neck. Then he walked out of the bathroom and got dressed.

He made his way down and sat down next to Hermione with a book in his hands. He started reading. The book wasn't that interesting, but he had to make his way through it. He would rather read the Auror books that Moody had given him.

"Harry," "What is that mate?" "Have you been dressing up like a," "lady?" Fred and George said.

Harry turned around. "Nah, course not," he said. "I left on a valiant quest and my fair maiden gave me a good luck charm for the journey." He got up. "I battled a dark shade and a hundred skeletons single-handedly," he said dramatically.

The twins started laughing. "Come on, brave knight," "The fair ladies of the Quidditch want to tell us their secrets," the said.

Harry walked with them over to Angelina, Alicia and Katie. He sat down next to Katie. "It looks like it will be you and me," he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She raised an eyebrow. "What has gotten into you?" she asked.

Harry laughed. "Oh, outrunning a Horntail and spending time with this beautiful and intelligent French lady," he said. "Fleur is so good for your confidence." He looked at the others. "Let's go. What is our plan of attack? Do we stuff the Slytherins lockers full with worms?"

"Oh, Harry don't give Fred and George ideas," Angelina said, but she was smiling.

"O.K. so not sabotaging the other teams then," Harry said. "I suggest we find someone young for the keeper position. You guys might not realise it but poor Katie and I will be the only ones left of the original team after next year. You are all leaving us then."

Alicia smiled at him. "You have a point. Maybe we should train new chasers too," she said.

"We might as well build an entire secondary team out of younger students," Angelina said. "They can train with us and jump in if we need it."

"So let's look at the firsties as well then," Fred said. "They'll be old enough next year," George followed up.

"So we'll ask around amongst the younger ones. The first through third year students. Then we hold a proper select when the term starts up. But if we can manage to build a younger team now we'll just gain from that," Angelina said.

"O.K. can you guys give me tomorrow I really need to deal with the clue for the next task in this tournament," Harry said.

"Oh, yeah I didn't think of that," Angelina said as she moved a lock of jet black hair behind her ear. "Will that be a problem?" she asked.

"I doubt it," Harry said. "I've been through half the library and Hermione helps me when I need it some flying will be good for me. The next task will be before we get proper flying weather anyway. And I'm most likely flying against Krum at some point with Cedric."

Angelina's mouth widened. "Like a seekers game?" she asked.

"That's probably the case," Harry said.

"We have to make that official though," Angelina said. "Do you have any idea how much that could mean to like the whole school?"

"I have to ask Viktor first," Harry said.

"Of course," Angelina said. "I didn't even consider that he might want a quiet match."

Harry shrugged. "That's why I'm the one who deals with it," he said.

She laughed.

They spent some more time planning. With Oliver, their former captain, gone, they needed to deal with things themselves. If Angelina or Alicia became Captain the following year they would disappear so quickly that they would still need to work things together.

"You know," Angelina told Harry before they broke up. "I'm going to suggest they make you Captain. You are doing a great job. This whole thing was your idea."

"I… Angelina you don't have to do that," Harry had responded.

"I know that," she'd said before walking off.


	44. The Golden Egg

**The Golden Egg**

 _28th of December, 1994. Wednesday_

The Library was quiet. It was early. Hogwarts castle hadn't woken up yet. A single raven-haired teen sat by a table. It was filled with tomes upon tomes on dragons. He had to know how to take care of the little one sleeping around his neck. The first thing he'd figured out was that wizards made it more complicated than they needed to. The second was that with his dragon soul he was already ahead on so many levels that the books seemed stupid. They did give him some information he wouldn't have been able to figure out on his own though. Like the fact the dragons actually needed meat with the bone still attached for their teeth's sake.

As it got closer and closer to normal wake up time, Harry started placing his books back. He didn't really want anyone to figure out what he was up to. He didn't need the questions. He needed a quiet place where he could open the golden egg up without disturbing anyone.

He found an abandoned classroom and settled down inside. He pulled the egg out of his bag and opened it up. It sounded like … he wasn't sure. Maybe there was a voice in there though. He closed the egg and then he bit his lip. _'I might as well use the enchantments on the egg to figure this out,'_ he thought. He pulled a roll of parchment out of his bag and spread it out. He started noting things down, his script small and in dovahzul. He got so into it that he lost himself in the mapping. He didn't even realise that he'd found the solution pretty early on.

 _'_ _Well that makes things easier,'_ he thought as he went over his notes. He had to place the egg under water. He got up and walked out of the classroom while rolling his parchment up. He needed a tub of some sort. "Professor McGonagall," he called as he saw her. There had to be somewhere for him to go.

"Mister Potter," McGonagall said. "Is something the matter?" she asked.

"No Professor I was just wondering if there was a bath tub or similar for the Second Task," Harry asked. "I need it for the egg."

McGonagall's face softened. "There is a prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor. It's four doors to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered. The password is pine fresh. You can use that," she said.

"Thank you Professor," Harry said. He turned around as she continued into the Great Hall and headed back upstairs. He wanted to do figure out how to deal with the next task as soon as possible. He found the right door and spoke the password. There was no one in there thankfully. He walked up to a gigantic pool lowered into the ground and started opening taps. He found taps that gave him water and left those on while turning most of the bubbly and soap filled taps back off. There were several types of soaps that he didn't want. He found one that smelled like vanilla and left it going. **_"Malqo you can fly around if you want to,"_** he said. The little crystalline dragon jumped of his shoulder and grew to its full size. He flew around happily. **_"This is good monah,"_** he said.

The tub filled quickly despite its size. Harry dressed off and jumped in. He closed his eyes as the warm water rose around him. He smiled softly as Malqo dived into the pool. The little dragon seemed to love the water. He was diving in and out happily.

Some time later Harry moved up to the edge of the tub and grabbed the golden egg. He shifted and dropped it down under water. He opened it up. He cast a waterbreathing spell and dipped his head under water.

 _"_ _Come seek us where our voices sound,_

 _We cannot sing above the ground,_

 _And while you're searching ponder this;_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _To recover what we took,_

 _But past an hour, the prospect's black,_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_

He stayed under for another few playthroughs before returning to the surface. He closed the egg and placed it down next to the pool. He stayed in there for a long time. His mind drifted and let himself just float with Malqo playing in the water.

…

Cedric opened the door to the prefect's bathroom and walked in. The door clicked as he closed it and then he turned towards the pool. He froze. It wasn't because there was someone else in there. No, he froze because that someone looked way to thin and had angry red scars on his back. Shaggy black hair spread over pale shoulders as the teen moved his head back. "Harry?" he asked. He knew that it couldn't be one of the prefects. He would have recognised any of them easily.

The young raven turned around and green eyes widened slightly when he saw the Hufflepuff. "Hi Cedric," he said.

"What happened to you?" the gentle brunet said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He packed his things down in his bag. He made sure that Malqo was safe around his neck.

"Your back, what happened?" Cedric said.

Harry looked down. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "My Uncle is a non-magical he doesn't like magic at all. He liked using his belt," he said. "He doesn't do it anymore." He stood up. "He's too scared that someone in this world will find out."

"That is horrible!"

Harry shrugged. "It's life," he said. "I'll survive." He pulled his shirt on and walked up to the door. "I'm fine you know. Don't worry about me," he said before walking out of the bathroom. He wasn't overly interested in letting the world know about things he'd long since left behind. He made his way up to the common room and sat down by one of the tables not to far away from Fred and George. He knew how to deal with the next task. Well, he knew half of it. He knew what magic he would actually use to go down into… the Black Lake was his best guess. _'Seek us were our voices sound,'_ he though definitely the Black Lake. _'We've taken what you'll sorely miss.'_ Now that didn't really work with him. He'd already lost the people that could possibly be used for something like that. They were back in Skyrim. But an item seemed stupid, and they couldn't get to those anyway. _'No, it has to be a person,'_ he thought.

"Is something," "Wrong," Fred and George asked.

Harry looked up at them. "No not really," he said. "I'm going to have to dive into the Black Lake by the end of February."

"Oh, that's cold," Fred said. "You could use a bubble-head charm," George said. "We use it when we make our experiments," Fred followed up.

"Bubble-head charm," Harry said. "Covers mouth and nose?"

"Yeah exactly," George said.

"That's sounds good," Harry said. He leaned closer to them. "How is the joke shop idea going?" he asked.

They smirked at him. "Oh, I don't know if," "we can tell you that," "Harrykins," they said.

"Oh, come on I know how to keep a secret," Harry said.

They looked at each other. It was as if they were silently communicating. "Is that a live dragon?" Fred asked quietly as he turned his head back to look at Harry.

The raven had moved his hand involuntarily to run down the spine of the little lizard. He closed his eyes. He knew that movement had given him away. "Yes, it is," he said. "You keep my secrets I keep yours?"

The twins' eyes met again. "Come on," they said. The two redheads led Harry down to the fourth floor. They walked up to a mirror the raven could faintly remember the twins telling him held a secret passage to Hogsmeade. They did something to the glass and then they walked through. Harry followed closely behind them. "I thought this place couldn't be used anymore," he said.

"The tunnel can't," Fred said. "So how did you get your hands on a dragon?"

"Long story," Harry said. "And I … I honestly don't know you guys well enough to tell you. I trust you wouldn't tell anyone, but there are other ways to gain information."

"You realise that we'll try to figure it out right?" George said.

Harry nodded. "I know," he said. "Just come to me when you think you've figured something out don't go to anyone else."

"Your personality change is because of this?" Fred asked.

Harry smirked but he wouldn't confirm or deny that. He knew how they would take that. "So you guys use this place to create your jokes?" he asked. Then he stopped. He hadn't told them, had he? "You know the map you gave me last year?" he said.

"The Marauders map, yeah," George said. "What about it?"

"My father was one of the people who made it," Harry said. "He was Prongs. They were all animagi. Well, all of them but Professor Lupin."

"Professor Lupin is a Marauder!" George exclaimed.

"He is Moony," Harry said.

"How long have you known this?" Fred asked.

"Since the end of last school year," Harry said. "I was with Hermione and Ronald. And this big black dog attacked us. It was Sirius Black or Padfoot if you know his Marauders name. It turned out that he'd come to Hogwarts to kill the man that was responsible for my parents deaths. Peter Pettigrew. The slimy rat had hidden as Scabbers for years. Just waiting for Voldemort to come back."

"So Scabbers was Wormtail?" Fred said. "And he was responsible for Prongs' death?"

"Our family took care of him," George said disgusted. "So if Sirius Black didn't kill Pettigrew, I guess he didn't kill the muggles either. So Black was thrown in Azkaban for something he didn't do. That's pretty rough."

"He's my godfather. He was supposed to raise me not the Dursleys," Harry said.

"That would have been awesome," Fred said.

Harry stopped in front of a bubbling cauldron. He didn't reach out towards it. "I'm guessing neither of you are attending the potions class," he said.

"Not with Snape teaching," Fred said. "I have skill but that guy is just so stuck up I don't want to deal with him."

"Snivellus," Harry said not that he was much for name calling. "That's what Sirius calls him. They went to school at the same time. They don't seem to like each other much."

"You guys have money problems don't you?" he asked suddenly. He turned around and looked at the twins. "That is nothing to be ashamed of. You know what. You guys feel like you can make this work. I'm willing to front money for it." He smirked at the shocked expressions on their faces. "What do you say?"

"Harry we," "We can't just take your money," "That's…"

Harry held a hand up to stop them. "I'll talk to my account manager and we'll work something out. I'll give it to you, and you can look it over sounds good?" he said. "As a matter of fact I can probably write him now and get a response within the hour." He left them standing there and walked over to a wall so he could sit down. He pulled out some paper and penned a letter to Gogil. **_"You can walk around but be very careful Malqo,"_** he whispered to his dragon. He could feel the little dragon moving off him. "Winky!" he called.

*Pop! "Master Harry be needing his Winky?" the elf said as she showed up.

"Yes, can you take this to Gogil, please?" Harry asked. "And then we could use some refreshments and something small for Malqo as well dear."

"Winky will fix that does Master need Winky to stay for a reply?" Winky said.

"Only if Gogil doesn't say otherwise," Harry said.

*Pop!

The little elf was gone.

"You really have changed a lot," Fred said. He looked down at Harry. "Sure you can't tell us?" he held out a hand for the raven to take.

Harry reached up and grabbed the hand so he could get back on his feet. "Your minds aren't protected. There is a magic called Legilimency that will let a person read another persons thoughts," he said. He hadn't been that surprised when Moody had told him about it. He was glad that he'd trained his own mind. He couldn't be sure that he could protect his own mind from the magic, but he was sure he'd be able to feel an intrusion. "There is a way to protect against it. It's called Occlumency. If you guys learned that then… Then I'd love t tell you."

"Learn Occlumency," Fred said. "To protect our minds from intrusion," George continued. They looked at each other. "We can do that," they said in unison.

Harry smiled. He had managed to get the Weasley twins to be serious. He should get a reward. "I can get you started, but we'll need books." He looked over at Malqo. **_"Vuth,"_** he said under his breath. The dragon curled back. He threw up an illusion. **_"Malqo come back here and stay with me,"_** Harry said. The little guy could have gotten seriously injured. He dropped the illusion as the little dragon started walking towards him.

*Pop!

"Here is letter for Master Harry. Winky will be right back with refreshments," Winky said as she handed the letter over and then she was gone again.

Harry opened the letter up and scanned through it. He smirked. Gogil supported his theory. He looked through the business contract that his accountant had sent. To him it looked sound. It wouldn't be horrible to Fred and George if things went south and if they made it he wouldn't eat their money up. "Here read that," he said and handed it to the twins. "This, this is," "Are you sure about this Harry?" they asked him. He shrugged. "It looked good to me," he said.

"Well, we accept," they walked over to a table and signed it.

Harry followed after them and took the quill as they handed it to him. He wrote his own signature down as well. "So now there will be a business vault made for the…" he looked down at the contract, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes that the three of us will be able to access," he said. He felt how the twins enveloped him in a hug. "Come on partner let us show you what this is all about," they said.

Harry laughed as he walked with them. He wasn't sure why he'd done it. He'd always liked the twins though. He didn't want to move through his life completely alone. He wanted people he could trust around him. He wanted to be able to trust people. Fleur, Fred, George – he wanted to trust them all. Hermione and Neville were … well, he cared about them, but they were so much younger than him now.

* * *

The next coming days passed by in a blur. He did research with Hermione. He helped Neville take care of some of the plants in the greenhouse that needed it. He spent time going over new products with the twins. He was dropping what little friendship he and Ronald had over that time. The ginger and he had so little in common. Moody taught him how to read wizards in combat. He knew how to fight, but he wasn't used to wand movements. Then he had off days with Fleur were they would just talk.

Then school started. He still managed to do most of his extra curricular activities, but he had to manage them. He was having more fun that year than he ever had before though. Their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson had been a bit of a surprise though. Hagrid hadn't been there. Instead an elderly witch had greeted them as they made their way to the normal location.

She had taken them around the paddock that held Beauxbatons horses and they had found themselves looking upon a single unicorn.

Most of the girls had been really giggly and amazed by the white steeds.

Harry had stayed to the back of the class out of people's lines of sight. He hadn't spoken at all since he got there. Hermione had walked up with the rest of the girl. He had snorted when the Professor had told them that unicorns didn't like men. He waited until the giggly girls were done, and then he just walked up. There were some things he would hide. But when a teacher spouted nonsense he wasn't about to stand still and just let them.

"What do you think you are doing young man?" the Professor said behind him.

Harry knelled down in front of the unicorn and waited. To everyone's surprise the bright-white steed walked forward and touched his forehead with its muzzle. He had learned a thing or two from Rhavaniel after all. He stood up slowly and held his hand out. He wasn't using magic. He didn't need to. He heard some sort of commotion take place behind him, but he was too concentrated on the unicorn in front of him to pay much attention to that until he saw the steeds head turn to someone next to him.

A pale hand reached in and landed on the unicorn's head as he was pushed to the side. Years of training kept him on his feet and he stepped to the side as the unicorn rose up on its hind legs so it could kick the kid that had pushed him aside. He caught the blow and collapsed to the ground. He coughed and blood splattered out over the white snow. He could heal himself. He had to heal himself his left lung had collapsed. He felt the unicorn's horn touch him, and he took the opportunity. He sent magic throughout his entire body healing his damaged organs. His ears were ringing, but he could tell that the unicorn wouldn't move. If the magical being could tell he needed its help or not, he couldn't tell, but he appreciated it. He sat up slowly when he felt well enough to move again.

He could see Hermione's scared face in the crowd of students. The Professor was standing next to a deathly pale Draco Malfoy. _'Should have guessed it would be him,'_ Harry thought. He was glad that he'd left Malqo with Fleur that morning. The little dragon really liked the part-Veela, and he knew that the dragon would have attacked.

He stood up slowly and the unicorn bumped his hand. "I'm O.K." he said softly. He reached out and petted the steed.

"Never before have I seen anything like this. When I said that unicorns prefer women I meant it," the Professor said.

"I knew she wouldn't mind me," Harry said with a shrug. "It is a mindset men can have it too it's just not as common. They don't really like dominant personalities. They don't dislike men because we're men they don't like us because most men have a dominant mindset. Neville could walk up to her and she'd be fine because he's nurturing. They don't like all women either. Women can have dominant mindsets too, and they will dislike them."

The Professor looked thoughtful for a moment. She had heard of the idea before. She'd never seen it in practice though. She wasn't sure how it could be that way or how this young man had heard about it, but she couldn't say he wasn't right. "You should have spoken to me first young man five point from Gryffindor for your thoughtlessness and get yourself up to the Hospital Wing."

Harry nodded and headed past her out to the crowd. "What were you thinking Harry?" Hermione hissed. "You could have died."

"Malfoy would have died if I hadn't stepped in between," he said. "The unicorn liked me well enough so she healed me. She wouldn't have done that for him. And that kick collapsed a lung. I couldn't breath."

Hermione's eyes widened. She walked up next to him. Someone had to make sure he would be alright.

When they reached the Hospital Wing Madam Pomfrey came walking up to them with a frown on her face. "What have you done this time?" she asked.

"I stepped in between Draco Malfoy and a kicking unicorn," Harry said. "She healed me afterwards but Professor …"

"Grubbly-Plank," Hermione added.

"Though it would be best if I came to see you," Harry finished.

"She is right you man. Kicked by a unicorn come here and take your shirt off," Madam Pomfrey said.

Harry did as he was told. He knew he was fine. You didn't become Master Healer without that knowledge. It was funny. He probably had more training than the woman busying herself with looking him over.

"You seem fine," the matron said after a while. "You'll come back here if you feel strange and I suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day."

"I will," Harry said with a nod. He walked out with Hermione. "I'm going to start heading up to Divination now so I don't have to hurry," he told her. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Of course," Hermione said.

…

Harry sat down beneath the trapdoor that led up to the Divination classroom. He pulled out a book and started reading. The book only disappeared back in his bag so he could climb up to the classroom. Then it was back in front of him again. He barely heard the inane blabbing of their teacher. He didn't care about her fake predictions.

That evening he spent with Hermione so they could finish their homework. He wanted that weekend free.

* * *

 _7th of January, 1995. Saturday_

Harry was sitting in Gogil's office. He'd been called in because they had found a customer for him. He was unglamoured but his hair was brown and his eyes amber. He was Kato that day. They were waiting for his customer to show up. Harry was reading while Gogil worked. They had exchanged pleasantries and talked some, but they were both efficient people so just talking for talk's sake wasn't something they enjoyed doing.

There was a knock on the door and Harry placed his book down into his bag. He was glad that school used simple nondescript black schoolbags. He hadn't wanted to take his backpack with him. He stood up. A smile almost graced his lips when he saw who the wizard was. "Ah, you must be Mister Peverell," he said.

Harry held his hand out. "Kato Peverell," he said. "It is a pleasure to meet you Lord…"

"This is Lord Lucius Malfoy, Kato," Gogil said. "He is one of our best customers."

Harry bowed. "Lord Malfoy," he said. He backed up and sat down again. "You are here for a security upgrade Lord Malfoy?" he asked. He wanted to make sure that the man wasn't being tricked because that would backfire on him later.

"As I understand it Mr Peverell you can secure my vault from anyone but me," Lucius said.

"That is true, though, it might be better to bind the vault to your family. I'll bind it both to your name and to the overlaying structure of your magic. I also suggest that you allow your account manager access since it will make thing much easier for you. He will not be able to deal with you gold at all otherwise," Harry said.

Lucius nodded slowly. "But no one else will have access?" he asked and looked over at the goblins.

Gogil leaned forward. "Mr Peverell sealed his own vault here with this method, and he allowed the goblin race in general to try and break in. No one has managed," he said. "And not for lack of trying."

Lucius raised an eyebrow and looked back at the brunet. The young man couldn't be older than twenty-five. Having that kind of ability was quite astonishing. "How would you prefer doing this?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "If you want to be there that is fine with me the process doesn't take long. It will be easier for me if you are present, but not necessary, Lord Malfoy," he said. "There is document you need to sign first though." He leaned back as Gogil handed the sheet of parchment over.

Lucius read through it. He looked over at the brunet. "I won't pay a sickle over one-hundred galleons," he said.

Harry smirked and then they started negotiating. The goblins sat there just watching.

"You have taught him well Gogil."

"Oh, I didn't teach him Morgriff. Once he realised that I wanted him to argue the price he set off like a professional," Gogil said.

"What is the real price you settled on?" Morgriff asked.

"Around two-hundred," Gogil said.

"Fine two hundred and twenty-five it is," Lucius said. He could have continued, but he was more interested in learning more about the young man. He signed the document after the price had been changed. "I am interested in seeing this. I will accompany you," he said.

Harry stood up. "If you would please follow me," he said. He walked them down to the carts. Morgriff sat down in the front seat while Harry and Lucius sat down in the back seat. The goblin started the cart and they went down. The Malfoy vault wasn't as far down as the Potter vault but it was still pretty far down.

Harry walked up to the doors and placed a hand against them. He nodded. "This will work just fine," he said. He pulled his dragonbone dagger out of his boot and started carving. That wasn't the difficult part. He knew exactly which words to use. "Your name is?" he asked the goblin.

"You lock the vault to one goblin?" Lucius asked.

Harry turned to him. "No I carve his name in and then the magic that I'll infuse this with will make sure that whenever you change account manager the new name shows up here, but it needs something to work off," he said.

Lucius nodded. "What are these?" he asked. "They are runes but I have never seen anything like them before."

"Dragon tongue," Harry said. "It's old even the dragons of today have a hard time remembering, but there was a written language for the dragons once upon a time. You can learn it if you are dedicated enough."

"And you know this language?" Lucius asked.

Harry nodded. "I do," he said. "My mother taught me." He turned back to the goblin.

"My name is Morgriff," he said.

Harry turned back to the vault and finished his carving. "Now comes the difficult part," he said. He walked up to Malfoy Sr. and held his hands out while closing his eyes. Out of respect he didn't touch the man though. Then he turned back to the wall. **_"Tahriik kogur rahnd laviik Malfoy nid vorey rahnd nuz lahvriiluz Morgriff,"_** he said calmly. His voice could be seen vibrating through the air. It gathered in the letters making them glow brightly. He placed a hand over his face when he was done. He was tired. It took a lot out of him to do that. "Please make sure that it still opens for you," he said. "You are the first other person I do this for Lord Malfoy. I don't want to fail the first thing I do."

Lucius walked up to the door and placed his hand against the cold metal of his family seal. He felt the magic activate and his vault opened up. He could feel the difference though. There was so much more power contained within those doors now. He turned to the young man. "This is better than I expected," he said. "You look a little pale."

Harry nodded. "It takes a lot of magic to do that. I'll never do more than one a day. I'll be fine though," he said.

They returned to the cart and headed back up.

"Why don't you join me for some tea?" Lucius offered. He wanted to learn more about this young man that had appeared out of nowhere.

"That is very kind of you," Harry said. "Tea sounds good."

Lucius led him out of the bank and over to a small cosy teashop. They settled down by a table and ordered some tea and biscuits.

"I must say I am a bit surprised," Lucius said. "I cannot say that I have heard you name before. Are you from Britain?"

Harry smiled. "My family is originally," he said. "The Peverells are an old family. I think they are the most know these days through a children's story _'Tale of Three Brothers'_. Originally those three brothers were Peverell."

"I haven't heard of this before," Lucius said.

Harry smiled. "I'm not surprised sir," he said. "The closest I could get to figure anything out about the family was a grave in Godric's Hollow. I know that the brothers were Necromancers and that the items in the story are real, but apart from that I have no idea what is going on. My own branch of the family has been horrible at keeping track of anything unfortunately." He drank some tea. He knew that Lucius was fishing for information that would let him find things out. "We travelled around a lot when I was little so I don't really have a country I feel connected to," he said. "The goblins tell me that the family was British though."

"They don't usually lie," Lucius said. This young man was a mystery. He looked up as the waitress came walking up to them with a letter. "There was an owl outside with this Lord Malfoy," she said as she held the envelope out. "Thank you Vanessa," he said. "Don you mind?" he asked the young brunet.

"No go ahead," Harry said. He lifted a biscuit up and bit into it. It didn't take long for him to hear a sigh from the older man. He wasn't going to get himself involved unless the ma wanted to chare though.

"Word from the wise don't have children," Lucius said as he placed the letter in an inner pocket.

"How come, sir," Harry asked politely.

"My son managed to get himself detention for putting himself and another student in danger. My family owe an enemy a life-debt because of him," Lucius said. "Thankfully the boy seems to have no knowledge of the magical world so there shouldn't be a problem."

Harry nodded. That was interesting information that he could probably have use for someday. "Ignorance is a blessing sometimes," he said.

Lucius smiled. "True," he said.

They finished their tea eventually and took farewell of each other. But it would be far from the last time they met.

Harry returned to Hogwarts to spend the rest of the day with Fleur. He wanted to talk to the one person that would just listen.

...

AN: Merry Christmas and thank you for all the support you have given me. We're about halfway through the story now so there is plenty more to go. I hope you continue enjoying it.


	45. Keep Yourself Centred

**Keep Yourself Centred**

 _26th of January, 1995. Thursday_

Weeks passed by. Lessons blended together, but Harry kept up. He knew what to do for the next task. He did his homework the same day he got it most of the time. He was steadily getting better. The only teacher that knew something was up was Moody.

He and Neville were sitting side by side in History that morning. They were going to head over to Herbology soon enough. Binns just needed to stop droning on about whatever it now was that he was talking about. Harry was glad that he was self-studying. The shy brunet next to him was slowly building his own confidence. It made the raven happy. He didn't like having the teen run on fake courage. He had figured the boy just needed a push though, and it seemed like he was right.

There wasn't that much they could do with plants in the cold, but Madam Sprout was teaching them about spells they could use come spring. It wasn't as interesting as actually working with the plants though especially not for Harry. He was quite bored.

They stopped in the Great Hall for lunch before heading to the Defence classroom. They walked in and sat down. The past couple of weeks they had gone through what they had already learned so that the real Moody could get a feeling for what they were capable off. Not that anyone but Harry had know that was what was going on. He also knew that they would start with something new, and that it would be practical. The reason he knew was because Moody wanted his help.

He and Neville had been some of the first to arrive so it took a while before the lesson actually started.

Moody came limping in, his wooden leg creating a resonating thud with every second step. "Stand up," he said gruffly. "I don't care how much more you remember now. It is your job to make sure you can clear the end of the year exam. Today I'm going to teach you a very important part of self defence." He swished with his wand and the tables and chairs stacked up against one of the walls leaving the floor free. "Potter come up here," he ordered.

Harry walked forward. His illusion dropped his robes and kicked them to the wall. He stopped so he was facing Moody. "Today I'm going to teach you how to dodge spells. The reason I have Potter up here is because of his work with the Horntail," he said. "Don't get hit Potter." He started sending low level hexes, jinxes and charms at the raven.

Harry moved out of the way. He rolled and he jumped. A red spell flew just past his ear. He was smiling it was almost like dancing.

"That's enough," Moody said some time later.

Harry was breathing heavily and as he lowered his head he could see that his hair was pink. He started laughing.

"Constant Vigilance!" Moody roared and everyone but Harry jumped. "This is no laughing matter Potter," he said sternly.

Harry nodded. "One spell," he said. "I didn't even try to use my wand." He walked back to his classmates. He guessed he'd just run with the pink hair.

"You'll split into teams of two and start practising now. You are not allowed to use any spell that can hurt your partner," Moody said. "I will not have any whining about this. It could save your life some day."

Harry could see Malfoy from were he stood. The blond didn't look happy. People had asked him time and time again why he had saved the blond all those weeks ago. His classmates just couldn't understand why he would do that. He'd tried telling them that first of all he hadn't known it was Malfoy at the time, and second of all he might not like the git, but he didn't want any of his classmates dead. People had apparently been hysterical when the unicorn attacked him. He hadn't noticed. He must have zoned them out. He had other things to worry about at the time.

As Moody presented the idea of what they were about to do to him, he had figured that the Slytherins would be the most against this idea, and he had been right. The Snake House was grumbling quite a lot. He paired up with Neville moving as far away from them as possible. "Don't worry so much," he said. "I won't cast anything dangerous at you. Just try to move out of the way." He raised his prop wand and aimed.

Neville nodded. He straightened a bit and then he focused on the sparks coming from his friend's wand. He got hit a lot, but he managed to avoid a lot too.

"I am going to split the class into three sections," Moody said when they had finished for the day. "Group one will be here on Wednesdays, group two the early period on Thursdays and group three the later period on Thursday. When you are not here you will research hexes and curses and ways to defend against them. I will know if you're not doing your job." He assigned everyone but Harry into a group. "Potter you'll be here for all periods I'll need your help."

Harry nodded. He'd known that already.

Astronomy that night was actually kind of interesting. Not that Harry cared much for Earth's starts they were so few and scarce. He sighed and his eyes travelled over his classmates. Rumours had been flying around for weeks concerning Draco after the unicorn incident. The blond had been in a lot of trouble. Their Professor had not been happy with him. The raven wasn't really concerned with it though. He trusted that the Professors would deal with the blond. His eyes moved away from the blond git and back to the sky. It didn't really get more interesting just because you spent more time looking at it.

* * *

 _1st of February, 1995. Wednesday_

The following week Harry walked into the Defence classroom after a double Potions class. He was frustrated. Snape needed to learn how to keep track of things. He was blaming the Gryffindors for things the Slytherins did. It wasn't anything new, but he himself could see it happening now.

Moody was already in the classroom when he walked in. "How long until class starts?" Harry asked.

"Another ten minutes," Moody said.

"Fight me," Harry said. "I know we'll have to keep it all nice and child friendly, but I'm not going to do any good for this class as angry as I am right now." He readied himself for battle.

Moody stood up and he started sending spells at the raven. Harry smirked as he let himself go. He was careful though so he wouldn't scare the poor students with the spells he could perform. He danced out of the way of Moody's spells and sent his own. He barely noticed the other students entering the classroom behind him. It wasn't until Moody stopped attacking him that he realised the room was filled with other students.

He turned around and smiled. "Well, I guess that's enough for now," he said. "I hope that actually lets you know why we are learning how to dodge." He walked to the side. "Think back there is no way to protect against the Unforgivables; you have to dodge them."

There were students from Ravenclaw and Slytherin in this group. They had split the Ravenclaws up between the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins and then they had kept the Gryffindors to themselves because they tended to get rambunctious.

"We'll just get started," Moody said. "With less of you it should be easier for you to move around."

Harry walked up to one of the Slytherin students. It was a dark-skinned boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes. "Will you dance with me?" he said with a smirk.

Brown eyes narrowed slightly before the teen walked forward. "Only if I get to lead," he said.

Harry smiled mischievously. "Of course," he said.

They stared shooting spells at each other mush like what Harry had done with Moody when the others entered the room. They moved around each other sending blocking and dodging spells. As far as Harry was concerned, there was no one else in the room. Green fire burned in his eyes.

Moody sent a loud bang to end the class. "That's good enough," he said gruffly. "Class dismissed."

Blaise looked over at the raven-haired teen. He'd never paid much attention to the Gryffindor before. He walked up to the younger boy and reached out. He snatched his glasses away. Huge green eyes looked up at him.

 _'_ _Now I'm glad I actually got real glasses to fake that,'_ Harry thought. As time passed he had adopted most of his wardrobe to seem like he was wearing Hogwarts robes even though he still preferred the style of robes he'd brought with him from Skyrim. He'd figured that he'd spend several years at Hogwarts so he was better of having clothes and other props that looked real even if he threw them in a corner. Or someone took them from him like now.

Dark finger lifted his chin up.

"Blaise what are you doing?" one of the Slytherin girls said.

"He has pretty eyes," Blaise said.

Harry blinked surprised. He wondered briefly what the teen would think if he got to see what he really looked like.

"Potter. Really Blaise what has gotten into you," Draco said.

Harry moved his head to the blond as his eyes widened. "You don't like me Draky-poo?" he asked tearfully, and then he laughed, snatched his glasses back, and disappeared down the corridor.

Blaise turned to Draco. "That's why you have such a hard time around him Draco. Little Potter is a pretty boy under those glasses. You have competition now," he said with a smirk.

* * *

Over the next coming two weekends Harry had three more customers wanting extra security for their vaults. None of them were very good at haggling so they pretty much paid full price. He'd been exhausted afterwards, but it was worth it. He'd also spent some time with Gogil showing him the scrolls Mages in Skyrim learned how to make. The goblin had seen a business opportunity right off the bat. They would have to find a way to market it tough. Harry had decided that he'd start making scrolls. He had been told to get a special briefcase to store them in and had travelled over to a trunk shop where he'd gotten the briefcase had made to his specific requirements. Realising that he could use a shoulder-strap bag that was more to his needs as well, he had one of those made while he was at it.

They spent another Defence lesson training and then Moody had said that they would have to go through an obstacle course of sorts. They would be holding that on the Thursday while Wednesday was left free.

 _16th of February, 1995. Thursday_

Moody looked out over the class of unfocused students in front of him. He was glad these weren't Auror trainees because he wouldn't have allowed any one of them to pass. His eyes fell on Potter. Except for that one. He stepped to the side as a spell came flying his way. "Mr Potter what do you think you are doing?" he asked.

"You were about to attack me I just acted first," Harry said as he turned to the Professor.

"Five points to Gryffindor," Moody said. "Constant Vigilance!" he roared. "I you would all come with me." He led them out of the classroom and led them down to the floor below. They walked into a huge classroom where the man had set up an obstacle course. "Everyone spread out. Potter you are first show them how it is done," Moody roared hoarsely.

Harry ran forward and dropped his outer robe off. He stopped on the starting line and waited for Moody's signal.

"This is set up to shoot coloured-streaks at you not spells. Depending on the colours stuck to your clothes after you've made it through we can determine if you would have survived. You are allowed to use shield charms as you please, but you have to make it though the course," Moody explained. "Go!"

Harry took off. He dived under a green streak before getting back up so he could jump over a red one. He slid over a table and threw up a shield. He hissed softly as he got hit with a coloured beam. He ducked and avoided another green streak.

He was breathing heavily when he reached the other side though it was mostly for show. His trips through the forest were tougher than that from an exercise viewpoint.

"You seem to like having pink hair Potter," Moody said.

Harry grimaced as his hair changed colour.

"But you survived," Moody said.

Harry nodded. He looked at the others. "Your turn," he said. He walked towards the back and sat down against the wall. He pulled a book up and lowered his gaze to that. He didn't really care how anyone else did.

"Mind if I join you?"

Harry looked up. It was Blaise. "Go ahead," he said. "How did it go?" he asked.

"Got hit with a couple of bad ones towards the end," Blaise said. "It's better than Draco he would have lost his wand in the beginning so he should have had a much worse time."

Harry nodded. "It is a bit tricky," he said.

"What are you reading?" Blaise asked.

"It's the third year Ancient Runes book. I realised too late that Divination is rubbish. So, now I'm brushing up on something useful instead," Harry said.

"Do you want any help with that?" Blaise asked.

Harry smiled softly. "No I think I'm fine," he said. "Hermione helps me when I get stuck. She's taken it and well she leaves notes in her books too." He opened the page he was on to Blaise so the other teen could see what Hermione had written.

"Harry where are you?" Hermione's voice could be heard over the chatter of the other students.

Harry stood up slowly. "I should go meet her. It was nice talking to you," he told Blaise. He made his way into the crowd and he found the bushy-haired brunette. "You want to leave?" he asked her.

Hermione nodded. "I want to finish our homework," she said.

"Is Neville done?" Harry asked.

"Yes he's waiting by the door," Hermione said.

They walked over and met Neville before heading out.

That evening Harry received a letter from Sirius. It was short, only a line long, and the man wanted to know when their next Hogsmeade weekend would be. He wasn't sure he liked it. He shook his head at the thought. Sirius was a grown man he could take care of himself. He wrote the date down and sent it off.

…

 _17th of February, 1995. Friday_

It was after class. Harry had headed down from the Divination classroom to the secret room beyond the mirror. He was sitting there with Fred and George.

"Hey Harry what's wrong?" George asked. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin in my year, is hitting on me and I'm not getting a good vibe," Harry said. "I'm not worried or anything, but it is kind of irritating, and I came to think of girls or guys that have people after them that they don't want around. Do you think we could create something that would ward those people off?"

George turned to his twin. "Sounds like a good idea," Fred said. "The most difficult part will be how to make it work," George added.

Harry shook his head. "I think marketing it right will be harder. You are going to need a girls section or something," he said. The activation should be in the user's hands somehow. Otherwise they'll have problems with potential partners as well. We don't want then to come back angry because our product scared their crush away."

Fred started laughing. "Oh, that would be fun though," he said. "We can probably create something like that as well," George said. "It would have to be something you would see a girl carry around," "and it would have to spray either a potion or send a spell at the unwanted boy." "A potion is probably better," "but then what should it do?" the twins went quickly back and forth.

Harry was sitting between them smiling. It was nice with some change. His different friends all had a unique place. "You need to make it something that guys won't notice," he said.

The twins had been arguing what the item should be. "Well you would know best," Fred said as he reached out to the younger teen and touched his pink hair held up by the pale blue hair clip that Fleur had given him for luck. He'd tried to give it back, but she'd told him that as long as he would use it he could keep it.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You can't tell me it doesn't look good," he said.

"Oh, no you're such a cute girl Harry," George said. "Our little sister," Fred joined in.

Harry swiped at him. "You watch it or I'll ground you," he said lazily.

"Oh, no poor us," Fred said horrified. "Please don't do that," George begged.

Harry snorted. He placed his chin on top of his arms on the table. He had another customer the next day. He didn't really feel up to it but he'd manage.

"Here cut," Fred said suddenly. He'd found out that Harry was exceptionally good at preparing ingredients for potions some time back, and now he used it whenever he could.

Harry chuckled and grabbed the silver knife that was handed to him. He started going over the Dugbog hearts that Fred had given him. The popped them and let the blood pour out in a bowl before he started cutting them up. He watched the twins as he worked. They were really efficient. They had several ideas going right then. All of them had its own page in a somewhat loop-sided book. Harry had made a promise to himself I clear that up for them some day. There was a certain charm in keeping the notes hand written though. He was going to figure out how to incorporate illusions to whatever book he decided to make eventually. A proper real world image of the item that was described would be kind of nice. He pushed the Dugbog hearts over to Fred.

"Thank you," the red head said. He was concentrating on the potion he was making. "Can you split the Porlock hairs?" he asked.

"Sure," Harry said. He reached out and brought the shaggy hair closer. He took them out of the bowl two and two so he could cut down the length. It wasn't as hard as you'd think since the hairs were rather thick, but it still wasn't child's play. He cut them up and then he moved the over to Fred. A part of him wished he could just tell them stuff. He liked the twins. They wouldn't run off to some adult and tell on him either, he knew that. He had to be careful though. There were some people in the school he just did not want knowing.

He wished winter was over. He wanted to fly again.

...

AN: You have to thank Missingyes for the extra chapter. There may be more of them during the Holidays. I hope you all having a good time.


	46. Dive Deep

**Dive Deep**

 _23rd of February, 1995. Thursday_

"This isn't good," Minerva said. She was sitting with Albus. The Goblet of Fire had given them three names for people that were going to go into the lake as hostages. There had, however, been no name for young Harry. Whatever magic had entered the boy obviously did not extend to picking a hostage for the contestants.

"We'll just pick someone for him," Albus said while stoking his beard. "Young Mr Weasley for example."

"I don't think that Ronald Weasley would be a good choice Albus," Minerva said. "Mr Potter isn't spending that much time with the youngest Weasley boy anymore." She thought about it for a moment and then she said. "It is a pleasant change. He seems far more focused on his studies now. As far as I can tell he spends most of his time with Miss Granger and Mr Longbottom these days."

"Well, Miss Granger has been chosen for Mr Krum, but Mr Longbottom should work just fine," Albus said. He didn't show his surprise. He had not counted on young Harry and Ronald to fall apart. They had their differences he knew that. _'They will realise they miss each other soon enough,'_ he thought. Friendship was important.

…

Later that evening Harry was sitting with Hermione and Neville in the Library. They were finishing off their homework like usual on Thursdays. The weather had been warming up slowly and they had finally started dealing with actual plants again in Herbology. That day's defence lesson had been intense. Moody really didn't believe in sitting still. Everyone had left with bruises.

"Are you sure you are ready for tomorrow, Harry?" Hermione asked for the umpht time that day.

"Yes, Hermione I'm going to use the bubble-head charm. The twins has taught me how to use it I tested it out in the prefects' pool. It works just fine," Harry answered just like he had every single time before then. He placed his quill down. His Potions essay was done. It had been interesting as he started getting his work back especially after Yule. Snape couldn't accuse him of copying Hermione because his work looked nothing like hers, and he was doing a darn good job especially in his written work. His practical potions were decent but he had no drive. He loved watching people who loved to make potions make them like Ra'shall and Rhavaniel and now Fred, but he himself hated it.

He pulled out A History of Magic and settled down with the heavy book. He was slowly making his way through the entire thing taking notes as he went. He started reading where he'd left off. It was quite interesting when you didn't have Binns voice droning on about it. "Hi Fred, hi George," he said after a while not raising his eyes from the book.

"Darn, you're good," "At that," the twins said.

"Why are you guys visiting this lowly place of the world then?" Harry asked.

"Got a message for your comrades," Fred said. "McGonagall wants to see the two of you in her office," George said.

"Why?" Hermione asked surprised.

"Dunno… she was looking a bit grim though," Fred said. "We're supposed to take you down to her office," George said.

"You need to look grimmer then," Harry said. "It is an execution." He could see the look in the twins' eyes. He smirked. He knew they would have fun with that. He looked over at Hermione and Neville. "I'll see you guys back in the common room," he said.

Hermione nodded. "We'll see you there," she said.

Harry watched them leave thinking that they would probably not be making it back. At least he knew who to look for now. The teachers really could have made a better job. Good guess from him was that Hermione was for Viktor and Neville for him. That was decent enough. He would definitely miss Neville if the teen disappeared. He made his way back up to the common room and headed up to bed. He really needed his sleep.

He lay down in bed and looked down at Malqo as the dragon crawled down to lay on his chest. **_"You are going to have to stay with fire-trickster and water-trickster tomorrow, alright – Yolsemeyvitaan ahrk Lomsemeyvitaan mindinsul, bek,"_** he told the little dragon.

 ** _"_** ** _O.K. monah,"_** Malqo said. His big green eyes closed and he yawned.

Harry smiled softly as he lay back properly.

* * *

 _24th of February, 1995. Friday_

Harry was running through the Forbidden Forest quickly. Next to him Malqo was diving and soaring between the trees. The little dragon loved their outings to the forest. It was early still. The sun had yet to rise.

Harry froze as he heard legs move through the dry undergrowth between the trees. There were a lot of legs too. **_"Malqo there is a kostim, a spider don't go near it,"_** he called to the little dragon.

 ** _"_** ** _Mmmm, I won't monah,"_** Malqo called back.

The spider had turned around as it heard the human. It made its way over and was about to attack when a bright light was shoved straight up against its face. It shrieked and ran off quickly. Harry had learned that the spiders didn't particularly like light back when he had Ronald had travelled in to the forest to speak to Aragog in their second year. That had been one of the most stupid things he'd ever done.

A long dangling crystal-blue tail hung down from a tree a bit further up the path. Harry looked up. Malqo had found something to eat. The little dragon had grown significantly since Harry first met him. He was almost twice his original size when he didn't shrink himself. **_"Yummy?"_** he asked the little dragon.

 ** _"_** ** _Malqo caught himself,"_** Malqo said.

 ** _"_** ** _Tol los saad pruzah - that's really good, Malqo,"_** Harry said. He passed under the dragon and continued walking. He needed to make it back to the school. For some reason they had decided to place the Second Task in the morning. He had no clue why they thought that was a good idea. Though, he guessed the Black Lake was so deep that any sun they might get would have no effect on the water temperature at all anyway so it didn't really matter.

Harry made his way to the tree edge and stopped. He waited until Malqo had shrunk down around his neck before walking out. He started running and didn't stop until he reached the double doors. From there he headed upstairs. He was glad that he'd had some forewarning so he could buy clothes that would actually make sense in the water. He pulled on a pair of green knee-long beach shorts and a dark blue tanktop that was so tight that it showed everything on his real body. On the illusion he had decided to make it just a little baggy so he wouldn't have to deal with people's questions. He pulled on a robe and his dragonscale boots before heading back downstairs so he could eat breakfast. As he walked out of the Hall, he walked upon a scene that would have been funny if the beautiful blond standing next to McGonagall didn't look so distressed. People around Hogwarts really weren't good at hiding things. He tilted his head to the side and then he decided against walking up to them. He could have all kinds of fun with that, but he wouldn't.

Instead he walked outside and sat down against the school building. The sun rose slowly. He got used to the lowered temperature. The longer he spent in the cold the easier it would be for him to hold his own body temperature at an acceptable level later.

He stood up as he saw Fred and George come walking outside with the other students. He walked up to them and grabbed their shoulders. "Will you take Malqo for me?" he asked.

"Sure," George said.

"Just be a bit mindful of what you do," Harry said as he reached up and removed the dragon from around his neck. **_"Stay with Lomsemeyvitaan now,"_** he whispered in dovahzul. He placed Malqo down on George's shoulder and the little dragon moved in to hide under the redhead's collar.

"We'll keep him safe," George said. "You do well out there," Fred told him and slapped him on the shoulder. "We have bets going on you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "First up I hope," he said. He walked over to a small tent that was set up. Fleur stood up when he entered and took his robes off. Her eyes widened. "Oh my," she whispered.

Harry smirked. "Remember you're the only one here that sees that," he said.

"Nervous?" Cedric asked.

"Do I have to be," Harry said with a smile.

The brunet shook his head. "There is something wrong with you," he said.

Harry bumped into him. "I'll just spread it around then," he said.

Cedric felt a warmth move through his body. He definitely felt better. _'How?'_ he wondered.

They could hear their audience outside. The sound coming from them was insane.

Then Bagman's voice called out over the crowd. He spoke about the task for a moment and then he called them outside. Harry walked out with the others. They stood side by side along the edge of the Black Lake.

"Champions are you ready for the second task?!" Bagman called out.

Harry raised his right hand into the air fist clenched. He could see the others doing the same.

"Well, our champions seem ready. Now remember that they have exactly an hour to recover what has been taken from them. They start on my whistle," Bagman said. "On the count of three, then. One… two … three!"

The whistle was shrill and the accompanying cheers from the stands were loud and excited.

Harry had already stepped out of his boots. He had his dragonbone dagger strapped to his left leg and his wand prop in his hand. He started walking out with the other champions. The water was cold. Fleur and Cedric fell behind early on. Harry and Viktor continued wading out until the water reached a good bit up their chests. Harry placed his wand against his neck and cast his illusioned bubble-head charm. He fastened his wand to the straps that held his dagger before jumping forward into the water. It was quite some time since he'd tried swimming to the bottom of a lake. There was a very special technique involved.

The water was dark. He couldn't see more that a couple of feet ahead of him. He didn't need to though. His blue trail led him down. Deeper and deeper. He smiled as fish swam by him. He took off from his trail a little. He didn't want to get there so fast that it seemed impossible for it to happen. He found the bottom of the lake eventually. Grindylows appeared around him suddenly and he smirked. A wave of boiling water moved out from him and hit the little water daemons. They shrieked and took off as burns spread over their chests.

Harry tilted his head to the side. He would have liked to light the entire lake up, but that would give him away. Someday he would do that. As he swam on he could hear the faint sound of singing in the distance. He followed the sound.

Little stone buildings seemed to grow out of nowhere. _'A village,'_ Harry thought. _'Interesting.'_ He started noticing the … he couldn't call them mer. Unless he made it water elf or something. To him a mer was an elf. He wasn't sure what else he could call them though. Maybe they were what was left of Earth's elves. He guessed he could call them mer in that case. He raised an eyebrow as he saw a grindylow tied to a stake outside a house. _'So, they had guard-dogs too then,'_ he thought,

Light spread for the mer version of a town's square. A choir of mers stood together. The mers had greyish-green skin and long wild hair. It flowed green in the murky water. Several sets of yellow eyes turned to him. They leered at him as he swam past. He could see more emerging to watch him. Their long silvery tails swiped through the water. They held spears in their hands.

Harry swam past them and up to a giant statue in the middle of the square. It looked like a rough carving of a mer. Four persons were tied to long strands of seaweed in front of the statue. Harry could see Hermione, Neville, Cho and a little blond girl that had to be Gabrielle. They looked like they were sleeping calmly. He swam up to them and pulled his dagger from his leg before cutting the seaweed that held Neville in place. He cut of a long piece of the seaweed and tied the teen's hands together. He placed the arms around his neck and started swimming up.

As they broke the water surface, he could hear Neville breathing in deeply behind him. He freed the teen's hands and turned around. "You alright?" he asked.

Neville nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said shakily.

They made their way to shore. Madam Pomfrey came rushing up to them with towels, and she tried to get them to sit down with a cup of tea each, but Harry's attention had turned to a distressed blonde. Fleur was sitting with her mother next to her. She felt eyes on her and looked up. "'Arry," she called. "Zey 'ave my little sister down zere please save 'er." She was crying.

Harry turned around. He was pretty sure that Dumbledore wouldn't let the kids down there get hurt. That wouldn't stop him from doing what Fleur had asked of him though. He ran back to the water and jumped back in. Since he'd already been down once, he took the most direct route he could down this time around. He clouded his presence so the other champions wouldn't see him. He wasn't even sure he was passing either of them. When he reached the village again there was no one but Gabrielle left though. He swam up to her and released her before tying her hands like he had done Neville's.

He could see the looks on the mers' faces they didn't seem approving, but they didn't get in his way either. He started swimming back up with the little blonde. He switched her around before he broke the surface this time and he'd swum closer to the shore as well. He only needed a few more strokes before he could stand.

The little girl coughed. Scared blue eyes looked up at him. "Qui es-tu? Que se passe-t-il?" she asked.

"I'm sorry honey. I don't speak French," Harry said as he stood up so he could walk the rest of the way. He carried her to shore and then he kneeled down so he could move her hands from around his neck. He undid the knot on the seaweed and ran his finger along her wrists to make sure he hadn't hurt her. Then he lifted her up again and walked over to Fleur and their mother with her.

"Merci 'Arry," Fleur exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him and Gabrielle and kissed him. "You saved 'er."

Harry let Gabrielle down. "You're my friend Fleur of course I'll help," he said. He leaned in closer. "I'll see you in a bit in the carriage O.K." he said. She nodded and smiled at him.

Harry walked back to where he'd left Neville.

"Harry you did it!" Hermione exclaimed as she threw herself at him. "They say you got back first!"

Harry nodded. "I did," he said. He could hear Neville chuckling next to them. He led the excited brunette back to Viktor.

"There you are. What were you thinking going back into the water like that?" Madam Pomfrey asked irritably.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even cold ma'am," he said. "The water is kind of nice actually." He danced out of the way as she tried to wrap him up in a towel. He sat down next to Hermione who had wrapped herself back up in her towel. Viktor was smirking at him. The Bulgarian obviously agreed with him.

Dark eyes moved over to Hermione and sharp eyebrows narrowed slightly. "You haff a water-beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny," Viktor said. He reached out and grabbed it before throwing it off.

Harry looked over at the judges. "You know what," he said. "I don't care what my score is. I'm going to go back up to the tower and catch a shower before everyone else makes it back up there." He stood up and walked off. He really didn't care what they had to say. He was still hoping that he could just sit the last task out.

After a shower and a change of clothes, Harry felt a lot better. Neville walked into the dorm room and smiled at him. He looked like he wanted to ask something. "Go ahead," Harry said.

"Why was I your hostage Harry?" Neville asked.

The raven shrugged. "You're a good friend," he said. "I don't have like a love interest like Krum and Diggory nor do I have a little sister like Fleur. If Hermione hadn't been chosen for Krum then she would probably have been down there for me since we have been close friends longer. But the requirement was that I was going to miss whoever was down there if they disappeared. I'd miss you." He was completely honest. He saw no reason to say anything but the truth.

Neville blushed. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. It made him really happy. He wondered what had happened to change the raven though.

"I'll see you later," Harry said before he walked out of the dorm.

Harry had changed a lot. He didn't hang out with Ron anymore, and Neville guessed he could understand why. The redhead wasn't actually interested in the same things Harry was interested in. But how had Harry's interests just switched like that. Maybe he should ask the teen. He had a feeling Harry wouldn't mind.

In the meantime Harry made his way down to the Beauxbatons carriage. He had picked Malqo up from the Weasley twins on his way down. He was let in by one of the boys. They were so used to him showing up by now that they just let him in. He walked over to Fleur's room and knocked on the door. It was flung open and he was dragged inside. Fleur was hugging him tightly. "Hey Fleur," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. "You know Gabrielle would have been fine. The Headmasters wouldn't have let her get hurt."

"Je sais," Fleur said with a sigh. "But when I realised zat zey 'ad placed Gabrielle down zere I couldn't."

Harry smiled down at her. "It's not like I mind," he said. "It works with my image too you know. Gryffindor's Golden-boy who can't keep himself out of trouble and saves people right, left and centre."

Fleur giggled. "You are so much more zan zat," she said. She walked with him as he backed up to the loveseat and sat down. She sighed. She missed her friends. Most of them were over at Beauxbatons. They hadn't been interested in competing.

Her room door opened and she could hear Gabrielle. She turned around and smiled at her sister. "Viens ici ma chérie," she said and held her arms out. The little blonde threw herself at her big sister. She looked over at the raven sitting next to them, and he smiled warmly at her. She could feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "Fleur qui est-il?" she asked.

"Il s'agit d'Arry. Il est un autre champion," Fleur said. "Il ne parle pas Français."

"Oh, I am… sorry," Gabrielle said, her accent thick.

"It's alright," Harry said. "I don't mind listening to you." He leaned back as the sisters took of in rapid French. He was sure that they talked about him among other things, but he didn't really care. He leaned his head against Fleur's shoulder and breathed in slowly. He'd been up since early that morning. He could do with some rest.

That was the picture that Apolline walked in on later. Her daughters were talking excitedly with each other and a dark-haired young man sleeping against Fleur's shoulder. She was surprised. She wouldn't attempt to say otherwise. Just like her daughter before her though, she could tell that the boy she saw didn't fit with the man she could feel. She asked her daughter about it and Fleur told her she was well aware, but that it was up to the man in question if he wanted to show her or not.

"'Arry wake up," Fleur said softly a couple of hours later. She would have let him sleep, but he needed to eat something and Winky had showed up to take their orders a moment earlier.

Green eyes opened slowly. They looked up at Fleur questioningly. "Winky will return with lunch soon," she said.

Harry smiled and sat up properly. He hid a yawn behind his hand.

"Mother noticed your glamour as well," Fleur informed him. "She trusts zat I know what I'm doing, but it would be nice if you'd show 'er."

Harry looked up at the older blond. He reached up and pulled his amulet off. He could see the surprise in her eyes. "Before you ask Madame," he said. "I spent five years of my life separated from this timeline. When I started my fourth year here at Hogwarts last year I was fourteen-like everyone else. I have since had a bit of an adventure. Fleur knows the entire story. I don't want this or any details to get out though so I am a bit careful with whom I tell."

Apolline nodded slowly. She looked back up at the raven and sent of a strong wave of allure. She was stronger than her daughters would ever be. He didn't even move. Not a sign that he had noticed at all. That either meant he wasn't interested in women or that he was strong enough to simply resist.

The little elf returned and they settled down to eat a nice chicken salad.

Harry placed his fork down. He was done. He looked over at Fleur's mother. "Madame I would appreciate if you stopped that," he said. "I know you're half-Veela there is no reason to throw it at me. It doesn't matter how many times you do it my mind is strong enough to keep that silliness out."

"Mama," Fleur said with a sigh. "'Arry isn't going to 'urt me."

"I 'ave never met a 'uman zat is so resistant before," Apolline said. "Normally zere is some sort of reaction."

Harry shrugged. "It might have something to do with the fact that Breton the race I was described as in the other place where all half-elves," he said. "I don't know if that makes a difference here, but it might."

Apolline nodded. "Zat is possible," she said. "I apologise what I did was rude."

"Apology accepted," Harry said.

"At least now I know zere is someone who can keep my fille, my daughter safe 'ere," Apolline said.

"Mama, I don't need a bodyguard," Fleur said.

"Sure you don't dear," her mother said.

Harry chuckled. He blinked surprised as Malqo left his shoulders.

"My what is zat," Apolline said.

"It's Malqo," Fleur said. "'E is 'Arry's dragon."

"But keeping a dragon is illegal," Apolline said.

"I know that," Harry said. "He is convinced I'm his mother I can't just dump him. His kind is considered extinct. I'm going to travel over to some dragon reserve this summer and see what we can do."

Apolline looked at the dragon. "What is 'e?" she asked.

"A Cristallum Parvus," Harry answered.

They moved back over to the little sofa group that Fleur had and sat down so they could be more comfortable. It didn't take little Gabrielle long to figure out that Harry was quite comfortable. She didn't quite understand how he had gotten older, but he was even more handsome now so she wasn't complaining. Malqo settled down with his head in Fleur's lap. He really liked her. He said she smelled nice.

They conversed well into the evening. Little Gabrielle fell asleep as Harry ran his finger through her hair. He moved her slightly so she would be more comfortable.

"Ta petite soeur va tout mettre en œuvre apprendre l'anglais maintenant," Apolline told Fleur.

Fleur nodded as she looked turned to Harry. "Gabrielle really likes you. Mama says she'll probably try very hard to learn English now," she said.

Harry hummed. "Great I have an eight-year-old with a crush on me," he said jokingly.

Fleur just laughed.


	47. Padfoot and Quidditch Tryouts

**Padfoot and Quidditch Tryouts**

 _3rd of March, 1995. Friday_

Harry looked down at the note in his hand.

 _Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish_

 _and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring_

 _as much food as you can._

It was a little over a week since the second task had taken place. The weather was so windy that the Quidditch team had decided they would have to wait some more before they could even attempt to fly. The young ones would all blow away in the wind otherwise.

 _'_ _Sirius must be crazy,'_ he though. Like that wasn't apparent. The man definitely had some screws loose. He burned the note and continued with his breakfast. He had enough to worry about with the days lessons. _'Maybe I should take Fred and George with me to see Sirius,_ ' he thought as he stood up.

The first lesson that day was Herbology.

Harry settled down next to Neville.

"Can I talk to you later?" the shy brunet asked.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "Sure," he said.

They continued working with the Umbrella Flower they had before them. The flower was big and colourful. They need to clean the stems of. There were fly larva and a strange sticky goo that needed to be cleaned of for the plants to grow healthy. It was dirty work but the flowers were really good for everything else in the green houses. The scent kept the air clean. There were a lot of complaints going around.

Harry and Neville didn't complain though. They just worked on.

After Herbology they had Care of Magical Creatures. Hargid was back so class was a bit less informative. The man was nice and all, but he was not supposed to teach. He wasn't fit for it.

They were dirty and grimy when they were done. Everyone made their way back to their dorms so they could clean up properly. "You wanted to talk to me Neville," Harry said as they left the common room. "We can just go over to an empty classroom and call some lunch up," he said.

"Oh, O.K." Neville said. He followed the raven over to an unused classroom. They settled down by a table that Harry pulled out. The raven called Winky and asked her for some lunch before turning to Neville. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked.

Neville reached up and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I was wondering," he said. He met Harry's eyes, breathed in and decided to just go for it. "You have changed a lot the past few months. It's a bit weird… Harry has something happened?"

Harry leaned forward. "I stopped pretending," he said. "Back before I came to Hogwarts I went to the same school as my cousin. I wasn't really allowed to outdo him in school. His parent got angry with me if I did. I just settled in Ron's pace when I got here. Now as I had to enter the tournament and Ronald started acting like an idiot, I realised that I didn't want to do that anymore. I'm a smart guy, but I let Ron be my role model which is really stupid."

Neville nodded. He definitely could understand that. "So you didn't like plants because Ronald doesn't like plants," he said.

"Yeah, something like that," Harry said.

Winky showed back up and they ate before heading up to Divination.

…

Harry was sitting with Fred and George that evening. He was rolling pear rock bars on a marble slag. Fred had made a potion that would make peoples' eyes and hair change colour. They had placed it in the coloured part of the candy. They had tried it to perfection over the course of the past few weeks. Harry had asked Winky for a peppermint rock recipe so he could make candy for the potion. He was pretty good at baking so he'd figured he could make candy.

The candy was harmless. It just messed with your colours. They had made sure that was all it did. It worked for a full twenty-four hour period. The twins had been really glad that Harry had become a part of the team when they had first tried the potion because they had gotten really sick and he had to heal them. They hadn't asked any questions, but they wouldn't forget.

Harry smiled as he placed the candy to the side. He grabbed one of the pots he had sugary goo in and poured some white hot sugar out on they marble slab in front of him. Then he grabbed the second pot and poured green coloured sugar mass out next to the white mass. He grabbed them both at the ends and then he started twisting them together.

"You're really good at that," Fred said.

Harry chuckled. "It's fun I tend to get good at things I think are fun," he said.

"I think it's weird that you hate potions so much, but you love making things like that," George said.

"I like making things that people will enjoy. It is easier with food or candy or baked goods than with potions," the raven said. "I don't mean that potions can't be fun, but people will like the candy for what it is not just for what it can do."

"You do realise that you are slowly making yourself necessary for our production right?" Fred said. "We won't be able to make certain things without you," George followed up.

Harry nodded. "We'll work something out," he said. "Since I like doing this it's not like I'm just going to stop. It's going to be your shop, but I don't know maybe there should be like a symbol for things I have had a hand in making. People don't really need to know but we do."

"And we can add something for you in the sign," George said.

"A black dragon," Harry said. "Have the two of you ever considered becoming animagi?" he asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, since you told us about the Marauders," Fred said.

"Do you want to meet Padfoot?"

"We can do that!" the twins exclaimed together.

"He wants to meet me tomorrow just outside of Hogsmeade," Harry said. "We can ask him about becoming animagi while we're at it. They did it while they were still in Hogwarts."

"Yes," "that's awesome." "We can have so," "much fun with," "that," Fred and George were going back and forth quickly.

Harry started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Fred asked.

But Harry couldn't breath to answer him. He just kept laughing.

"We have broken him," George said.

* * *

 _4th of March, 1995. Saturday_

The next morning the three mischief makers were up early despite the fact that Sirius hadn't told Harry to meet him until two o'clock. There were a lot of other things they wanted to get done before meeting the Marauder.

They left the school as most other students entered the Great Hall for breakfast. The twins were making up ridiculous stories and insane jokes as they walked. A lot of them they would never be able to use since they were either life threatening or so complicated that it couldn't be made.

They passed by Dogweed and Deathcap looking for some unusual ingredients for their experiments. And Zonko's so that the twins could restock. Harry dragged them into the Magic Neep so he could buy some lasting food for Sirius. He'd just call Winky later when they met the man.

About midday they settled down in Three Broomsticks and ate.

"Ronald doesn't seem too happy," Harry said softly. The redhead had entered the inn and glared at them as he walked up to the counter.

"Ronniekins wants to be something, but he doesn't work to get there," Fred said. "He's going to wake up one day and realise that he should have done something," George said.

Harry hummed. "I'm hoping that he wakes up soon, for his sake," he said.

Fred shrugged. "That's his problem," he said. George nodded.

Harry rolled his eyes and smiled. He finished his fish 'n chips. They were going to take a look through Honeydukes. They weren't really going to buy anything, but they didn't want to make candy that already existed. The candy shop of course didn't have prank candy. They were more interested in enchanted candy than pranks. It boded well for the twins' business. The joke store didn't have candy; the candy store didn't do pranks. They could do both.

They walked up to the Shrieking Shack brainstorming as they went. Harry was taking notes in dovahzul. The twins didn't mind since it kept their ideas secret all they needed was for the raven to translate for them later.

As the clock neared two, they made their way over to the spot were Sirius had wanted to meet Harry. Soon enough a big black dog showed up with a couple of newspapers in its mouth.

"Hi Sirius," Harry said softly. The dog walked up to him, and he knelled down. "These guys are safe. I'm thinking you'll like them." He scratched Padfoot behind the ears. As he stood back up, Padfoot started walking up a dirty path to a small mountain. The shaggy black dog led them up the mountain. Harry picked up their pace. He didn't want to be walking forever. He knew the twins could keep up and Sirius was a dog. The sun was beating down on them but the air was cool.

Suddenly Sirius disappeared into a dark hole in the mountainside. Harry crouched down and followed. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Buckbeak the Hippogriff that Sirius had escaped from Hogwarts on the year before. He walked forward slowly. He knew they would be better off getting along with the half-bird half-horse. His eyes stayed open as he bowed low. It didn't take long for the Hippogriff to bow as well. Harry walked up to him and petted him. "Hello Buckbeak," he said. He turned around and smiled at Sirius. It had been a long time since he'd seen the man for real. "You should acquaint yourselves with Buckbeak before you do anything else," he told the twins before walking up to the dirty and ragged looking man that taken the dog's place. "It's nice to see you again," he said. He walked up to the man and hugged him.

"You didn't bring any food?" Sirius asked. He seemed disappointed.

Harry snorted. "Now if I didn't know you cared about me I would feel insulted," he said. "I have something better than just some food." He walked away from the man a bit. "Winky dear," he called.

The little house-elf showed up. "What does master Harry want from his Winky?" she asked.

"Could you bring some refreshments for the twins and I and some stomach friendly food for Sirius please," Harry said. Winky turned around and her big brown eyes got even bigger. "Master this man be dangerous," she said.

"He probably is Winky but not to me," Harry said. "Remember what I have told you dear."

Winky nodded. She knew her Master was really good at fighting. She had seen him going up against Mister Moody and won. "Winky will be right back would Master Harry want a table and chairs?" she asked.

"Yes please Winky," Harry said.

"You have a house-elf?" Sirius said. "How did you get a house-elf?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Mister Crouch fired her last summer. She came with a friend to work at Hogwarts, but she was really unhappy so I offered her employment with me. I'm pretty sure she loves working for me. She is a servant, but that doesn't mean I treat her badly. She loves to do the work she does. Taking that away from her would be cruel," he said.

"You have Bartemius Crouch's former elf working for you?" Sirius said. He shook his head. "You're nuts."

"Sure, whatever," Harry said. "Let me introduce you to my company. You can probably tell that they are Ronald's older brothers by the red hair. But this is Fred and George Weasley. Since their very first year at Hogwarts they have worshipped the Master of Mysteries. The Marauders." He turned to the twins. "I know he looks a bit disappointing, but what can you do when you're on the run? This is Sirius Black also known as Padfoot."

Winky returned with a table and four chairs, popped away, and returned with some apple juice and scones. Harry sat down "Come on Sirius," he said and grabbed the chair next to him. "You think I'm nuts for taking on Crouch's old elf. You're nuts for even being here. You're lucky that everyone who knows of your animagus form around here are on our side."

The twins sat down opposite them with wide grins on their faces.

"I'm just performing my duties as a godfather," Sirius said.

Harry shook his head a smile dancing on his lips. "I'm just going to say this once because you're a grown man who can take care of himself. But don't get caught. Constant Vigilance!" he roared in an imitation of Moody.

Everyone else jumped in their chairs.

"Merlin you have been spending too much time with old Mad-Eye," Sirius said. "Are you trying to give a man a heart-attack?" He was smiling though. "You're good at that," he said. "Probably shouldn't let Moody catch you doing it though." A plate filled with food was placed down in front of him. He tilted his head to the side. "What is this?" he asked.

"Got no clue," Harry answered. "But it will be kind to your stomach. Being without proper food for as long as you have isn't good for you and just introducing fully spiced food right on top of that would make your entire system flip. I don't want you puking all over the place."

Sirius looked back down at his plate and shrugged. It looked appetising that was good enough for him. He started digging in to the food. "So, how did you two find out about the Marauders?" he asked the twins.

"Back in our first year Filtch dragged us off to his office cause we fired of dungbombs in the corridors," Fred started. "We saw this drawer he had and just couldn't help it," George continued. "I fried off another dungbomb and drew Filtch out of the room so George could go through the drawer." "And I found the Map." "It took us a while to figure it out, but the creators had left clues that we could follow." "We used it for years until we decided that Harry was better off with it last year." "He needed it more than we did." "We didn't know until recently that his father was one of the creators," George said. "Then he told us about you and asked if we wanted to meet you," Fred finished.

"I wonder whose Map you got," Sirius said. "James had his at home after we had finished Hogwarts. Mine went missing when I was out on an Auror mission. I think Moony had his with him as well, but I can't be sure and I have no idea when it comes to Wormtail." He shook his head and smiled. "Either way it ended up with some mischief-makers that's all that maters." He looked over at Harry. "So the second task went well?" he said.

Harry nodded. "First up and I went back in again," he said. "But I wrote that. Why, apart form the company, did you want to see me now?" He waved over at the twins. "They know most of what's going on," he said. "Of course so does Moody so I have people who have my back on quite a lot of fronts."

Sirius nodded. "You don't get the newspaper do you?" he asked.

"I haven't gotten around to getting a subscription yet," Harry said. "I'll get to it some day."

Sirius nodded and was about to get up when Harry drew his wand and summoned the newspapers Padfoot had dropped on the floor earlier. The man grabbed one of them and opened it up. "Look at that," he said and pointed to an article before moving on to another and then another.

Harry looked down at the text and grimaced. "Crouch has gone missing," he said. "Percy is under investigation."

"Serves him right," Fred said. "He could do with being taken down a peg or two," George agreed.

"Some think it's illness but there is no proof to support that," Harry said. He had a sinking feeling that the man's son might be behind his father's disappearance. From what he could read it had happened before he had confronted the man though so he didn't feel that responsible. "The only thing people seem to be able to agree on is that he's been gone since the end of November when he attended the first task I guess."

Sirius nodded. "It's strange," he said. "Does the elf know anything?"

"Maybe," Harry said. "But I have told her that she can keep his secrets and she appreciates it. I'm not going to start asking her things now."

"It could help though," Sirius said. "Isn't it worth it?"

"No," Harry said his tone final. "She means a lot to me and I'm not messing with that."

"Why don't we talk about something funnier?" Fred said. "We're planning on starting a joke shop." "Do you have any suggestions?" George asked.

Sirius smiled. "Oh, now this is interesting," he said. "We had a book filled with tricks and jokes. I think Remus still has it. I can ask him for it. We definitely need to support a proper joke shop." His eyes were gleaming with mirth.

"You can make a Marauders brand line," Harry said.

"Just like we'll have a Black Dragon brand line," Fred said.

"Black Dragon?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. "That's for me," he said. "When I'm involved in making the product it is a Black Dragon product."

"We're making stuff already and Harry is baking and making candy like a boss," George said. "He has our hideout smelling really good."

Sirius looked at the raven. "You bake?" he asked.

"Yes Sirius I bake," Harry said. He punched the man lightly on the shoulder. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"I… I don't know," Sirius said.

Harry pulled out a little bag of pear rocks. "Try one," he said.

Sirius reached out and took one of the rocks. He popped it in his mouth. "This is good," he said. "There is a potion in this?" he asked. Fred nodded. "I can't taste that. It's really good work. What is it supposed to do?"

Harry pulled a hand mirror out of his bag. He had it in case he needed to make a change to his glamour when he wasn't near a mirror. He handed it over to Sirius.

The shaggy looking man held the mirror up and he started laughing. His hair was sunshine yellow and his eyes some strange kind of green. "This is great," he said. "It's always random?"

"Yes and it holds for about an hour before you can go for a new colour combination," Harry said. "We're going to have several flavours in a mixed bag so you can enjoy it as well as get a new look."

"This is good," Sirius said. "Simple and fun for everyone."

"So we have another question," George said. "Yeah, could you teach us," Fred said. "How to become animagi," Harry finished.

"Merlin no. You three stop that," Sirius said laughing. "I'll teach you but don't twin talk all three of you."

Harry hummed. "Fine," he said.

"Now the first thing you have to do is hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a whole turning of the moon. You also have to meditate which isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do. You do this to find out what your form is. After that you need to research the animal. I want you to talk to me again when you have gotten there," Sirius said.

"We should probably do it over the summer. Like start on the last day of school or something. McGonagall will figure us out otherwise," Harry said.

"Sounds good," Fred said.

They spent another hour or so with Sirius just talking. They had several ideas flying around their heads as they left the man.

"You take care and don't worry about me I'm fine," Harry said as they took farewell.

"I should be telling you that," Sirius responded.

* * *

 _5th of March, 1995. Sunday_

The next day the remains of the Gryffindor Quidditch team met on the pitch. They had booked it for the whole day just to be safe. Madam Hooch had been surprised, but she'd been happy to sign them up. They flew around just them for an hour or so. The try-outs had been set for ten o'clock, but they felt like they needed got get back on track themselves before they could deal with the younger students.

Harry turned around and dived. He pulled up just above the grass covered ground.

"Whoa Harry what have you been up to lately?" Angelina asked.

"I spent some time out flying before and after the first task," the raven answered. "I didn't want to go all rusty and I needed the calm. Flying is just amazing." He landed on the ground. "So how are we going to do this?" he asked.

"First we figure out what they want to play. All positions are open but they have to pick one," Alicia said. "Then we split them up. We can handle both the chasers and the keeper. You guys deal with your own potentials. We don't have to pick anyone for a position, but it would be good if we got people for all positions."

Everyone else agreed and they spread out. As students started filtering in to the Quidditch field Angelina placed her wand against he throat. "Sonorus," she said. She waited a little bit and then she started. "Now if you would all please split up according to the positions you would like to play please. Chasers with Alicia," the brunette waved to them, "Keepers with Katie. Beaters with Fred and George and Seekers with Harry. Please pick one it will make things much easier for us. If you are only here to spectate then please leave the field and head for the stands."

Harry tilted his head to the side as people made their way up to him. He folded his arms over his chest. "If you are past your third year please leave," he said.

"Why?" one of the obviously older guys said.

"Oh, let's see this is a precautionary exercise so that we will always have a working team, but we want the people we chose to have a chance at playing. He looked up at the guy. I'm not planning on giving my position up for anyone. The people here who are younger than me will have a chance to play for real when I stop which will probably be after my sixth year which means that if the secondary seeker is a third year they have a chance top play for two years. You wouldn't get to play at all," Harry said. "I repeat if you are in fourth year or over then leave. You can attend try-outs for whatever openings we might have." He watched as several students left the group.

"There, now we can start," the raven said. "To be a Seeker you have to be nimble and quick, but you also have to be ready to fly like no one else on the field." He looked at them. "You don't have to have the best broom to win. I beat Malfoy on a broom that wasn't as good as his." He held his Firebolt out level. "For this I want all of you to use my Firebolt because I want to see what you can do without it being influenced by the broom you fly." He smirked as he saw the light in their eyes. He had just made their day.

"One at a time and I want you to follow this," Harry said as he held up a small ball of light. It was bigger than the Snitch since he didn't want it to be impossible to follow. He helped the first boy up on the Firebolt. "O.K. I want you to fly up a bit take a lap around to get used to handling the broom and then come back here." He watched as they boy took off. He could tell from what he saw in the trial lap that this kid was not going to cut it. He didn't stop him from following the ball of light though.

One after another the kids went up on the Firebolt. Harry was controlling the target so it was never the same route. He led the kids around the other players up there. Diving, twirling spinning, he led them like the Snitch would. A smile spread over his lips as a young dark-skinned girl flew after his little ball of light. She had a bit of trouble in the beginning, but now she was following closely behind the ball. The raven hummed. He was leading her around longer than anyone before her. She really had potential. She landed next to him and he sent of the next kid. There were another two left and he watched them as well.

When everyone had gone a lap, Harry gathered them together. "O.K. so several of you have potential. I don't particularly like picking someone over everyone else, but we can't train everyone. I want the three of you to stay. The rest of you I'm sorry, but you just don't cut it," he said. He could see the disappointment on their faces. "If flying is what you want to do, then don't give up," he said. He led the three students he had hand-picked out further on the field. He sat down with them and after a couple of tries he got them talking. He needed to know what their personalities were like. It was so important that the people they picked worked in a team. Right off the bat he could exclude one of the boys. He just wouldn't work with a team. They took a break for lunch and Harry settled down with the rest of the original team so they could talk.

"We have our Beaters Peakes and Coote" Fred said. "They work well together. They need to learn how to read each other better but," "they have a pretty good aim," George picked up.

Angelina nodded. "We have Chasers as well," she said. "Weasley, Robins and Whispers. They are decent. We give them some practice and they'll get good. They work alright together have a good flow."

"We're thinking Chace Andrews for a Keeper so far. He's no Wood but you've gotta start somewhere," Alicia said. She looked at Harry. "How about you?" she asked.

"I got two potentials," Harry said. "I want to know how they work with the rest of the team though so if everyone else has decided that would be good."

The others nodded. They finished their food and headed back outside. They took it easy with their chosen players for a while. Then they left the kids and took off into the air for a while. They played around for an hour or so before they went back down. Ginny walked up to Angelina and told the older girl something. Harry was waved over. "Ginny says that John is a bully. He's behaving in front of you, but he isn't nice to the younger students," Angelina whispered.

Harry nodded. "Hope is the better player so that isn't a loss in anyway," he said. "We can just take her and send him away. Hope could get really darn good with some training, and she's a first year so she'll have plenty of game years after I leave."

Angelina nodded. "Sounds good we have a team then," she said.

Harry smiled and walked over to his Seekers. He looked to the little dark-skinned girl. "You're in Hope," he said.

A bright white smile spread over her lips. "Thank you," she said. She jumped forward and hugged him. Harry chuckled.

They now had a secondary team. Ginny Weasley, Demelza Robins, and Kyle Whispers were their Chasers; Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote were their Beaters; Chace Andrews their Keeper and Tanya Hope the Seeker. Most of them would start playing for real the year after next when Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George had all left school. Katie liked the idea of having more time for her studies in her Seventh Year as well so she might leave too, but she hadn't decided yet. If she didn't they would rotate the other Chasers so they all had a chance to play.

...

AN: Happy New Year everybody


	48. The Interview

**The Interview**

 _8th of March, 1995. Wednesday_

The Potions class was gathered outside the classroom. The Slytherin girls giggled as Harry, Hermione and Neville walked up closer to them. "There they are!" Parkinson giggled. "You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" she said and threw the magazine she was holding over at the bushy-haired brunette.

Harry caught it out of the air and put it in his bag. "We can look at that after class," he said softly.

Hermione nodded. They settled down in the classroom and waited until Snape had written down the instructions. They could hear the Slytherins whispering around them throughout the class. They didn't pay them much attention though. They managed to get through Defence as well before they headed down to lunch and opened the magazine up.

Hermione read through it first and she just snorted. "Here you read it," she said.

Harry looked down at the article. _Harry Potter's Secret Heartache_ it read. He shook his head. Reading through the short piece quickly he couldn't help but agree with Hermione it was ridiculous. "O.K. I don't know if I should laugh or feel insulted," he said. He looked at over at the brunette. "Please tell me you have never been romantically interested in me Hermione," he said.

Hermione lowered her gaze and blushed. "I… after you guys saved me form the mountain troll I did you know for a little bit. I mean it was just a little girl's crush," she said quietly.

"But nothing like with Viktor right," Harry said.

She shook her head. "No not at all," she said.

Harry hummed. "You're like a sister to me," he said. "A bossy know-it-all sister. Ouch!" He rubbed his arm where she'd punched him. "I think Pansy needs a mirror though. She says you are ugly that's just bull honky. Besides under which rock was she hiding when I took Fleur to the ball?" He shook his head. "I think it's time we give Rita a douse of her own medicine," he said.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Not entirely sure yet but I would have to show this to Viktor," Harry said. He could see apprehension in Hermione's chocolate brown eyes. "He's used to people writing stuff like this about him. He won't be happy someone has written it about you since he cares about you, but the plan I have in mind needs him. I swear it is legal and won't harm anyone."

Hermione nodded. "Alright," she said. She looked down at the article. "I would like to know how she found out that Viktor invited me to Bulgaria though. There was no one around when we talked about that."

Harry nodded. "That's a good question," he said.

…

After Harry's last lesson that day he headed over to the Durmstrang ship. He knocked on the door and a dark haired boy showed up. "I'd like to speak to Viktor Krum could you tell him it's Harry Potter, please," he asked. The boy nodded slowly and disappeared back into the ship. Harry walked back a bit and looked to the sky as he waited.

"Harry vot do you vont?" Viktor said confused. "Is Herm-own-ninny alright?"

"Hermione is fine. I would like you to take a look at something though it concerns her," Harry said as he handed the article over.

Viktor's brow wrinkled as he read. "You and Herm-own-ninny aren't…?"

Harry shook his head. "No not at all. She is like a sister to me it would be weird to think of her like that," he said. "I feel insulted. Hermione just laughed so she isn't all that bothered. I don't have all that much experience with reporters, but maybe it is time to take my publicity in to my own hands. Would you be willing to give an exclusive with me to counter this?"

Viktor smiled. "That could be fun," he said. "I don't usually care much, but this is Herm-own-ninny and her reputation as well." He nodded. "I'm villing to do it."

"I'll get us a reporter that will actually write what we say and not some other nonsense then," Harry said. "We should plan it in this weekend I guess."

"You fix that and I'll be there," Viktor said.

They talked some more before Harry headed back into the castle so he could write to Gogil. He was hoping that the goblin could help him find a reporter with at brain. He didn't want the Rita type they just annoyed him.

Winky was back with a reply just an hour later and Harry had a name and a message that he would have another customer that Sunday. Amelia Bones the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Now there was a woman that he would benefit from having a good connection to.

 _Dear Miss McGregor,_

 _My name is Harry Potter and I find myself in need of a reporter._

 _You have been recommended to me by a friend. I'm sure that we_

 _can find something to talk about. If this works out I wouldn't mind_

 _making you my exclusive contact with the press. I'm hoping that_

 _the 11th at one o'clock at the Three Broomsticks will be a good_

 _time for you. I will be bringing Viktor Krum with me if you_

 _don't mind._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Harry James Potter_

June McGregor looked down at the letter in her hands. She smirked. She could one up Rita. _'Oh, this is just great,'_ she thought. She would so agree. This could make her career if she handled it right. She sat down by her desk and penned a reply. It was late, but the boy's owl was still there so she assumed he wouldn't mind.

She needed to do a bit of research. She should probably look into the articles that Rita had written as well. Some of the things in those might be good to get a second opinion on. Papers were spread all around as she went to work.

* * *

 _11th of March, 1995. Saturday_

Harry headed down to Hogsmeade with Viktor after lunch on Saturday. They were walking in silence. Hermione might not have been affected by the article but others had. It had just made this interview all the more important. Harry didn't want her to have to go through hate mail every breakfast. He really thought people should mind their own business and leave them alone, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. His best friend had been receiving cursed letters, and he didn't appreciate it. He was going to make sure that stopped.

When they reached the inn Harry walked up to Rosmerta, the innkeeper, and asked for a private room. She had happily helped them into a cosy room. Harry told her that they were waiting for Miss McGregor and to please show her in when she showed up.

Viktor sat down. "You say that Herm-own-ninny and you never haff be interested in each other. You vent vith Fleur to the ball, but you are not dating her," he said. "You act older than your age too. I vuld not haff expected this kind of thing from a fourteen year-old."

Harry tilted his head to the side. "I grew up in a home where I had to learn to fend for myself," he said. "I may seem older because of that. I had to grow up before my time. I hid it though. I didn't want to lose the first friend I ever had. He abandoned me when I was picked for the Tournament though so I decided to stop hiding." The door opened and the raven stood up. "Miss McGregor I presume," he said as he took her hand. He bent down and kissed her knuckles. She giggled. Her soft blue eyes met his as he stood back up. Her crimson hair was pulled back from her face. "Mister Potter," she said with a smile.

"Please take a seat," Harry said. "Now I must tell you I have never done anything like this before. Rita kidnapping me and spewing lies not counted in."

"You feel that Rita gives off a warped view of your life then?" June asked.

"I do," Harry said. "There is very little truth in what she writes."

"I take it the both of you would be happy to just get going," June said. They nodded. "O.K. let's start with the tournament. Everyone wants to know how that is proceeding. I take it that you have at least a cordial relationship with each other which is surprising you are opponents after all."

Harry smiled. "We might be opponents in the Tournament, but that doesn't mean that we have to dislike each other," he said. "Viktor dates one of my best friends it would me simple-minded of me to not give him a chance as a person."

"Ve haff a lot in common ve might not be friends, yet but I haff nothing against Harry. From vot Herm-own-ninny has told me he's a great guy. Ve don't talk much about him though," Viktor said. "The point of the Tournament is to make friends from other schools. Ve are doing that."

Harry nodded. "I count Fleur Delacour as one of my closest friends. She's the French champion," he said. "She is also the girl I took to the ball." He leaned back and smirked.

"Ah, from one subject to another. Hermione Granger is not a so called heartthrob of yours Mr Potter I take it," June said.

"Please call me Harry. And no Hermione is one of my best friends. She is like a bossy sister sometimes, but girlfriend I don't think so. I love her to bits and I want her to be happy, but I would never date her," the raven said.

"So saying that she is playing with your heart is just humbug then?" June said.

"Oh, most definitely," Harry said. "So is the idea that she would use Love potions. Anyone who saw her dressed up for the Yule ball would agree that she was one of the prettiest girls there. It isn't her looks that makes her special though it's her mind. Hermione is one of the smartest witches in school the only thing she has against her when it comes to the older girls is experience. The only way to get that is to live."

"That aside is there any girl that you have your eyes on?" June asked.

"Not really," Harry said. He wondered what the wizarding-world's view on homosexuality was. Not that he was homosexual. He didn't care about gender. He wasn't sure that telling the world that through the papers was the right way to go about it though. "There are a lot of pretty girls but looks really are overrated. I'm young; there will be someone some day."

"That is surely true," June said with a smile. "So how do you feel about the Tournament? Nervous, exited. There is only one task left."

"It is nerve-racking," Viktor said. "Ve haff no idea vot vill meet us yet. It could be anything at this point."

"They haven't told you?" June asked.

"No we'll find out about a month before the task in May sometime," Harry said. "I don't really feel all that nervous though, but I guess that is because I'll do my best not to participate. I never wanted to be in the Tournament in the first place. A lot of people are convinced I placed my name in the goblet myself, but if I had then I would have become the only Champion for Hogwarts if I had been deemed more appropriate than Cedric not an extra champion. I have promised my fellow Champions that I will do my best not to participate, but I have to be there because of the contract."

"That is very noble of you," June said. "I must ask why."

"I don't need more fame," Harry said. "I'm famous for something that I can barely remember. My parents died to save my life and somehow in that mess something happened that made me famous. I was just a baby. In some ways I wish that people would realise that I would rather have my parents than that fame. And money…" He laughed. "I can handle myself. What my parents left me is more than enough to get me through school after that I can work. I don't need it," he said honestly. Not that he would trade his years in Skyrim for even his biological parents at this point. He loved Katla and Ra'shall more than he'd ever love Lily and James. "I would have loved to just lean back and watch this year considering the messes I have been through before."

"Oh, now this is interesting," June said. "Please elaborate."

Harry smiled as he stated telling her about his past few years at Hogwarts. He had his audience captivated but kept strictly to the truth. Once done, the conversation shifted to Viktor and his life. It was a double interview after all.

They spoke in length about the future as well. Harry did his best not to say anything that would reveal Kato or Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He did say he might look to play Quidditch, but wasn't sure he really wanted to make a living out of that.

They left the inn some time later. Harry and Viktor were laughing as they walked back up towards the school. "You really don't care about much do you?" Viktor said.

Harry shrugged. "I do care about a lot of things, but I don't spend that much time worrying about them," he said. "When I realise that something needs to be done I'll do something about it."

They took farewell as they reached the ship, and Harry headed over to the carriage. He had a question that Fleur might be the only one that could answer for him right then. He was surprised with himself for not asking it earlier. He made his way to Fleur's room. "Hey lovely," he said as he opened her door. He walked up to her and hugged her.

"'Ow did it go?" Fleur asked.

"Quite well," Harry said. "We'll give Rita problems and I'm probably lighting fires elsewhere as well. I told a lot of thing I have kept silent about before. I was careful though. I don't want to end up an enemy of the Ministry, and they will make me an enemy if they feel threatened."

"Sheep," Fleur said.

"Well, yes," Harry responded. He had walked over to her bed and laid down. "Fleur…" he said.

"Oui 'Arry," Fleur said as she turned around in her chair.

Harry sat up. "Do you know what the wizarding-world's view on homosexuality is?" he asked.

Fleur smiled. "You are worried?" she asked and the raven nodded. "Mostly it is accepted. No one sees it as wrong. I know non-magicals 'ave problems with zat, but in the magical world most people are more open about it. You will find some zat are against it of course. I wouldn't listen to zem zough," she said.

"So if I get a boyfriend that shouldn't create panic?" Harry said.

"Non, zough it might because you are famous," Fleur said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Not that I actually care about what people think. I just needed to know if it would create problems for me to be honest about it," he said. "I'll probably not say much about it while I'm still at Hogwarts sharing a dorm with four other boys."

Fleur smiled. "Zat is probably a good idea," she said.

Harry reached out towards her. "Come here," he said. She laughed as she walked over, and he placed his hands on her waist as she reached him, helping her down. "We need some down time," he said softly.

"I need to study. I take my N.E.W.T.s this year," Fleur said.

Harry looked at her. "I didn't think about that," he said. "Both you and Viktor have to do that. Cedric has another year so he'll do it next year and I'm just a fourth grader who doesn't give a dang about my grades anyway." He shook his head. "If my teachers saw me now they would be distraught. All that talent used on nothing." He smiled at her.

Fleur smiled and ran her finger through his hair. "But you're 'ere wiz us and zat makes us 'appy," she said.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Fleur asked.

"I have a client," Harry said.

* * *

 _12th of March, 1995. Sunday_

Harry was sitting in Gogil's office. He was running a finger down Malqo's back slowly. The little dragon was hissing happily. They were waiting for Amelia Bones. Harry had a feeling that she unlike the previous couple of idiots he'd dealt with would haggle with him for one. He also had a feeling she cared about her vault enough to go down with him. He was Kato like always when dealing with non-goblin related business. "Gogil," he said to get the goblin's attention.

"Yes Kato," Gogil said as he looked up from the papers on his desk.

"I want to be looking for land. I want to have a house, but I'd prefer it built after my own specifications. Can you handle that for me?" Harry asked.

Gogil sat up straighter. "Most definitely clan brother," he said. "What specifications do you want I can start looking right away?"

"I would like to have a water source nearby, I would like forest on the grounds, I'd prefer to stay in Britain," Harry said. "I don't really care where in the country it is though."

Gogil nodded. "I'll start looking. You would like it to rather sizeable though I take it," he said. ¨

"Yes I would," Harry said. He turned towards the door as a knock sounded through the room. He stood up and walked forward. "Madam Bones," he greeted the iron haired woman that came walking inside.

"Mister Peverell," Amelia said. "I hear you can secure my vault indefinitely."

Harry smiled. "I don't know about indefinitely," he said. "All magic fades with time, but I'm sure that what I can do to secure your vault will hold for many a century to come."

"Modest that nice," Amelia said. "How much does it cost?" she asked.

"Four hundred galleons. It's a one time investment," Harry said.

Amelia chuckled. "Let's say three hundred and leave it at that," she said. She knew how the goblins worked. They tended to charge double and they had probably taught the young man to do the same.

"Deal," Harry said. He accepted the contract from Gogil and held it out to her. She read through it and nodded. "This looks good. How long will it take?" she asked.

"If you'll come with me I'll have it done in half-an-hour," Harry said. "I have to connect to your magic to bind the vault to your family. It is easier with you there."

"What happens if my family dies out?" Amelia asked. "Will the vault be sealed forever?"

"No, no it won't. If your family line dies out then the magic is released. That is one of the reasons I want to bind it to your magic. The contents of the vault can be willed to anyone," Harry said.

"And it isn't bound only to me. My niece will be able to use it as well," Amelia asked.

"She is family," Harry said. "I bind the vault to the Bones' family magic. Which also allows for any spouses you or you niece may have as long as your magic has been bound together."

Amelia nodded. "That is very convenient," she said. "I will come with you. I find this whole thing rather fascinating. That the goblins would even acknowledge that a human could do better than them is unusual."

Harry hummed. "I'm a member of Clan Magun," he said. "What I do reflect upon the rest of my Clan. Please follow me." He led her and her accountant out of Gogil's office and down to the underground caves. He helped her in and sat down next to her while the goblin sat down in front. He leaned back calmly as the cart took off. The Bones vault wasn't that far down. Their family was young.

Harry walked up to the door and placed a hand against it. He smiled softly. His dragonbone dagger was pulled from his boot so he could carve dovahzul into the doors. He turned to the goblin and asked for her name. "Thank you," he said. "I add the name here, but that doesn't lock your vault to only this goblin should you chose for any reason to change your account manager the name down here will change with it. The magic has to be added though otherwise no one, but you and your family will be able to open the vault and then the goblins can't handle your business for you," he told Madam Bones.

"I take it you have had problems with this," Amelia said a small smile playing on her lips.

Harry nodded. "Idiot a couple of weeks ago wanted me to seal his vault from anyone but him. In the end I told him that sealing it like that would be more expensive just to get him to shut up and let me do my job," he said.

Amelia laughed. She looked at the script on the door. "So what does this say?" she asked.

"Safe secure access owner Bones no other access but manager Dwayna," Harry said. He walked up to her and held his hands up. "This is the real part though," he said. He breathed in slowly as he gathered a strand of her magic to him. Then he turned to the door and shouted, **_"Tahriik kogur rahnd laviik Bones nid vorey rahnd nuz lahvriiluz Dwayna."_**

Amelia took a step back. She had never felt that much power in one place like that. She saw a light start to glow next to the young man's hand. He seemed to be absorbing the light. His breathing was laboured and he seemed tired. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Harry nodded slowly. "It takes a lot out of me to do that," he said with a strained smile. "I just need some food and rest."

Amelia nodded. "Can I offer you lunch then?" she asked.

"That would be very nice," Harry said. "You should open the vault just to make sure that everything works."

The stern woman walked up to the vault and placed a hand against her family seal. The door opened up like always, but she could feel the new magic checking her before the door had opened. Powerful ancient in a way even though she had just seen it preformed. She closed the vault again, and they headed back up to the surface.

As they stepped out in the sunlight outside of Gringotts, Amelia noticed how the rays caught on gemstones hanging around the young man's waist. She wondered briefly what they were for. She led them over to the Leaky Cauldron and the ordered food. "I must say I have never seen anything like that before," she said. "The magic you used is completely unknown to me."

 ** _"_** ** _Thu'um,"_** Harry said. "It is magic that was once preformed by dragons. They lost the ability a long time ago. My mother taught me."

"Long lost magic," Amelia said. She was going to have to make sure that no laws were past against it that could create big problems for them. "I couldn't help but notice the gems you carry. What are they for?"

Harry smiled. "Enchanting," he said. "Another art my mother taught me. I can infuse an item with magic so that it will perform a task. For example protect the wearer. There are offensive enchantments too, but I never ventured in to learning those. I kept to the defensive."

"But your mother knows both?" Amelia asked.

Harry nodded. "She isn't likely to share though. She isn't much for the magical world," he said.

"She's a muggle?"

Harry laughed. "Oh, I don't think you could call her that," he said. "Just like I'm pretty sure that you can't call me a wizard. Our magic is different from the normal brand, but it is magic nonetheless."

"That can be dangerous to admit young man," Amelia said.

"If the Wizarding World decides to prosecute me for being different they are going to have to go through at least one goblin clan to get to me. They would most likely start another goblin war. Not to say that I can do whatever I want. I just mean that falsely accusing me of something or trying to lock me up because of what I can do would lead to war. I am a full member of Clan Magun I have passed their tests for full adulthood," Harry said. "It means I have to follow goblin law of course."

Amelia gave a small smile.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "I need a connection at the Ministry but I'm not entirely sure who to talk to. You see I have a cure for Lycanthropy. It wasn't made by me, but the creator doesn't want to be known and I respect her. I don't want my name involved, but I don't want this to become a weapon nor do I want profit to be made from it. The Goblins will handle distribution for me for that very reason. It needs to be made known however. Since I don't want my name involved I can't do that."

"We can't spread news about it without testing it," Amelia said.

"But we can't test it without at least letting some Werewolves know about it," Harry said. "The important thing is that it has to be voluntary. Many might see being a Werewolf as a curse, but I'm sure that there are those out there that don't."

Amelia nodded. She couldn't deny that it would be nice to have a cure. There were a lot of children that could be spared the pain that way. She liked the fact that the young man didn't want any money involved. She was sure that the Ministry would try something, but if the cure was protected by the goblins then they wouldn't be able to do anything. "I'll see what I can do," she said. As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she was involved in attacks on families. She had seen her fair share of Werewolf attacks. She had a lot to think about as she headed back to the office. There was a young man in the country with abilities beyond anything she had ever seen before. He didn't seem interested in politics nor did he seem to have any ambitions towards being a part of the Ministry. She found that healthy. He wanted to help and didn't demand money for it. She smiled. There were so many people in the Ministry that would have problems with this young man.

 _'_ _Who do I contact?'_ she wondered. She needed to find a Werewolf that was willing to test the cure.

* * *

 _14th of March, 1995. Tuesday_

A few days later the interview with Harry and Viktor came out in the Daily Prophet. It caused quite the commotion. Harry had made sure to keep names, especially Voldemort's, out of the article as he had told June of his past.

Hermione looked up at him. "You didn't have to do this," she said. "You have given everyone your life story. That wasn't necessary."

Harry shrugged. "I would rather people knew the truth than walked around guessing," he said. "Their guesses are never going to be right. I thought I'd clear things up. Besides I'm tired of you receiving hate mail that is completely unfounded. I'm actually quite angry at everyone that sent you something. Viktor isn't happy either. We know you can take care of yourself, but we'll do what we can and this was easy."

Hermione bit her lip. Harry really had changed. She was starting to question it being because of the Tournament alone. _'It could be Fleur of course,'_ she thought.

The article did make sure of one thing though. Girls wouldn't leave Harry alone. The raven didn't seem to mind. He never accepted anything from any of them. Nor did he go out with anyone. He moved around the castle just as fluently as before too. Girls could be following him around just for him to disappear around a corner and be gone.

Malfoy tried to get under his skin and he just smiled at the blond. "Excuse me but how would you feel if someone had killed your parents as a toddler and you can hear your mother's last few seconds of life when a Dementor is near you Malfoy," Harry had said. "You think you are so tough but how would you have dealt without your protected little life. Your parents keep you safe. Father this father that you're a papas boy Malfoy. I don't have that and somehow I'm doing better than you anyway." He'd shut the blond up. He hadn't even tried to be insulting. He'd just been to the point. It had been gradual, but he'd shifted his behaviour towards everyone to what he would really be like not the scared little boy he had been before he went to Skyrim. Fighting with Malfoy was childish to him. He wasn't going to participate.

He had five years of arsenal learned in a world where you had to fight to survive. No other student at Hogwarts could say the same. He had loved, he had fought, and he had almost died. It was surprising that no one could see how much he had aged in his eyes. He guessed his illusions kept that hidden. He had made friends with Neville just like he'd promised himself so long ago. He was going to live his life with his rules. No one was going to stop him. Everything he had going now was things he loved doing. Even studying with Hermione though that wasn't as interesting as many other things.


	49. Seeker's Game

**Seeker's Game**

 _1st of April, 1995. Saturday_

A little more than two weeks after the interview had been published it was Fred and George's birthday. They were finally turning seventeen. Harry had done his best to get them things they wouldn't find anywhere else. He had also received a package from Sirius earlier that week. He had checked it out and decided that he wanted the twins to have it so he had wrapped it up as a birthday gift from the Marauders. He had also managed to enchant despite not having an Arcane Enchanter. Malqo had given him two scales that he had converted into necklaces. They were enchanted with a modified waterbreathing enchantment. It was so they wouldn't have to cast bubble-head charms on themselves when things went wrong. The necklace would deal with it for them. The scale had protective properties of its own as well. Not even Harry knew exactly what those were.

The raven made his way up to the sixth-year boy's dorm early that morning. He walked into the room without making a sound. He smirked the pranksters didn't expect being pranked themselves. _'Oh, that's a mistake,'_ he thought. He knew there was a big chance that they would plot horrible revenge on him, but he'd survive that. It would be worth it. He placed their gifts down by their feet and left the gift from Padfoot and Moody hanging in mid air between their beds. He hummed softly as he made his way back down the stairs. He was going to take his daily run.

The weather was slowly warming. The sky promised sun. Harry ran deep into the forest. He usually didn't go that far, but it was Saturday. He had nowhere he had to be even though he had an entire birthday surprise set up for the twins. They wouldn't wake up for quite some time yet however. Malqo had left his neck and was flying around happily. When standing on his hind legs, the little dragon now reached up to his mother's chest. He was growing quickly.

Harry slowed down as he heard a rustle in the bushes ahead of him. He activated his detect life spell and a greenish aura showed up. It meant that the being was an animal. He had gotten tired of animals showing up as enemies so he had fixed it. He moved forward slowly. His eyes widened as he laid eyes on a small wolf cub. It had gotten stuck in some kind of net. "Shhhh, I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly. He reached out with a calming spell in his hands so he could help the little one. "There you go," he said softly.

He lifted his head as a growl reached his ears. The bitch was beautiful her fur sleek and dark grey. Her amber eyes were intelligent. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," Harry said calmly. He moved his hands away from the cub. The little one ran back to his mother happily. She lowered her head and sniffed him. Her eyes turned back to Harry. The raven stood up slowly and backed off. He hadn't known there were wolves in the forest. They hadn't looked like wolves though. _'Maybe that is actually true,'_ he thought. He'd read that werewolves mating during a full moon would result in wolf cubs with almost human intelligence.

The raven started making his way back to the school.

Tchick!

He turned around. Malqo came flying between the trees towards him. He landed behind his monah. **_"Keyjul, horse-man is shooting at Malqo,"_** he said.

Harry's eyes narrowed. He raised a magic shield that caught the next arrow. "If you don't stop shooting I'll retaliate," he called out. He could hear hooves thundering over the dry ground.

"What is a human doing in our forest?" The centaur was young. He had short golden hair and a brown coat.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "As far as I know the forest doesn't belong to anyone and even if it does that doesn't give you the right to hunt a near extinct species," he said.

"You are not welcome here human," the centaur said. He grabbed a sword attached to his side and started moving forward.

Harry was glad he looked like Kato at the moment. He raised a hand. An ice spear appeared, and he blocked the sword with it. He sighed. He didn't want to hurt the foal. The ice spear turned to snow that fell down to the ground next to him. A red pulse appeared in his hand and he hit the foal's side with it as it passed him again. He didn't need something elaborate for someone so young.

The centaur didn't return for a third attempt. **_"Come with me, yunkliin, hatchling,"_** he told Malqo.

They made their way out of the forest again. It was still pretty early though so Harry walked over to the lake. He pulled his robes off and jumped in after telling Malqo to be careful. They didn't want to be seen.

Some time later the common room was lively when he entered.

"Harry James Potter we will get you for this." "You will never feel safe again."

Harry smiled at the Weasley twins. "But your such lovely ladies," he said. He walked up to them and wrapped his arms around their waists. "It only holds for twelve hours you don't have to look so worried. Here let me help you with that mess of a hair of yours." He led them over to a sofa and sat them down before summoning a comb. He sat down on the back of the sofa behind George. The comb moved through the orangette locks smoothly. Blue eyes closed as Harry started pinning the locks up.

"Is it really that nice?" Fred asked 'her' twin.

"Mmmhhmm," George hummed.

Harry smiled as he moved over to the potion making twin. He was actually going to put their hair up in two different ways. He didn't want to have to be confused about who was who all day.

"You're evil," Fred whispered. "First you make us look like girls and then you take care of us that's just not fair."

"Did you really think I'd abandon you?" Harry asked. He placed his hands on Fred shoulders when he was done. "I need a shower. Then I'll be right back," he said. He headed up and got into the shower. The hot water felt good. As he exited, he almost walked straight into Fred and George. "We have decided that we won't retaliate if you do this for today too," Fred said.

"Promise," Harry said.

"Promise," they repeated.

Harry walked out to the dorm. "Sure I can do that," he said. He walked over to his nightstand and pulled a vial out. He was just wearing the towel around his waist, but he didn't care. He drank the potion down. And let himself change right then and there.

"Oh, Merlin that's not fair," George breathed. "You look amazing."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He walked back into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. He looked pretty good. "We need to head down to Fleur so she can help us with clothes," he told the twins as he walked back into the dorm. He pulled some clothes on haphazardly. "Come on."

Fleur walked over to her room door. She needed to study. Her friends knew this. She opened the door and fell into a fit of giggles.

"Help us," Harry said.

She waved the inside. "Oh, my 'Arry what 'ave you done?" she asked.

"It's a prank potion," the raven said. "I doused the two of them with it. They weren't too happy with me, but they decided that they won't get back at me if I took the potion too. We need help Fleur. I want us to look perfect you are the very best at that. Please help."

Fleur grabbed 'her' hand and pulled Harry with her away from the twins. "'Ow does this reflect zrough the glamour?" she asked. She could only see what the raven looked like as a full grown woman.

"The glamour is based on what I look like. That's how my hair changes colour in both when someone sends a spell like that at me. So the fact that my original looks like a woman makes the glamour look like one. It's complicated," Harry said. "I do mess with it a bit in connection to Kato sometimes though."

Fleur nodded. "Alright," she said. "Get undressed."

The twins started at Harry when he… she did as 'she' was told. Soon enough Fleur had helped their raven-haired friend into a dress. Harry really pulled it off too.

"You 'ave to take care of zese clothes now," Fleur said. "Zese are mine." She looked at the other two girls. "Come on get undressed. You don't 'ave anything I 'aven't seen before."

The twins couldn't help but laugh. They did as they had been told albeit with a little less confidence than the raven. Fleur fitted them into dresses as well. "Zere you go," she said. "Go make ze boys drool."

Harry walked up to her "Thank you," he/she said.

"Now leave me alone. I need to study," Fleur said.

Harry kissed her one the cheek before he walked back out with the Weasley twins. They headed up to the school and walked into the Great Hall. They all had enough confidence to walk around as women for a day and now they looked ready for it. "You should be a redhead too," Fred said suddenly.

Harry hummed. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. His hair changed from black to dark red like his mothers.

"How did you do that?" George asked.

Harry shrugged. He'd shown the ability to Moody some time ago and the man had told him what it was. "I'm a Metamorphmagus, but I can't do that much," 'she' said.

"Thank you for these by the way," George said as he reached up to touch the necklace he was wearing.

"I though you could do with something that would constantly protect you from breathing in poisonous fumes. How many times have we needed to use the bubble-head charm the past month alone?" Harry said.

Fred chuckled. "A lot," 'she' said.

They walked out of the Hall.

"There you guys are!" Lee Jordan made his way over to them. "That's just weird," he said as he looked at them. "You guys are no supposed to be attractive."

"What on Earth are you taking about," Harry said. "Fred and George are perfectly good looking."

"Eh," Lee looked down at the raven. "Well if you swing that way maybe."

Harry placed a hand over his face. "Great, I really should keep my mouth shut," he said. "And I don't swing any way thank you very much. Man, woman it doesn't make a difference to me," he said. "I'd prefer that people didn't know though. It will make my dorm mates uncomfortable and I'm not the least bit interested in any of them."

"Don't worry Harry," George said. "We'll keep your secret," Fred said. 'She' turned to Lee. "Right," 'she' said dangerously.

"Of course," Lee said.

They returned to the common room and Harry ran up to 'her' dorm to grab the Marauders map.

"Bloody hell what are you doing in here?"

Harry looked up at Ron and blinked. "Really Ron," 'she' said.

"Harry is that you?" Neville asked from the other side of the room.

"Yes, Neville it is. I pranked Fred and George. They are really pretty you know. But they decided that I had to taste some of my own," Harry said. "I guess I turned out alright. I'll see you guys later." 'She' made 'her' way down the stairs and gave the map to Fred and George. "Picnic right," 'she' said.

"Yeah," Fred said.

"I'll see you out there," Harry said. 'She' was in charge of food. Angelina, Alicia and Katie had made up some games. Harry had forewarned them about the twins' predicament. 'She' made 'her' way down to the kitchens and started working. 'She' had asked the elves very nicely if 'she' could please make the cake for the twins' birthday. 'She' had asked them to help with the food and put Winky in charge of the whole ordeal.

"Winky take care of the rest now Master Harry," Winky said.

Harry smiled down at her. 'She' had finished the cake. "Thank you Winky," 'she' said. 'She' walked back out of the kitchen and up to the Entrance Hall. 'She' heard voices from outside but wasn't going to eavesdrop on whoever was out there. Instead 'she' walked straight up to the door and opened it. Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff were standing out there. The dour potions master looked up at Harry and his eyes widened. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Are you alright Professor?" Harry asked. 'She' had taken 'her' glasses off earlier before making the cake, and 'she' must have forgotten to put them back on.

"Lily," the man whispered.

Bright green eyes widened. He hadn't thought about that. Changing into a girl and making his hair red. He probably looked a lot more like his mother right then. She had gone to Hogwarts at the same time as the Potions Professor. He hadn't thought they'd been close or anything all things considered, but maybe he was wrong. "I'm sorry sir I didn't know you knew my mother," Harry said. 'She' walked to the side and started heading down the stairs. Being a girl wasn't as fun anymore. The look in Snape's eyes when he'd looked at 'her' had been so intense. 'She' walked out to where the others were gathered.

"Are you O.K. Harry?" Fred asked.

Harry looked down at the redhead and smiled. "Yeah, I just walked into Snape. I think he knew my mother. Like, they were friends at the very least. I knew that they went to school together. But I didn't think they knew each other so he'd react the way he did," 'she' said. "I think he misses her."

"Come here Harry sit down with us," George said.

They pulled 'her' closer as 'she' sat down between them. Angelina came walking up to them. "We want to play charades," she said. She reached out and pulled Harry up on 'her' feet. "You can be with him," she said and pushed the green-eyed teen over to a young man. Harry tilted 'her' head back as warm hands settled on 'her' waist. A smile spread over 'her' lips. "Oliver," 'she' said.

"Now what has happened?" the Keeper asked. "Last time I was here I'm sure that the entire team wasn't girls."

"It's Harry's fault," Fred said as 'she' stood up. "He pranked us."

"Then how did he turn out like this?" Oliver asked.

"They gave me an ultimatum. Either I drank the potion too or they would prank me themselves. I know what they can do I don't want to be on the receiving end of that," Harry said. It had been a long time since 'she'd' last seen Oliver. The burly teen sat down and pulled the little redhead with him. Harry was surprised when 'she' was placed directly in the other teen's lap. A light blush spread over 'her' cheeks.

Fred raised an eyebrow as 'she' looked at 'her' young business partner. 'She' elbowed 'her' 'sister' and pointed over to them.

"Oh, that's just so cute," George said.

Green eyes flashed his way. "You watch it Georgina or I'll make this permanent," Harry said darkly.

Thankfully Angelina stepped in and got them started with the game. Everyone was laughing soon enough. Charades really made you look ridiculous. Lunch came and went. They played games through out that day.

Somehow once dinner was done and they were going to eat the cake that Harry had made, the green eyed teen had ended up back in Oliver's lap. He wasn't sure how that had happened, but he wasn't complaining really. They had disappeared into the Beauxbatons carriage before dinner as the potion wore off so they could change back into guy clothes and not rip Fleur's dresses.

"This is really good," Oliver said.

Harry looked up at him. "Thank you," he said softly.

"You made this?" Oliver asked.

"Mmhhmm," Harry nodded. "I like baking especially when people like what I make."

Oliver chuckled. He placed his chin against the raven's hair. A sigh escaped the other boy. "I didn't know you liked cuddling this much," he said.

"There is a lot we didn't know about Harry, Oliver," Fred said. "We only scratched the surface," George said.

Harry shook his head. "This is your birthday don't make this about me," he said.

"Oliver should know that his Seeker was perfect because he was being starved as a child Harry," George said.

Green eyes closed as Harry sighed. "That's not important anymore," he said. He could feel as Oliver's arms wrapped around him tighter.

"Harry is that true?" the Keeper asked.

The raven looked up. "Yeah, I don't lie to Fred and George," he said. "My family starved me, they locked me up in a boot cupboard under the stairs, and they beat me when they got really angry at me, but that is all in the past. It doesn't matter anymore." He shook his head. "Can we just not talk about that?" he asked. "It doesn't matter."

"That's bullshit," Oliver said. "You're being abused and you want us to just turn a blind eye."

Harry looked over at the twins. "Why did you do this?" he asked. "Today is your birthday it is about you not me. Couldn't you just leave me out of this?" He stood up from Oliver's lap and walked off.

Fred got up after him. "Harry stop please I'm sorry. I thought Oliver should know. I didn't know you'd feel like this," he said. He caught up to the raven and hugged him.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not against Oliver knowing, you know," he said. "It's just…" He turned around. "You and George know that something else is going on with me. I don't need people worrying about me. You know I can't tell you exactly what's happened yet, but I will. I don't need Oliver worrying about me. I'm fine, Fred. I can take care of myself. You'll understand when I tell you. You already know too much without proper shields."

"We're getting better though," Fred said. He backed off a bit.

Harry sighed. "I know Fred. I know. I just don't want today to turn into feel sorry for Harry day. I don't need it," he said. Then he elbowed the redhead. "Go back have fun," he said. "Make Angelina's hair stand on end or something."

Fred nodded. He started walking back to the others. They had messed up. He wished there was something they could do to fix things, but he had to admit that he didn't know Harry well enough to do that.

"Isn't Harry coming back?" George said.

Fred shook his head. "No," he said.

Oliver looked over his shoulder. The raven wasn't walking towards the school. He stayed a bit longer with the twins before he disappeared off. He found the raven sitting by the lake. He sat down next to his Seeker. "I'm sorry," he said. Harry turned towards him. "I don't need your apology," he said. "That's why I left I don't need people to feel sorry for me."

Oliver nodded slowly. He reached out and moved a strand of black hair out of the other teen's face. "You have grown a lot since last year," he said.

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I know," he said. "A lot has happened since then." He stood up. He wasn't sure he wanted company right then. He would have gone to Fleur if he had wanted someone to talk to. He could see Oliver standing up beside him. The brown-haired teen reached out and grabbed his wrist. He was pulled to a strong chest. He swallowed thickly. The musky scent hanging around the other teen was calming his frazzled thoughts. His head was tilted and then warm lips were pressed to his. He responded. He even deepened the kiss. He knew it wasn't smart. He was showing more experience than a fourteen year-old should have. He pulled away from the brunet. He couldn't. He didn't want to be with someone in his glamour.

"Harry, Harry I'm sorry I didn't…"

"Shut up," Harry said. He looked skywards before lowering his gaze to meet Oliver's brown eyes. "You don't kiss someone like that and then apologise for it Oliver. Has no one ever told you that." He smiled. "There is just too much going on right now for me to try anything like this. He placed his hand on top of Oliver's beating heart. "I'm leaving because I want to be alone not because you scared me away in any way." He moved back to the teen and kissed him. "I liked the kiss. Thank you," he said. Then he was running and there was no way Oliver would be able to keep up.

* * *

 _14th of April, 1995. Friday_

Two weeks later Harry was standing on the Quidditch pitch with Cedric and Viktor. It was Easter, and in the middle of all the homework they had, they had decided to take a break and play a Seeker's Game. The Champions plus some had started meeting up in the Library to study together. Insanely enough both Cedric and Harry was going to take the end of the year exams despite them not needing to.

Harry looked up at the stands. They were full. "So how does this work?" he asked Viktor.

"Ve use these gloves," Viktor said and handed extra pairs out to the other two. "I haff a training Snitch. Every time ve catch the Snitch it gives us a point. The one who catches the Snitch the most times in an hour vins. The gloves keep track of the points."

"Easy enough," Harry said.

"I have a bit of a disadvantage," Cedric said as he lifted his broom. "The both of you are on Fireballs."

"The broom doesn't make the Seeker," Harry said. "I keep telling people that."

Cedric smiled. "Yeah I know," he said. He pointed to Madam Hootch. "Give the Snitch to her. She can release it so it is fair for all of us."

Viktor nodded and walked over to the gray-haired hawk-eyed woman. He gave her his training Snitch before taking to the sky.

Harry smirked. The three of them were settled in a triangle. They didn't look away from each other. "Best flyer wins," he said. The whistle sounded and they were off. Harry never sat still in the air. He kept moving around. He spun the broom around suddenly and grabbed the Snitch long enough for it to register. The gloves Viktor had given him showed a one on the back of them. He smirked if he could do that he could make it impossible for anyone to tell when he actually caught the little golden ball. He was off after the Snitch again. After catching it they had agreed that you had to wait ten seconds with your eyes closed.

Green eyes opened and he was off again. He saw Viktor catching the little golden ball and let go off it. He waited until Cedric had caught it too and then he flew in after it again. He was spinning, whirling and generally doing tricks on his broom as he flew. He caught the Snitch mid move several times.

Then they were given the last minute warning. All three of them went after the Snitch at the same time. Cedric fell behind. The crowd was holding its breath. Their knees were touching the grass. Harry jumped up so he was standing on the broom handle. He had down this before. He hadn't known what he was doing last time though. He pushed off from the broom, closed his fist around the little golden ball and rolled against the hard ground beneath them. The whistle sounded. He was laughing. He felt so free. Slowly he moved his head to the side so he could see Viktor and Cedric.

Cedric lifted his wand into the air and sent off a golden number much like the ones that the judges had been using to award them points after the first task. The golden strand showed the number four.

Viktor raised his wand and sent up his own golden strand as Harry stood up. He had caught the Snitch seven times.

The raven walked up closer to them. He pulled his own wand out. He raised it. He sent off his own seven. He'd tied with a world champion. He held his glove up to Viktor with a smile.

"You insane…" Cedric didn't even know what to say. He had seen that last dive. Harry was crazy.

"Ve tied," Viktor said. "You are a good Seeker. I vuld like to meet you in a proper match. You are better than the Irish one I met this summer."

"Thank you," Harry said. He relaxed as best as he could. He knew that Hermione was on her way and she was not going to be happy with him.

"Harry how could you? That last dive could have broken your neck," the bushy-haired brunette said angrily.

"I knew what I was doing. I've been training," he said in defence. He tuned to Viktor. "Do something about your girlfriend before she kills me," he said. He moved back and then he mounted his broom again.

"Don't you dare just fly away! I'm not done with you Harry James Potter," Hermione called after him.

Harry wasn't going to stick around though. It was true. He had known perfectly well what he was doing. He did not feel like being lectured by her. He could hear someone else moving behind him. He stopped and turned around. A smile grazed his lips.

It was Fred and George. "You were amazing," they said in unison. "You tied with Viktor Krum." "That's insane," "he's like renowned for being the youngest world champion in forever," "and you beat him." "You're just fourteen."

Harry shrugged. "I love flying," he said. "I have been training a lot. I fly with Tanya more than just for practice to give her a feel for things."

"You are way too modest," Fred said. "Yeah, come on you're darn good, Harry," George said.

Harry shook his head. "I can live without getting a big head," he said.

"Oh don't worry we'll deflate you if you get a big head," Fred said.

"I want to make candy," Harry said. "Come let's go to the Lab." He steered his broom down towards the front doors of the castle. They hurried through the corridors and disappeared in behind the mirror. Fred had created a batch of the gender changing potion, but they hadn't decided what the candy for them should be yet.

"What about a hard candy surface with a filing that holds the potion," Harry said.

"Yeah, the muggle world has those, right?" George said.

Harry nodded. He tried to remember what they were called. "Straws. We can make chocolate filled straws and put the potion in the chocolate," he said.

"O.K. so we need chocolate and stuff," Fred said.

Harry laughed. "Let me figure that out," he said. He called Winky and the two of them sat together discussing how to best make what Harry wanted done. Eventually Winky was sent off to buy what he would need to get started. He would be doing fruit flavoured ones.

Winky came back and Harry got started. There was a bright smile plastered on his face as he worked. They had watered the potion down so it wouldn't hold for more than two hours though. If you wanted to continue looking like the opposite gender you would have to eat more candy. They had to make a working business out of it after all.

…

"You look like a right mess," George told Harry a couple of hours later.

The raven looked up at him with wide eyes. He had chocolate smeared over his cheek he had melted sugar clinging to his fingers and stuck in his hair. He looked back down at himself and laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." he said. "I need to clean up." He looked down at the candy. "The straws turned out alright though," he pointed out.

"Yeah, they look amazing," George said. "You look like a mess. At least it's not the other way around."

Harry stuck his tongue out at the redhead. "You watch it," he said. "Maybe we're done for today." He looked around. He had made more candy than he'd first thought. _'Wow, I really get immersed in it when I get going,'_ he thought.

 ** _"_** ** _Monah, done now?"_** Malqo asked. **_"Malqo wants hot water."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Geh Malqo zu'u los drehlaan nu - yes Malqo I'm done now we can head up to the showers,"_** Harry said.

* * *

Things rolled by like usual for several weeks. Harry studied with the Champions and Hermione or just Hermione and Neville. He made candy with the twins and tested pranks from the Marauders book. He flew with Viktor and Cedric just for the calm of it, and trained with the Quidditch team. They had worked out several fun games that they could all play to improve their game play.

They got laden with homework, but Harry's new system meant that he was done with it in a timely fashion. Hermione would stress over things long after he was done simply because she wouldn't settle for just doing the appointed assignment. Sometimes the raven wondered if the teachers got irritated with her for adding so much to her work that didn't actually need to be there. He just answered the questions they wanted answers on no matter how much extra work he did.

He disappeared from school at least once every weekend to handle a customer at the bank. It was ridiculous how many well to do wizards didn't know how to haggle in the least.

…

 _30th of May, 1995. Tuesday_

Then one Tuesday in the last week of May Professor McGonagall held Harry back after Transfiguration class. She informed him that he needed to be down by the Quidditch Pitch at nine o'clock that evening. He had nodded and headed down to lunch. He still had Charms that day, but then he'd be heading over to Fleur's like usual. He could tell that Professor Flitwick was giving him glances throughout class. The man was part goblin so Harry figured he might have heard from his family that he was now a part of Clan Magun. Hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with that though. As a goblin the man shouldn't tell anyone.

Fleur was busy trying to get her notes straight and learning as much as she possibly could for her NEWTs. Harry finally sat her down and gave her a massage when she stared tugging at her own hair in frustration. He sang softly as he did his best to calm her down without using magic.

"But then came the Tongues on that terrible day.

Steadfast as winter, they entered the fray.

And all heard the music of Alduin's doom.

The sweet song of Skyrim, sky-shattering Thu'um.

And so the Tongues freed us from Alduin's rage.

Gave the gift of the Voice, ushered in a new Age.

If Alduin is eternal, then eternity's done.

For his story is over and the dragons are gone," he sang.

Fleur smiled. "Zank you 'Arry," she said. She leaned back against him. "I was getting a bit overwhelmed."

Harry smiled. "You know that stressing like that won't make thing any easier," he said. "You're a smart witch. You'll do fine just calm down. All this stress is going to frazzle your brain." He looked down at the mess she had managed to create on the floor. "Pick the subject you feel the least confident with and well work that over alright," he said.

"Mmhhmm," Fleur looked down at the mess she'd created. "Can we clean up first?" she asked.

"Sure **_lokzii_** ," Harry said. He stood up and helped her pick things up from the floor. The worked quickly and soon the floor was clean again. They settled down in the loveseat with her Transfiguration papers. Slowly but surely they worked through what she needed to know. Stress just messed you up. Harry had learned that a long time ago. Step by step and calmly, that's how you learned properly. He helped her through her transfigurations one by one.

"See you're good at this," Harry said. He looked down at the watch he'd bought for himself some time back. It doubled as a compass something he was sure he'd need eventually. He couldn't conjure time so he needed some way of keeping track of it. He hadn't wanted a pocket watch since those demanded pockets something he didn't always have. It was charmed to take as much damage as he did at the very least. Most of his own protection magic would cover the watch so he wasn't that worried about harming it. He'd found out from the Weasley twins that it was customary for a teen to be given a watch when they became of age and since he'd already passed that age he'd decided to get himself one. "We should get going," he said.

Fleur nodded slowly. "We don't want to be late," she said.

Together they headed out to the Quidditch Pitch. "Well that's something new," Harry said. The pitch had low hedges growing on it. _'A maze,'_ the raven thought with a grimace. _'Well at least that means I can sit it out.'_ All he had to do was enter the stupid thing. He didn't actually need to search for whatever they now had to find.

"What have they done to the pitch!" Cedric exclaimed as he walked up next to them.

"It looks like they are growing a maze," Harry said. "This will put an end to our Quidditch practice."

Cedric shook his head. "Gryffindors have been training when there is no Quidditch," he said. "What has the world come to?"

Harry shrugged. "We're just planning ahead that's all," he said. "Hey Viktor," he greeted the dark-haired teen with a wave of his hand.

"Harry, Fleur, Cedric," the Bulgarian said.

"Hello there!" a cheery voice called.

They turned to look at Ludo Bagman. He was standing over to the side looking like an overgrown child. The four champions made their way over to him. He beamed at them as they got closer. "So, what do you think?" he asked. "Growing nicely isn't it. Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty foot high. Don't worry," he added grinning as he saw the somewhat alarmed looks on Harry and Cedric's faces, "you'll have your Quidditch pitch back to normal once the thirst task is over. Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"

The champions looked at each other then they looked back to Bagman. "A maze," they said in unison.

"That's right a maze!" Bagman said. "The third task is really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the middle of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."

"We simply 'ave to go zrough ze maze?" Fleur asked. She had a hard time believing that it would be that simple.

"There will be obstacles," Bagman said happily bouncing on the balls of his feet. Hagrid is providing a number of creatures … then there will be spells that must be broken … all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champion who is leading on points will get a head start into the maze." He grinned at Harry. "Then Mr Diggory will enter and after him Mr Krum … then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending on how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"

Harry rolled his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Fleur's waist. "I so don't want to know what Hagrid is going to put in there," he whispered. He did, however, smile and nod politely to Bagman.

"Very well, if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly…" Bagman said.

Harry turned back to the Beauxbatons carriage with Fleur. He could see Bagman out of the corner of his eye coming up to them. "Could I have a moment Mr Potter?" he asked.

"No thank you Mr Bagman I'm fine I know exactly how to handle the next task," Harry said. He was getting irritated with the man. He didn't need help thank you very much.

"Come on 'Arry I want to get back inside," Fleur said. She looked back at Bagman irritably.

Harry knew she was just putting it on. Fleur was a lovely person – as long as you didn't annoy her.

They caught up to Viktor. "Make sure to ask Hermione what kind of creatures Hagrid likes," Harry told him. "Hagrid is a kind man but his thoughts on pets aren't safe. Cedric probably already knows, and I'll tell Fleur so make sure that Hermione knows I'm perfectly fine with it. A maze means all I have to do is walk in so I'm not participating. This will be between you guys."

"I vill remember to ask Herm-own-ninny," Viktor said. "You are a good man Harry Potter. You vill take care of Herm-own-ninny when I have left?"

Harry nodded. "Of course I will," he said. "She can handle herself. But I'll keep an eye on her."

He and Fleur turned towards the carriage as they reached it. They bid the Bulgarian Seeker goodnight. They settled down in her room and started working on Defence spells for a while though. Fleur really wanted to get everything right.


	50. A Maze-ing

**A Maze-** **ing**

The weeks leading up to the Third Task were filled with exams. Most people Harry's year thought he was crazy as he sat down to take every single exam – well all but Divination. He had changed though, and he wanted to see how that reflected in his exams. The exam that was the most fun to take was Moody's. It reminded Harry a lot of Lupin's exam the year before – but with spells coming from every direction rather than creatures they had to pass. To no one's surprise he did the best out of all of them.

"You're unbelievable," Hermione had told him.

Daily the week leading up to the task Harry had to remind Hermione that he was just going to walk into the maze nothing else. She kept giving him good advice and worrying about him, and she wasn't the only one. Sirius was sending him letters almost everyday. He endured. He wasn't going to tell them exactly why he wasn't the least bit worried. He had enough problems without whatever their reactions to that story would be.

…

 _24th of June, 1995. Saturday_

The day of the last task dawned with promises of beautiful weather. Just like always the raven took his morning run that had been ending in a swim ever since the weather became warm enough to do so. He walked back into the school just as Professor Snape was heading up from the dungeons. The man's behaviour towards him had been strange ever since that day when he'd run around looking like his mother. He guessed that it had reminded the man of the fact that he wasn't just James' son.

He gave a curt bow before heading up the Grand Staircase. He knew well enough how to behave. While Katla didn't care much, she had made sure he knew what was proper behaviour. It had turned out that some things were universal.

He showered off and got dressed for the day. A part of him wanted to go armed into the maze, but he doubted he would find anything in there that he couldn't take out with his magic. Breakfast was a quiet affair. Almost no one else was up by the time he entered the Great Hall.

"Just going to sit back today laddie?" Moody's gruff voice sounded from behind him.

Harry turned around slowly. "Yeah, I don't care about the Cup. Why go after something I don't want?" he said.

"Smart lad," Moody said before heading up to the head table.

Harry turned back to his breakfast. He finished up and left the Hall. He wasn't entirely sure what to do. The task wasn't until that evening. He had to do something in the meantime. He had made sure that he wouldn't get any appointments at Gringotts that weekend just to be safe. He was standing by the lake some time later when he heard someone calling his name. He turned around. Red hair and clothes that looked more at home in a rock concert than at Hogwarts. "Hi Bill," he said. "What are you doing here?" he held out a hand and Bill took it.

"We're here to support you though the task. You, know moms idea. She doesn't believe in the papers. I know you said you'd stay out of it as much as you could, but well, she still worries," Bill said. "Charlie wanted to come too, but he couldn't get away from his Dragons."

Harry chuckled. "I don't really need support, but I don't mind. It's nice to have someone around. Just don't let your mother know that I'm helping Fred and George stir up trouble around here," he said.

Bill laughed. He slapped the raven's back good-heartedly. "That's good. This place needs a pick-me-up," he said. "Mom headed up to the school we were supposed to meet you in the room behind the Great Hall."

"Well I guess we should go up there and meet her," Harry said. "We can't keep a lady waiting." They started walking up towards the school when Malqo hissed in Harry's ear. **_"Lokzii is behind us,"_** he said. The raven turned around. "Fleur," he said with a smile. "Heading up to the school for once?"

"Mama and papa are 'ere. 'Eadmistress just told me," Fleur said her eyes moving over to the tall redhead behind her friend. She could feel butterflies fluttering through her stomach.

Harry noticed the change and glanced behind him. Bill's eyes were glued to Fleur. He hid a smirk. "Fleur this is Bill Weasley he's Fred and George's oldest brother. He's a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts," he introduced the redhead. "Bill this is Fleur Delacour she is the French champion and a good friend," he told the redhead.

"Bonjour Monsieur Weasley," Fleur said softly.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Delacour," Bill responded as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. He was fascinated that much was obvious, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with the Veela allure.

Harry moved away from them. He needed to talk to the Delacours. He walked into the school and walked through the Great Hall. He entered the smaller room located beyond the head table. Cedric and his mother and father were standing just inside the room.

"Surprise," Mrs Weasley said as Harry walked up to her. She kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, my you are growing," she said. "We thought we'd come watch you." She looked worried for a moment. "You wouldn't happen to have seen Bill. He must have walked off somewhere."

"I've spoken to him Mrs Weasley," Harry said. "Can you give me just a moment, please?" He walked over to the Delacours. "Madame Delacour," he greeted Apolline.

"'Arry!"

The raven moved back as he was barged into by a little blonde. "Hello Gabrielle," he said. He looked back up at her mother. "You daughter walked into a man that seemingly caught her attention. He's a good man. He won't hurt her. The allure was everywhere, but he didn't seem the least bit affected. It might take them a little while to realise that the world exists again," he told her in a calm quiet tone.

Apolline's blue eyes widened momentarily and then she smiled at him. "Zank you for letting us know, Monsieur Potter," she said. She looked down at her daughter. "Vous souhaitez rester avec Monsieur Potter?" she asked the girl.

"Oui mama," Gabrielle said.

"Why don't I show you all around?" Harry asked. "I'm sure we'll find Fleur eventually."

"Za sounds like a good idea young man," the short dark-haired man next to the lovely blonde said. "I'm Fleur's father, Marceau," he introduced himself. "You must be the young man my daughters 'ave been telling me so much about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Monsieur Delacour," Harry said. "I hope that whatever they have been saying is good."

Marceau chuckled. "Oui, yes it 'as," he said.

Harry turned to Mrs Weasley. He wasn't going to leave her out. He introduced her to the Delacours and repeated his suggestion. He could see that she wasn't overjoyed by the idea, but she agreed to it. He looked down at the little blond holding on to him. "Come on Gabrielle. Let me show you the castle," he said. He took her hand and started walking. As he passed the Diggorys again he could feel Amos glaring at him. He didn't care. The man's son knew what he was planning on doing. So did the rest of Britain if the read the news, but he guessed he couldn't expect everyone to believe those.

He led the Delacours up through the castle and with the help of Mrs Weasley he told them about the schools history. He even went so far as to showing then the Gryffindor common room. Mrs Weasley had disappeared in there and did not come back. Harry assumed she had found one of her sons doing something he shouldn't. To spare his French companions her temper he decided to walk on with them. He took them past several classrooms, but tried to keep to things that were actually interesting.

They found Bill and Fleur still outside as they exited the school. Gabrielle ran over to her sister and broke them up. Harry walked up to Bill. "So, she's something special right," he said teasingly.

Bill looked down at him. "You could say that," he said.

Harry smiled. He told the redhead who the rest of the blonde's and the short dark-haired man were so he would know. He didn't have anything against playing matchmaker. He wanted Fleur to be happy and she seemed interested in the redhead. He couldn't fault her. "I left your mother in the Gryffindor tower. I'm sure she is giving your brothers hell for something," he informed the oldest Weasley boy.

"Poor kids," Bill said and shook his head.

Harry walked up to the Delacours and lifted Gabrielle up. She giggled and he spun her around. He started chasing her across the lawn. "Oh, I'm gonna get you," he called. His eyes travelled back to the others form time to time. It looked like Bill was getting along just fine with Fleur's parents. He was giving a way better first impression than his mother had.

Harry looked back down at Gabrielle. "So what do you say we should go find his brothers and terrorise them?" he said.

Gabrielle looked over at the redhead her sister was talking to. She studied him for a moment. He was handsome, but he wasn't as handsome as her Harry. She nodded happily. "Oui," she said. The raven took her with him inside and showed her to the room behind the mirror.

Fred and George were there. "You guys alright?" he asked. "Your mother didn't find you with anything did she?"

"Mother is here?" Fred said terrified. "Why?" George asked.

"She and Bill came to see me go though the last task. I don't think Mrs Weasley believes that I'll keep myself out of harms way. Bill got stuck on Fleur. They seem really taken by each other," Harry said.

"Grande soeur 'as never acted like zat around anozer man," Gabrielle said. "She couldn't take 'er eyes off 'im."

"This is Gabrielle. She's Fleur's little sister," Harry told the twins. He looked down at her. "Don't touch anything," he said. He looked down at his shoulder and let Malqo know he could walk around as he pleased. Gabrielle squealed as she saw the dragon. **_"Play nice she is lokzii, malbriinah, little sister,_** " he told the dragon.

 ** _"_** ** _Malqo will not harm malselokzii,"_** Malqo said.

Dark blue eyes turned to Harry. They were wide with wonder. "You can speak to him," she said.

"Yes but don't tell anyone but your sister O.K." Harry said with a smile. He was pretty sure no one would believe the little girl either way which was part of the reason he just let her see Malqo.

An hour or so later they all left the hideout so they could grab some lunch. Harry looked down to Gabrielle as a colourful candy made its way into her mouth. He was so going to be in trouble. He stopped and kneeled down next to her… him. Gabrielle had grabbed a Straw Switcher. She was kind of cute as a little boy too, but he was pretty sure her mother wouldn't be happy. At least the effects only lasted for two hours.

"What 'appened?" Gabrielle asked. She could tell that she'd changed.

"That candy had a potion in it that turned you into a boy," Harry said. "I did tell you not to touch anything. You will be fine and back to normal in two hours, but you'll have to live with this until then."

"Je suis un garcon?" Gabrielle said. She looked horrified.

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "You should have seen the three of us running around as girls a couple of months ago."

Gabrielle giggled which sounded just a bit strange now that she was a boy. They continued walking and soon enough they entered the Great Hall.

Harry found the Delacours quickly and made his way over to them.

"What 'as 'appened to you rosebud?" Marceau asked as he saw his daughter. He looked up at the raven.

"She ate a joke candy," Harry said. "She'll be back to normal in two hours it's perfectly safe we've tested it ourselves."

Apolline looked down at her daughter … son. "'Ave we learned somezing today ma chérie?" she asked.

"Écoutez Harry quand il m'a dit ne pas y toucher quoi que ce soit," Gabrielle said.

"Zat would be it," Apolline said. She looked up at Harry. "You are sure she will be alright?" she asked.

"We have tested it ourselves," Harry said. "There were no consequences from it."

"Zey were really pretty zough mama," Fleur said as she finally managed to take her eyes off Bill.

Harry rolled his eyes. He sat down with Gabrielle on his left and George on his right. Conversation picked up around him. He just listened though.

"'Arry are you alright?" Fleur asked after a while. She had noticed the look on her friend's face.

Bright green eyes turned to her. They were filled with emotion. She could tell that he was upset. "Come on 'Arry," she said. She stood up and waited for the raven to join her before she dragged him outside. They sat down by the lake. "Talk to me 'Arry," she said.

"It… it just hit me that Katla and Ra'shall aren't here," Harry said. He buried his face in her shoulder. "I miss them," he whispered. His arms were wrapped around her waist. She was sitting in his lap. He'd pulled his glasses off and thrown them on the ground. "I wish I was back with my family," he whispered his voice thick.

Fleur placed one of her hands on his and lifted it up. She kissed his knuckles. "We would never 'ave become friends if you 'adn't come back 'ere," she said. "I know zat doesn't make up for what you 'ave lost, but I 'ope it is worth somezing."

Harry smiled sadly. "It is Fleur I wouldn't want to lose you either," he said. "It just hit me as we were sitting there with your parents you know. I lost the people that meant that much to me. The people that cared about me like your parents care about you. They are alive and fine living their lives, but I'm no longer a part of it. I know them they'll never forget me, and I'll never forget them. I'm going to have to learn to live without them though. I hope that you will never have to feel that way."

Fleur nodded slowly. She didn't have anything to say to that. She didn't know how to make the raven feel better. She just sat there quietly hoping that her presence was enough to sooth him. Eventually Gabrielle joined them, and then some time later Bill showed up too. Harry had brightened up by then. He wasn't sure he was willing to show the emotions he let Fleur see to anyone else.

The afternoon was spent in a calm bubble where nothing existed but the people in it. Fleur didn't want to think about the task, and Harry didn't want to think about anything preferably. He knew he would feel better in a few days, but he felt really down right then and there. He did his best to hide it. People didn't need to know. He knew he couldn't fool Fleur though. She knew him too well. She was the one he'd been going to for months now when he felt down. He didn't return to the Great Hall for supper. He stayed outside with Fleur and her family. Bill had returned inside with his mother since she insisted on eating in the Great Hall.

"Viktor and Cedric are on zeir way to ze maze," Fleur said.

"We should probably meet up with them," Harry said. He stood up and helped Fleur to her feet. They led their little company over to the maze. Fleur guided her parents and little sister up to the stands before she joined the other champions.

"So, I'm going in first and while I won't actively search for the cup I won't stand still in there," Harry said. "This is between you guys." He smiled at them. "Good luck."

"Are you all ready?" Bagman asked.

They nodded in response.

McGonagall came walking up to them. "We'll be patrolling the outside of the maze," she informed them. "If you end up in trouble that you can handle just send up red sparks."

"Alright Professor," Harry said. He watched as she walked off with Hagrid, Moody and Flitwick.

Then Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and mumbled, "Sonorus." With his amplified voice he welcomed the audience. He spoke of the points each contestant had something that the champions in question didn't actually care that much about at that point. "So on my whistle Harry," the man said.

The raven looked up at him. He was ready. He moved over to the ominous opening in the maze, and as the whistle sounded, he started running. At first there was noting but the dark sides of the hedges on either side of him. He narrowed his eyes as he turned a corner. There was a strange feeling in the air. There was something trying to mess with his mind, but it couldn't get through his mind-shields. He tilted his head to the side an analysed the spell. If it had worked it would have been like being hit by a Confundus Charm. He would have become very confused.

He passed the confusion field and continued walking. His eyes widened as he walked around a corner again. In the distance he could see a small heard of horses with long leathery wings. They were freakishly skeletal. Their eyes were pure white. In a way they were strangely beautiful. The wings looked like they belonged to an overgrown bat. They were gathered around a chunk of raw meat. Harry walked forward slowly. He wasn't quite sure what they were. Were they dangerous? Could he just pass them?

His steps were slow and deliberate. The horse like creatures looked up at him with their empty eyes, but they didn't attack him. He slipped past them and continued down the length of the hedge. He had heard the whistle go off three more times after he entered so he knew that all the other champions were in there as well. He turned down another corridor and stopped. He could hear footsteps.

Cedric came running from another path. One of his sleeves was smoking. "Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts! They are enormous," he hissed. "You be careful." He took off down another path, and soon enough, Harry could no longer hear him.

The raven continued. He closed his fist and used his detect life spell. He could see the other contestants moving blue and the teachers further away. There were several red glows and some green as well. The horse beings behind him showed up green. They weren't dangerous unless you angered them. He kept walking when suddenly water surrounded him. He cast a waterbreathing spell and moved around in the water. _'Well, I don't want to go back,'_ he thought. He swam forward. There was nothing in the water and he was out the other side in minutes. He landed on his feet and looked around. He was perfectly dry.

As he turned another corner he could see something flickering in front of him. It shifted and changed. He could see a twenty year-old version of himself wearing glasses and with his hair cut short. Then it was an Elder Scroll glowing brightly in the darkness. It changed again and became an unknown wizard. "Obliviate," the shape said, but the green spell didn't reach the raven.

 _'_ _Ah,'_ Harry thought as he realised what was going on. It was a Boggart. It couldn't focus properly past his mind shield though. He knew his fears and he knew how to deal with them. He feared forgetting about everything that happened in Skyrim. He feared going back there only to find that everyone he knew was gone. The Boggart couldn't handle it though. It exploded in a rain of smoke.

Harry shook his head. He wondered if that always happened to people who had mastered their fears. Did the Boggarts always flicker like that? He pushed the thought out of his head. He could think about that later. He turned down another path. A small smile spread over his lips. There was a Hippogriff chained to a pole ahead of him. He walked forward slowly. To get further he would have to pass the half-eagle half-horse. It wouldn't let him do that unless he followed proper procedure. He bowed down while looking the big beast in the eyes. He waited patiently for the Hippogriff to bow as well. It had beautiful golden feathers. Amber eyes met green. The half-eagle bowed slowly. The raven moved back up and walked forward slowly. He ran his fingers through the feathers on the bird's head and left his hand travel down over its brown flank. "I have to keep going," he said softly.

Soon enough he found himself standing in front of a glittering golden haze. He reached out slowly. It wasn't dangerous. Taking a leap of faith, he walked straight into the mist and just kept going. The world around his spun around. But whatever would have happened if he'd stopped didn't work when he just kept going through.

He was watching two shapes in the distance: one red one blue, when suddenly the world around him turned pitch black. He breathed in slowly.

 ** _"_** ** _Monah what happened?"_** little Malqo asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Zu'u dreh'ni mindok - I don't know,"_** Harry said calmly. He tried to create light for himself, but it didn't work. _'How far away were the others?'_ he asked himself. Fleur had been pretty close by, but that didn't really matter. **_"Lok vah koor,"_** he whispered in hopes that clearing the skies would remove whatever it now was that had blinded him. It worked the darkness rose from around him. "Oh, shit," he muttered. Cedric had been right the Skrewt had grown huge. He breathed in slowly. At least this time around he could kill the beast. He knew that getting through the shell was almost impossible. He ran forward and threw himself down on the ground so he rolled in under the scorpion-like creature. An ice spear appeared in his hand and he rammed it straight up into the beast. **_"Fus,"_** he whispered to throw the being off himself.

He kept moving. For how long he had no idea. As he turned another corner, however, there was a sphinx with the body of an overlarge lion and the head of a woman. Big paws moved and he could see sharp claws digging into the earth beneath them. Harry moved forward slowly. Almond shaped eyes centred on him. Then she spoke in a deep hoarse voice, "You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."

Harry nodded slowly. He moved forward and sat down. "I think this is far enough," he said. "Why don't we talk? I don't really feel like going any further. I have reached the end of a maze before. It wasn't all that exciting."

The sphinx tilted her head to the side. Her tail waved back and forth behind her slowly. "Why not," she said. "It has been long since I chose to speak to a human. Tell me your story little one."

Harry smiled but he didn't show teeth. "I was travelling with my mate," he began. "She had wandered off to search for adventure on her own and I knew better than to follow. I knew she could take care of herself just fine. She seemed to want to be alone for a little while at least.

~Harry had seen a burial mound shaped sphere both times he'd been through Labyrinthian before. He wanted to cheek it out. He found an opening and stepped inside. Through the small window-like holes in the dome's walls he could see busts. He could count five of them still standing, but it looked like there had been more once upon a time. _'They look like Dragon Priests,'_ he thought. The busts that still stood lined a carved dragon head. _'This must have been so beautiful back when it was made. It's such a shame that it was left to decay like this,'_ the raven thought. He kneeled down by the dragon's nose. A skeleton was leaned against the base of the shrine. _'Now, who are you?'_ he wondered.

He picked up a page that lay next to the body. Skimming through it quickly, he looked back up. There was a wooden Dragon Priest mask on the floor. He reached out and grabbed it. It was bursting with power. **_"Wundun tiid lot suleyk lokom,"_** he read quietly. The text was written along the mask's edge over and over again. _'Travel time great power height.'_ The mask could bring him back to the when the shrine had been made. If he was to believe the note, that's how it worked. _'I won't know unless I try,'_ he thought. He placed the wooden mask over his face. Everything went blurry for a moment. When it cleared up he was standing in a faintly lit room. The shrine before him was whole. Eight busts he counted. _'Eight Dragon Priests,'_ he thought. He'd met a few of them himself, and Katla had killed others. He was pretty sure they didn't have all eight masks though. He looked down at the fine blue carpet beneath his feet. The door behind him was sealed shut by the same magic that had brought him there. That one place was suspended in time.

He took the mask off and found himself back in his own time. He walked out of the shrine slowly. _'Now where else should I go?'_ he wondered. As he moved around the mound, he saw a wooden door. Curiosity brought him up to the old somewhat rotten planks. He placed hand against them and forced fire into the wood. It took him a bit of time to burn the door down, but he managed. His fingers trailed the rough stone as he followed a winding tunnel down. He entered a big… room wasn't the right word since there was no roof. He knew he'd get wet, but he didn't really care. He could take some water. He was way too fascinated with what he had before him. In the centre of the square he was in was a small garden. In spring and summer there would probably have been plants there.

He noticed a set of stairs to his left. He ran up them. Seeing the place from above might help him figure out what it was. "A maze," he breathed. There was a maze spread out before him. He smirked. _'I'm so going through that,'_ he thought.

The raven made his way back down quickly. **_"Laas yah paal nir,"_** he whispered. He could see red shapes in the distance. He'd deal with them when he found them. As he walked into the area just before the maze four staffs rose out of the ground. He reached out and opened his senses. _'I know all of those,'_ he thought. He walked forward slowly. A small plaque was placed by the entrance.

 _Enter Twice - Exit Only Once._

 _Alteration will lead you to Destruction._

 _Only Illusion shows the way to Restoration._

 _Conjure not, but be conjured instead._

Harry read. A smile spread over his face. He walked in to the maze. There was no going back. An Alteration symbol started glowing as he came upon a turn. He raised a hand and sent of a glowing orb towards the mark. The bars blocking his way lowered slowly. He conjured Ven. "Will you keep an eye on things for me lovely?" he asked.

The griffin shrieked before taking to the air.

Harry smiled.

Left, right, right, left, left… _'Kyne this place really folds in on itself,'_ he thought.

He slowed his steps down as he reached a bigger area. Bones and skulls were spread out over the ground. _'Now, that is disturbing,'_ Harry thought. He checked the place out with his magic before walking in. _'Maybe whatever Ven has been attacking is what brought all of these here.'_ He hoped so at least. He reached a Destruction insignia and sent off a fireball at it. "Shit," he exclaimed as the floor gave out under him. He landed on a set of wooden beams and grimaced. _'Fuck that hurt,'_ he thought. He shifted so he could get at the leg that had bent wrong. Thankfully it wasn't broken. He healed it before dropping down on the ground below.

 _'_ _Now what do we have here?'_ he wondered. He walked into what looked like regular burial chambers where you'd find draugr, but there were none there. _'It's not active,'_ he thought as he found a Conjuration insignia. He thought back to what the plaque had said as he walked into another room. _'I guess I'll have to come back here,'_ he thought. Had there been another path at the beginning of the maze? He guessed he'd have to look into that. He followed a corridor over to a spiral staircase.

"Ven honey!" Harry called out. He waited until the griffin joined him. "Where is the second path?" he asked her. "Do you know?"

She jumped off to his left.

Harry followed laughing. She led him straight up to a Word Wall. " ** _Maar_** \- terror," he whispered as he found the powered word. He could use all words to make a shout, but he figured Katla would only have picked up on that one. He turned around. "Thank you Ven," he said. The second opening to the maze was right before him.

He walked into it. An Illusions insignia held the key this time. He sent off a clam spell at it. It was starting to get boring. Around one turn after another. There was nothing but shutters that sometimes held something interesting. When it wasn't bloody rags or bones. He shuddered.

As he reached the restoration symbol he made sure not to stand on the hatch that would open up. He would prefer dropping down on his own. He gathered healing magic in his hand and sent it off. Why people couldn't just do that was beyond him. He'd made sure that he could just in case he'd need it.

The trapdoor opened up and he looked down. Just like last time there were some wooden beams about half way down. Unlike last time he dropped down on his own and didn't hurt himself.

"What in Oblivion?" the raven whispered. There was a big shimmering orb hanging in the air in the room where the Conjuration insignia had been. He grabbed his sword from his belt. _'So this is what it meant,'_ he thought. He would have to walk into it. There was no other way. He couldn't walk around it. The orb took up the entire room.

"Here I go," he breathed out. He walked into the white mist. It started spinning around him. Once it cleared he could see a Dremora. He sprinted forward and slashed his blade straight over the man's chest. The world around him sort of glitched and he found himself back at the start of the maze. _'What the…'_ he moved out of the way of a fireball. **_"Fo krah,"_** he shouted. He doubted he needed the last word. The ice cloud tore into the two Flame Atronachs. Their flames died and they fell to the ground. There was no explosion. There was no fire left to ignite it.

 _'_ _Well that was anticlimactic,'_ Harry thought. He walked over to the tunnel he'd entered through and made his way back outside. Someone had to start on dinner. ~

"I returned to our camp and started working on dinner after that," Harry finished the story. In the distance he could hear the crowd cheering. Someone must have found the Cup.

"You have had an interesting life little human," the sphinx said. "I enjoyed listening to you."

Harry stood up slowly. "I think it is time for me to start heading back out of here," he said. "I want to know who won."

"Do as you please little human," the sphinx said.

"Thank you for listening," Harry said before he left the sphinx. He moved through the maze slowly. He wasn't interested in grabbing the cup. He didn't have to. He made his way out to the outer circle of the maze. A gruff voice said something from the other side of the think hedge and Harry took a step back. Flames caught to the thick plant. "Thank you Professor," Harry said as he saw Moody on the other side.

"It goes faster to walk around the maze than through it. Since you aren't interested in clearing the foolish thing you might as well walk out here," Moody said. "You went through a lot of it."

Harry nodded. "I needed something to do. I found a sphinx in there and told her a story. She seemed to like it," he said.

Moody shook his head. The young man was strange. He was pretty sure that James would have been proud though. The kid really knew how to hold his own, and he improved fast. They moved around the side of the maze and Harry could see Fleur and Cedric standing there. They were both surrounded by family.

"There he is couldn't even make it through the maze, could you?"

Harry turned to Cedric's father. "I'm sorry sir but I did just what I promised my fellow champions I would do. I sat this one out so that the competition could be between them. I'm glad Cedric doesn't take after you he's got more honour than to hang his life up on some stupid article by Skeeter." He turned to Cedric. "You won yeah?" he asked.

The brunet nodded.

"Congratulations man," Harry said. "You definitely deserve it."

"Thanks Harry," Cedric said.

The raven moved on to Fleur and wrapped his arms around her. "How did it go?" he asked.

"I arrived just a moment ago," Fleur said. "You didn't get 'urt, did you? You came back with a Professor."

Harry shook his head. "Moody knows about my secret," he whispered. "He knew I wasn't going to go after the Cup. He just spared me the trouble of walking back through the entire maze."

Viktor appeared not much later. He was pale and had a cut down his leg. Harry hurried over to him and placed the other teens arm over his shoulders to support him. Slowly but surely he managed to get the dark-haired Bulgarian over to a chair. He looked around. No one but him and Fleur seemed to have noticed. He kneeled down next to Viktor. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this," he hissed. He placed his hands against the teen's leg. A golden glow spread from his hands and flowed into the wound. It forced the poison out before it healed the wound from the inside out.

Viktor's eyes were wide as he looked down at the raven. "How?" he asked. "You're just a kid."

Harry looked up at him. "Don't tell anyone. They don't need to know, and you already know too much," he said darkly. His tone sent shivers down the Bulgarian's spine. Viktor swallowed thickly and he nodded. He'd keep quiet. He wasn't sure Harry would cause him harm, but he didn't want to find out. He looked at Fleur. "You know don't you?" he asked her.

"I do," Fleur said. "And I know what 'e is capable of. Don't anger 'im Viktor. 'E doesn't like 'arming ozers but 'e will if you force 'im." She walked after Harry and took his hand. She knew he might not be too happy with himself right then.

"I had to save him. Hermione cares about him," Harry said softly. "I don't need more people knowing though. The more people that know something is up the bigger the risk of a leak is." He looked down at her. "I definitely don't trust him on the level I trust you," he told her.

Fleur smiled softly. "'E doesn't know zat much," she said. "Don't worry about 'im."

…

Hogwarts would ride on the victory of Cedric Diggory for a long time to come. While other celebrated Harry spent as much time with his friends as he could.


	51. A New Beginning - End 3

**A New Beginning**

 _25th of June, 1995. Sunday_

The day after the task Harry spent with Fleur. She would be leaving with the other foreign students on the same day as Harry would be heading back to London with the rest of Hogwarts. Harry smiled at her as she walked around in a daze. He'd seen the way Bill had said goodbye to her the night before. She was obviously walking on clouds. A part of him was jealous - jealous of the feeling. He guessed he'd never really had that. Rhavaniel and his relationship had been one of convenience in a way. He'd never felt the butterflies that were no doubt moving in Fleur stomach. He was happy for her.

"'E said 'e would come by zis summer," Fleur said. She looked down at Harry lying on her bed. "What am I going to do 'Arry. 'E is soooo," she sighed dreamily.

"Don't ask me," Harry said. "I let Rhavaniel run things because she liked it. The world we were together in is so different from this one that I can't tell you what to do here."

Fleur nodded slowly.

"Don't try to over do the way you look though," Harry said. "He likes you for being you. I don't care what your girl friends say you don't need to do anything about your looks."

"Zank you 'Arry," Fleur said. She looked worried for a moment. "You will come too right?" she asked.

"Of course I will **_lokzii_** ," Harry said. "I've already promised Gabrielle. She'll flay me if I don't show up. I'll look like Kato, but I'll be there." He sat up slowly. "I have so much I want to do this summer. I could do with some down time with you. I'll be in touch. Winky will know how to find you she likes you. She'll probably even show up if you call her. You know if I get a house up and working I'm going to need a woman's touch or something would you be willing to help me?" he asked.

"Oui of course 'Arry," Fleur said. "You zink zat you will 'ave that zis summer?" she asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "If I don't I guess we'll have to take it next summer. I don't really want to do things like that in the middle of winter."

Fleur giggled. "You are impossible," she said.

"And your head is filled with tall muscular redhead," Harry said. "Not that I can fault you. He's really good looking. I haven't been with a redhead."

"Oh, 'Arry you slut," Fleur said.

"I haven't been with more than a handful of people don't you call me slut," Harry said. He wasn't being quite honest with that statement he guessed. It was more like… He shook his head. He'd been through two threesomes both instigated by Rhavaniel. He hadn't actually fucked Ria. He wasn't going to get deeper into that. It was just way too complicated. He tilted his head to the side. "Can we go swimming? It's a beautiful day and the Black Lake is just out there. We won't dive down so the grindylows won't get to us," he asked.

Fleur looked contemplative for a moment. "Only if you promise to keep zose zings off me," she said.

"I promise," Harry said.

He stood up. He was already wearing his swimwear he just hadn't been over to the lake yet. Fleur disappeared into her bathroom and changed quickly while he undressed. They both grabbed robes and headed out of the carriage.

The sun was shining brightly. People were sitting outside several of them were even dipping their feet in the lake. Harry was first into the water. It was still chilly but not cold anymore. The lake was so deep that it probably wasn't going to warm up all that much. He turned around and held his arms out to Fleur. She waded out to him and they took off in the clear water. The Black Lake was dark because of something deeper down in the lake. The top parts of the lake were all clear water.

Harry was laughing as he wrestled with Fleur. She had attacked him. He was so going to get her back. "You better run and hide," he said. He took off after her as she tried to swim away from him. He caught up with her and grabbed her.

He rolled them around in the water, and she laughed as she came back up above water.

"Harry!"

The raven turned around. Hermione was standing by the shore.

"Viktor come join us!" Fleur called behind him.

Harry laughed. The Bulgarian was standing on the bow of the Durmstrang ship. He waved at them before diving into the lake. It strangely enough wasn't all that common that people swam in the lake. Harry didn't know why, but he could tell that people were going to be gossiping about it. He'd been in the thick of it for a while now. He had a feeling that wouldn't change. "Hey Viktor," he said as the dark-haired teen broke through the water surface next to him.

"Harry," Viktor said with a nod.

"Your girl is over on the shore," Harry said.

Viktor turned to look at Hermione. A small smile spread over his lips. As he turned back to Harry, he had a thoughtful look on his face. "You'll keep her safe yes?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "I will," he said. "Let's convince her to join us." He took off towards the shore. He reached the bushy-haired brunette. "Come join us," he said.

Hermione shook her head with a smile.

"Oh, come on," Harry said.

"Let me 'andle zis 'Arry," Fleur said. She got out of the water and disappeared off with the brunette. Harry had no idea what the girls were talking about, but he could guess.

Hermione wore a dark blue bathing suit when they came back. She waded out in the water with the rest of them. "This is crazy," she said.

Harry shrugged. "Why, because no one does it? People are afraid of the squid. He isn't going to hurt anyone," he said. "Come on the people staring are just jealous." He did his best to calm his friend down so she wouldn't hurt herself. It took some convincing before Hermione ignored the students on the shore so she could just swim with her friends and have fun.

…

The following couple of days were spent calmly going over inventions that needed to be made for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, reading and just spending time with friends. The whole school was buzzing. Cedric was being congratulated wherever he went. You could find him complaining about it if you knew where to find him. At least his girlfriend, Cho, was always there to support him.

Harry didn't envy him. He was happy enough being the one that didn't finish though that had its own problems. The Slytherins needed to learn to stay out of other peoples business. They also needed to learn manners. Katla would have had a field day dealing with the arrogant bastards.

* * *

 _30th of June, 1995. Friday_

Harry stood by the Beauxbatons carriage with his arms around Fleur. She was going back to France and he was heading for London. He wasn't sure what he would tell the Durselys, but he guessed that he'd figure it out. He wasn't staying that much he knew. Clan Magun already had a small place set up for him. "I'll see you soon," he told the blonde. He kissed her on the cheek. "You take care of yourself and play with Gabrielle." He'd miss her. She had become a very good friend quickly. Next year would be difficult without her. He'd manage, but he'd have to set up a safe way for them to communicate. He didn't want anyone intercepting his mail, and he knew it could be done.

Fleur nodded. "You be careful 'Arry. Don't do anything stupid and make sure you come by," she said. She was worried about him. She knew it wasn't really necessary, but she still worried. It was strange how close they had gotten. She had friends back in France she was that close to, but she had known them for years. She didn't mind at all though. It was something new, having a guy that close. She hadn't thought that could ever happen considering how guys normally reacted around her. That or they were jealous. She had a couple of gay guys around school who hated her for being part Veela.

Harry hugged her close. "Au revoir," he said.

"Au revoir 'Arry," Fleur responded. "Don't you forget to write."

"I won't." Harry walked from the carriage over to the ship where Hermione was saying goodbye to Viktor. He stayed a respectful distance away from them. He didn't want to intrude on their conversation. He was pretty sure that whatever they had to tell each other was rather private. He waved goodbye to Viktor as Hermione started heading up to him. The bushy-haired brunette was blushing deeply. She smiled softly up at him as she reached him. He took her hand and they walked up to the carriages. He'd miss Viktor too. It had been nice to have another Seeker to talk to.

As they reached the carriages, Harry stopped by one of the skeletal horses. He really should have looked into what they were. "So you pull the carriages," he said softly. He didn't linger though. He knew Hermione couldn't see them. He hadn't either when they had arrived at Hogwarts that year. There were so many students swarming around them that he doubted Hermione had noticed him talking to the horse-like creature. He helped her into a carriage before climbing in himself. They would have to try to find Neville when they reached the train. The moved through the crowd and made their way into a carriage.

The shy brunet was sitting in a compartment close to the end of the train. He smiled up at Harry and Hermione as they entered. "Hi guys," he said. He had improved so much the past half year. His Gran would be so proud of him.

"I guess that's another year," Harry said. He looked at the two he was sharing the compartment with as the train started moving. "A lot of things have changed," he said. "Most of them for the better. We'll spend the summer apart but this won't change. Come next year we'll pick everything back up again."

"Oh, for sure," Hermione said. She got a thoughtful look on her face. "It's strange though. Who really entered your name into the goblet? I mean in the end nothing happened. You were fine," she said.

Harry met her eyes. "I don't know. Maybe whoever it was realised that their plans wouldn't work. Or maybe I just did better than they thought I would. The dragons were more dangerous than a lot of other things in there. I did pretty well against the Horntail." He knew better of course. He had scared the man who had placed his name in the goblet off. Whatever plans the man might have had had been null and void when he didn't have access to Hogwarts anymore.

The three of them settled down with a book each and read for several hours. It was calm and quiet until the compartment door was pushed open only to reveal Malfoy and his goons.

"Hello Draco is there anything you wanted?" Harry asked politely. He lowered his book and tilted his head to the side.

"You really think much of yourself Potter," the blond spat. He looked at the other two in the compartment. "You surround yourself with losers just so you can feel like you're worth something. What do they do for you lick your shoes?"

Harry hummed softly. "I don't see how you are one to talk Draco," he said. "You might not have noticed but those two aren't all that bright at least Hermione and Neville have smarts. And personalities of their own. You have two gorillas with you. Please Draco stop bothering us unless you have something intelligent to say." He didn't really want to insult Crabbe and Goyle, but by the looks on their faces they hadn't actually caught on to what he'd said yet.

Draco pulled his wand and Harry smirked as Neville was quicker on the draw. The blond was thrown back and Hermione moved forward to lock the door. "There that should keep them out," she said. She sat back down again and picked her book back up. It was a nice change. The calm. She was used to the boys being loud and obnoxious on the ride back to London. Neville and Harry were calm though. They went from reading to talking about different plants. Neville had his own greenhouse filled with plants.

Harry made a mental note to hire the brunet when it came to his garden. He wanted it to be functional and he might as well keep plants that Fred could use for potions. He needed stuff that could be used for cooking for Winky as well. First he needed land though.

As the train started slowing down, Harry could be seen looking out the window. He helped Hermione with her luggage as the train stopped before going for his own. Once he had gotten everything out on the platform he let Hedwig out of her cage. "Find me in a couple of days," he said. She hooted at him before she took off. He followed the flow of the crowd to the exit to the non-magical world. Mrs Weasley was standing out there and she walked up to him as he walked outside. "You take care of yourself now," she told him.

Harry nodded. "I promise Mrs Weasley," he said. He walked up to Mr Dursley as he waved goodbye to the twins and Hermione. "Sir," he said. The man turned around grumpily and led the way out of the station. Harry settled down in the car with him. A part of him wanted to just throw how he'd changed at the man, but he knew he wouldn't do it. They arrived at number four Privet Drive and Harry carried his trunk inside. He waited until his Uncle had walked into the kitchen before calling Winky. He gave her his trunk and bag. She knew where to take them. She'd been shown the rooms he was going to be staying in. _'Here we go,'_ he thought before he walked in to the kitchen. He watched his Aunt for a little while. "I'm leaving and I'm not coming back," he said. "I'm tired of the way you treat me, but I guess I can understand why you did what you did. If my kind comes here looking for me tell them whatever you want I don't care."

"You can't leave," Petunia said.

Harry shrugged. "I can do whatever I want dear Aunt," he said. "Just watch me." He turned around and walked over to the front door. He grabbed his glasses and pulled them off before glancing back at her and changing his hair to dark red. "Do I remind you of someone?" he asked before walking out the door.

He was never going to come back. He walked down the street slowly. **_"Lu yah siiv,"_** he whispered. He turned and looked upon the weak sliver of magic hanging around Nr 4 Privet Drive. His head turned back to the path he was walking. He noticed a shimmer of magic in one of the houses. Someone on Privet Drive had magic. He focused his powers on the house and set up an illusion that would hide his departure.

 _'_ _Good riddance,'_ he thought before he activated his port-key.

 **~End of Book 3**


	52. Finding a Home - Book 4

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks. I'm simply an author who loves playing around in fictional worlds. I do not make money from this nor do I want to. I write these stories for myself and for others to brighten their day.

Warnings: Male/male relationship with sex. Male/female relationship non-explicit. Killing, gore, and some torture.

* * *

 **Book 4**

 **Finding a Home**

Harry looked around the small kitchen. It was built after goblin standards so it worked just fine for Winky. He wouldn't be cooking though. Everything was a knee height for him. Winky had made sure that his things were all ordered in the small living space. He wasn't sure how long he would stay. It depended on how fast he could find land.

"Is there anything Master Harry would like?" Winky asked.

"Not right now dear," Harry said. "Dinner in two hours would be good. You can make whatever you'd like."

Winky smiled. "Of course Master Harry," she said.

Harry settled down in a sofa. He raised a hand and summoned his schoolbag so he could start on his summer homework. He wanted to be done with that as soon as he could. There was so much else he wanted to do. Earlier that day he had walked out of his Aunt's house for the last time. He was never setting foot near Privet Drive again. He placed _A History of Magic_ down and picked up a roll of parchment. So much had happened since his return to Earth and yet it all seemed pretty lame in comparison to what he'd been through back in Skyrim. He'd gained new friends though. Fleur, Fred, George, Neville; they were all people worth knowing. He was glad he'd picked things up with them. He was also pretty glad he'd dumped Ronald. Not that he'd really done that. It was more like they had drifted apart. He'd known it would happen though. As he had gotten more interested in learning, Ronald had been pushed aside since the redhead wasn't all that interested in working hard. Strangely enough he had more time on his hands to do whatever he wanted now than before. He had spent loads of time with Fleur and the twins.

He finished his work on the Giant Wars that Binns wanted though he wasn't sure how the ghost graded papers, but he would write it either way. As he packed the book away Winky entered the living room. "Dinner is ready Master Harry," she said.

"Great," Harry said. He got up and walked over to the kitchen. "You will join me right," he said.

Winky's eyes widened. "Master Harry wants Winky at the table?" she said.

Harry nodded. "Come here and sit down dear," he said. Then he moved his collar to the side. **_"Bo nau Malqo hi vis bo um ol hi med - come on Malqo you can move around as you like,"_** he told his little dragon.

Malqo crawled down his arm and jumped down on the floor. He grew in size and wandered off.

 _'_ _I need to find a better place for him to live,'_ Harry thought. It was neither safe nor smart of him to carry a little dragon with him. He dug into the steak and potatoes that Winky had made. He would worry about the dragon problem later.

Winky cleared the table off after they had finished. She was happy. He new Master was so kind. He really appreciated her. She still missed Master Crouch, but she didn't want to lose Master Harry. _'Old Master wouldn't want bad Winky back anyway,'_ she thought. Master Harry didn't think she was bad though. He didn't hate on Mater Crouch like Miss Granger would, but he didn't think Winky was a bad elf.

Harry settled down in the living room of his small apartment after supper and started on his Potions homework. He thought he might as well get that one out of the way since he liked it the least. The written work wasn't that bad though it focused on exactly the things he actually enjoyed. It was late as he placed everything down to go to bed. He had received a notice a few days earlier that Gogil had found him several different pieces of land. He would be heading up the next day to take a look at what the goblin had found.

He ran his hands through his hair as he sat down on his bed. This was the first time since his return where he had to actively seek people out to be with them. Before now just being at Hogwarts had meant interacting with people. Now he could completely choose not to. He knew that wouldn't be healthy for him though. He wasn't a loner. He needed other people. Maybe not all that many but he couldn't be alone.

He got ready for bed and settled down his mind still going a mile a minute. The mandrake leaf he was supposed to keep in his mouth for a month to find out what animal his animagus was was tucked under his tongue so it wouldn't get in the way. He hoped that Fred and George would manage too. He'd even talked to Fleur about it, and she'd decided to join in on the crazy idea. At least it was just for a month.

Green eyes closed slowly.

* * *

 _1st of July, 1995. Saturday_

Messy black hair turned brown as Harry moved a comb through it. He would have to be Kato for the summer. It was the only way he wouldn't be discovered. People didn't need to know what he could do. Too many would be afraid of him. Scared of what he was capable of, they would probably do something stupid.

His eyes changed colour to amber as well. People knew his eyes way too well; he couldn't walk around like that. He had an appointment with Gogil at ten o'clock. _'Half an hour,'_ he thought as he looked down at his watch. It would take him awhile to get up there so he was thinking he should probably get going. _'I need to figure out a way to apparate,'_ he thought. He could probably make a shout that worked to do the same thing. He would have to work on that.

The hallway outside his apartment was lined with torches. He was deep down beneath Gringotts. To get back up he would need to take a lift. His apartment was located in the Magun quarters beneath the bank. He was in the less expensive part of the quarters mostly because he was moving out soon enough. He'd been offered a really luxurious place originally, but he'd said no. Why get a nice place when he was leaving anyway. He wanted a place above ground. He didn't like being stuck beneath the earth.

The lift took him up to the surface. He stepped out of the lift and started heading up towards the marble parts of the bank. Only the building above ground was made out of marble. He bid several goblins good morning as he walked up to Gogil's office.

The white-haired goblin looked up at him as he entered. He pushed a file forward and went back to whatever papers he was working on. Harry grabbed the file and sat down. He sorted through the papers slowly. There were a lot of potentials, but he could discard several just by looking at the papers in his hands. Gogil had done a really good job. Then he found it. Forest and near a lake. Technically it was in a nature reserve but since no non-magicals would know, and he wasn't going to make much of an impact on the environment it would work out just fine. He stood up and walked over to the desk. He placed the papers down in front of Gogil. "I like this one," he said. "I would like to see it for real."

Gogil looked down at the file. He nodded. "It is a good choice," he said. He was gad that his client and clan brother was efficient. He'd picked one not a bunch of pieces of land. He stood up and walked around the desk. He held out a small stone. "Touch this and well leave," he said. He waited until the young human had placed his palm against in the orb before he activated it. The normal hook behind the navel settled in and they were pulled away from the office.

They landed in an open area. Grass grew beneath their feet and trees stood in the distance. Harry turned around slowly and trailed his eyes over the treeline. "The lake is on the other side of the trees there right?" he asked.

Gogil nodded. "Right beyond the trees," he said.

Harry walked through the tress and looked out over the lake. "Is the path here going to created problems?" he asked. "This is a hiking rout that non-magicals use."

"We can handle that," Gogil said. "It won't harm them and they will believe that they have walked this path. You will be left alone."

Harry hummed. "Well I guess that is good," he said. "I don't doubt that you can manage something that will be fully functional. Goblins have the upper hand on keeping non-magicals from knowing about them. Humans tend to get lazy since they blend in fairly well." He looked around. "Can you make the wards stretch out over the water?" he asked. He would really like that.

"Yes definitely," Gogil said. "We should mark how big you want it to be though. A circle is easier to handle from a ward perspective since it usually spreads from a mid point out. I will get some proper warders involved in this. You are going to have to talk to a carpenter for the build of the house I'll set all of that up for you as soon as I can. We'll mark your land out now though so I have something to show them."

"Sure, you have a map?" Harry said.

Gogil pulled a map from his briefcase He spread it out and showed Harry where they were. South of the lower part of Ennerdale Water. There was a low mountain to the northwest. The area was beautiful with the water and the hills. The little mountain and the forest. It sort of felt like home to Harry. It reminded him of How Lakeview Manor had been located. It was just further south so there wouldn't be as much snow.

He returned with Gogil to Gringotts and they sat down to plan exactly who the manager needed to contact so his house could be built. The ward team would be first and he would have to go through with them exactly what kind of protections he wanted around the house. He'd have to go over that himself as well so he'd be prepared.

"I can probably get you the warding team this afternoon," Gogil said. "I'll handle the payments don't worry about that. If you get stuck haggling with all of them you'll never get anywhere and some of these guys will completely try to screw you over since you don't know how much their services are worth."

"Thank you Gogil," Harry said. "You will send me a message when you have a time?" he asked.

Gogil nodded. "I will. Now get lost so I can get to work," he said.

Harry chuckled as he walked over to the door. He walked out and headed back down to his apartment. He sat down by the kitchen table and started drawing. He wanted a house similar to Lakeview Manor, but he wanted the rooms to be sectioned off better. He also wanted the first room you entered to be a bit different. _'It should show my professions I guess,'_ he thought. It would also have to serve as an apparition point. He didn't want people to be able to apparate just anywhere on his grounds. The back room that hadn't really served as anything back at Lakeview Manor he would turn into an Enchanting Studio. It would probably become a bit bigger than the original house. He didn't need a greenhouse so that would probably become two bedrooms. The tower would have its own staircase on the outside and wouldn't be accessible from the inside on the upper floor. There would be two bedrooms upstairs and a living room. He wouldn't have the huge hole for no reason like Katla and Ra'shall had.

He only needed a rough sketch for the carpenters they would have to figure things out either way so there was no point in him giving them more than a guideline. He finished up and had some lunch.

There was a knock on his door and Winky opened it. She showed Ivor the Head of Clan Tarnok in to the kitchen. "Master Harry there be Mister Ivor here to see you," she said.

Harry looked up. "Ah, Clan Head Ivor," he said as he stood up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked. "Please take a seat."

"You told us that you know how our inventions of old worked. I am interested in the plans," Ivor said after he'd sat down.

Harry nodded. "I will show them but like Keening I believe this is something that everyone has a right too. If I am to show that I suggest that you gather whoever wants to see it and has good reason to see it because I don't want to have to do it more than once," he said.

Ivor nodded slowly. He guessed he should have anticipated that considering just how the young human had handled the Keening situation. He stood up. "I will gather the others together. When can we hold the meeting?" he asked.

"Gogil of Clan Magun handles my schedule right now. You'll have to ask him," Harry said. "He'll know when I'm free."

Ivor nodded. "Thank you for you time Harry of Clan Magun," he said.

"You honour me by coming yourself Ivor Head of Clan Magun," Harry said with a bow. The goblin left and Winky showed back up with a note from Gogil.

Harry looked down at it. The warders were ready to meet him in half-an-hour. He would have to get a move on. He gathered his papers up and headed out of the apartment. He went on autopilot up to Gogil's office. His mind was going over what he needed. "Good day noble goblins," he said as he entered the office. There were five goblins in there with Gogil. He sat down with them and placed his plans on the table. "I'm open to suggestions on all of this since you are the experts," he said. "But I have a list of effects I want active." He handed his list to one of the goblins. "I want the area protected against non-magicals without any harm coming to them. I would prefer to be unplotable. I want it to be protected, but you know better than I what would be best. I don't mind animals and magical beings or creatures to get in, but I'd prefer if witches and wizards would stay out."

The goblins smirked. It would seem like this human agreed with them when it came to the wand waving human monkeys. They looked over what the young human wanted. It all looked fairly logical. Some of it might be a little difficult. "Is this it?" one of them asked.

"I have some things I want connected to the house as well," Harry said. "It is a separate list." He gave that to them as well. "It can't be done until the house stands though," he said.

"No but we have to take this into consideration," a female goblin said. "How we design the wards will change with what is supposed to be within the wards."

"You are supposed to build his wards like he was a goblin not a human hiring you, Issa," Gogil said.

"Of course," Issa said. "You are planning on adding things yourself young human? We have heard you are adding magic to the vaults here."

"I would like to yes," Harry said. "It will be increasing security mostly. Unlike the vaults I don't want to make it impossible for others to get in. I will probably add my protections directly to the walls of my house. I'll strengthen the building and make it harder to break into."

She nodded and thought about it for a moment. "That should work fine with the ward stones we will place. The main stone has to be in the middle of your ward. You can either hide it or let it show. Wizards and witches prefer hiding our work."

"I'm sure we can keep it safe and let it show," Harry said. "It has to be down by the water if it is going to be centred. Does it have to be a perfect circle or can it be an ellipse?"

Issa nodded. "It can be. It is the smooth motion of the edge that is necessary," he said.

"And the water won't be a problem?" Harry asked.

"Not at all," another goblin answered.

"Good, Gogil will handle the money side of this. I'm not in a hurry, but I would like it done as soon as possible," Harry said. He leaned back as the goblins started discussing things in fast Gobbledegook. He couldn't follow them, but he didn't mind. He looked up as a knock sounded through the room. He stood up and met Gogil's eyes. He signalled that he'd check what it was. "Yes?" he said as he opened the door.

There was a goblin standing outside. "You wouldn't happen to be Kato Peverell," he said.

"I am," Harry said. He stepped out of the office. "You have dealings with me?" he asked.

"My client would like to hire you to increase the security on her vault," the goblin said.

"Of course," Harry said. "Is she here now?" he asked. He received a nod. He opened the door again and summoned a contract for added security from the pile that Gogil had behind his desk. "We can go to her now," he said. He followed the goblin down to another office. There was a formidable looking older woman in there. In her lap there was a bright red handbag. She wore a hat with a stuffed vulture on top. It stirred something in Harry's memory. A picture of Severus Snape in that hat hand with the handbag. This was Neville's grandmother.

"This is my client Lady Longbottom," the goblin said.

Harry bowed. "Ma'am," he said. "I am Kato Peverell. You requested my services?"

The gray-haired woman studied him for a moment. "You must be quite the something to have impressed the goblins young man," she said. "I can't say I have heard the name Peverell before you are from Britannia young man?"

"Yes ma'am though I grew up travelling around. I came back to Britain just recently," Harry said. "The Peverell Family's male lines died out a long time ago. I have claimed the name as a rightful heir."

Augusta nodded slowly. "That would explain it," she said. "So you can secure my vault better than what the goblins have already secured it," she said. "I am told that this is a good thing to do."

Harry nodded. "It will ensure that no one but members of your family can access your vault," he said. "It is optional of course, but something like the break in four years ago can't happen to your vault if I secure it," he said.

Augusta studied the young man for awhile. She was still unsure if this was worth it. Spending money on securing an already secured vault seemed a bit over the edge to her. Her little Frank would tell her to do it though. Torak was suggesting doing too, and the old goblin had never led her wrong before. "I want this, what does it cost?" she asked.

"Four hundred galleons ma'am," Harry answered.

Augusta raised an eyebrow. "I take it there are several gentlemen that have paid you that much. We'll say two-hundred and fifty galleons," she said.

Harry nodded. "Sounds good," he said. He placed the contract down and wrote the cost in before presenting it to her. She looked it over and signed before handing it back. "It will be done next time I come by?" she asked.

"Yes, I'll go down and do it now ma'am," Harry said. He stored her magic in one of his gems so he could use it and then he asked for the goblins name before he headed back out of the office. He walked down to the main floor so he could take the cart down to the Longbottom vault. He closed his eyes and focused on what he was after. A blue streak led his way down. He stopped by the vault and got out. This was the first time he was down there with no goblin. He walked up to the door. The Longbottom vault was pretty far down. He started carving runes into the door. As he finished carving, he gathered his breath. He pulled the magic he'd taken from Lady Longbottom to himself and shouted.

Green eyes moved over the cave as a roar echoed past him. _'I don't have the energy to deal with a darn dragon now,'_ he thought. He moved and sat down by the vault door. He could hear wings moving closer. A big green dragon with golden horns flew in. **_"Zu'u hon rein - I heard a roar. What are you?"_** the dragon said. **_"Hi los nid dovah - you are no dragon."_**

Harry tilted his head back. He pulled magic from one of the gems by his belt. **_"Zu'u los Dovahkiin ni dovah - I'm a Dragonborn not a dragon but that doesn't mean I'm not of dragonkind,"_** he said.

 ** _"_** ** _You are just a little, jul, human,"_** the dragon said. **_"Just because you know dovahzul it doesn't make you dov."_**

Harry breathed in slowly. **_"Feel the power of my Thu'um,"_** he said. He stood up. **_"Fus ro dah,"_** he shouted. It wouldn't harm the dragon but it would push him back.

Malqo spread his wings and flew out in front of his monah. **_"Don't hurt monah,"_** he roared as he grew in size in front of Harry. He flew up and lightning shot from his wings.

Harry placed a hand against his head. His vision was blurring. "Winky!" he called out.

The little elf showed up with a pop. Harry could see her blurry form moving up to him. Her voice sounded like it came from a badly tuned radio.

His eyes closed and he knew no more.

* * *

 _2nd of July, 1995. Sunday_

It was the soft sound of light feet moving about that brought Harry back. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. _'I over did it,'_ he thought. He still felt exhausted. He needed to eat. The covers fell down into his lap as he sat up.

The sound of feet stopped. "Master Harry must stay in bed he is not feeling well," Winky said. She walked up to the bed. "Master Harry needs food. Stay there." She moved out of the room and into the kitchen.

Harry smiled softly. He shouldn't have gone down on his own.

 ** _"_** ** _Is monah alright now?"_** Malqo asked. He climbed up on the bed and curled up. **_"Monah fell asleep."_**

Harry nodded. **_"Drey seik dovah - did the mean dragon hurt you Malqo?"_** he asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Nid, no monah,"_** Malqo said.

"Good," Harry said. He turned to the door as Winky walked in with a tray. She placed it down over his legs. "Master will eat up," she said sternly. "Winky is cleaning. Master won't do anything stupid now." She looked at him with a firm glare. "Master was good to call his Winky but Master needs to be more careful," she said.

"I'll remember that Winky," Harry said. He looked down at the tray. Fruit salad and eggs with a glass of milk and some porridge.

The 'brunet' stayed in bed until well past midday. He finally got up to take a shower and change clothes. He started on his Charms homework. If he couldn't do anything else then he was at least going to do his best to finish his homework off. He wanted that done as soon as he could since he didn't want to have to worry about it later.

Malqo curled up next to him and fell asleep.

They stayed like that throughout the rest of the day. It was calm and quiet. The scratching of Harry's quill and Winky moving around cleaning slowly were the only noises vibrating through the air.

…

 _4th of July, 1995. Tuesday_

Two days later Harry was walking up to the Heart of Gringotts. He had recovered fully from his meeting with the Romanian Longhorn. He would have to travel down there and deal with the dragons some day. He needed to be able to go down there without having to fear for his life. He entered the beautiful hall. There were a good amount of goblins in there. He walked into the centre of the room. "Is everyone here?" he asked.

"Everyone that should be here," Gardock, the Head of Clan Zoldark, said. "You can begin."

Harry nodded before sitting down. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. He slipped into his mindscape where he kept the models of the machines the Dwemer had built a long time ago. He raised his hands palms up and conjured a spider illusion. His eyes opened. He really hoped that they wouldn't take too long with every piece.

Several goblins walked forward and started studying the spider.

"This doesn't really help us," one of them said. "We can't interact with this."

Harry shook his head slowly. "Just note down what it is supposed to look like. I can pick it apart piece by piece for you," he said softly.

The goblin looked up at him and nodded.

The goblins moved back. "Can you make it move?" one of them asked.

Harry nodded and the spider started walking over the floor. He moved it like he'd seen them move back on Nirn. Then fake lightning shot from the sphere on its head. He was going to show all they could do.

"Thank you," one of the goblins said.

Harry moved his hands apart and the spider was pulled apart in mid air. The parts were held still so the goblins could sketch them down. He held it until they were done. Then he pulled the inner part of the spider apart and told the goblins what everything was just in case they didn't know. He moved from the spider to the sphere. The bigger they went; the harder it would become. He was glad that he had stored magic in his enchanting gems. He might need those.

It took the goblins awhile to understand just how everything fitted in the sphere, but once they had caught on they were all for it.

As Harry moved on to the centurion, he could feel his magic running low. He grabbed onto one of the diamonds hanging from his gem belt. He released the magic from the gem and pulled it to himself. He watched the goblins as they talked to each other excitedly. They obviously liked the centurion the best.

He didn't agree his favourite was the spider. It could do so much and had a lot of potential. Hopefully at least one goblin would see that.

When the goblins were finally done, Harry was breathing heavily. He felt like shit, but he was glad they had gotten it over with. He called Winky and asked her to bring him something to eat. He would have to take it easy for a few days. At least he hadn't exhausted himself this time around. Doing this so soon after messing with his dragon magic wasn't the best of ideas. He left the excited goblins to themselves and headed back down to his apartment. He wasn't all that interested in listening to them. He couldn't understand what they were saying anyway.

He ran his fingers over Malqo's head as he entered the apartment. The little dragon was happy he was back again. Harry hadn't brought the little dragon with him since he knew he would use up a lot of power, and he didn't want Malqo to think he was in danger and attack someone.


	53. The Cure

**The Cure**

 _5th of July, 1995. Wednesday_

A knock on the front door had Winky walking out to the hall to open it up. She spoke to someone for a moment before walking back into the kitchen. "Griphook came here. He says Madam Bones is upstairs waiting for Master Harry," she told the 'brunet'. "You have to promise Winky to be careful."

"I will Winky I promise. She is probably here because of the Lycanthropy cure. I will be perfectly safe," Harry said as he stood up. He was hoping that Amelia had brought a werewolf. He grabbed his bag and walked out of the apartment. He had figured out several shortcuts up to the main floor as he'd wandered around the past couple of days. He wasn't supposed to use magic since he'd almost exhausted his reserves the day before so it was nice to know some easy ways up. He walked out to the main hall his eyes scanned the big room. Amelia Bones was standing with a scabby looking young woman by one of the walls. People moved over the marble floor between them.

"Madam Bones," Harry said with a bow as he reached them.

"Mister Peverell," Amelia greeted him.

"If you would please come with me," Harry said before he turned around and started walking to one of the offices on the first floor. The rooms closest to the main hall didn't belong to anyone so he could use them when needed. He walked up to an empty one and opened the door. "Please enter," he said. He walked in behind them and closed the door. He turned to the young woman that had arrived with Amelia. He smiled kindly at her. "You are a werewolf?" he asked.

She looked at him with a scared expression.

"It's fine," Harry said. He walked up to her and hugged her. "You can tell me I won't judge you." He could feel her shoulders start shaking. He held her closer and placed a hand on her head. He looked over at Amelia. The stern looking woman gave him an approving look. He rubbed the young woman's back soothingly. "There, there sweetheart," he said.

"Jane here was bitten a couple of years ago," Amelia said. "I helped her keep her children with her husband and her." She walked over and sat down by the desk. "The Ministry is passing new laws and they might take their children from them as it stands right now. I'm trying to do my best to stop it but it's hard," she told him.

Harry nodded. He looked down at the woman. There was a bracelet around her left wrist with a set of numbers on it. "What is this?" he asked her.

"Every werewolf needs to register with the Ministry," Amelia said. "They are given a number."

"That's just wrong," Harry said. "They're people not some kind of…" He fell silent before he was about to shift to dovahzul in anger. He looked down at the young brunette. "I have a cure for your lycanthropy," he said softly. He looked up at Amelia. "That won't help protect her children if the Ministry doesn't accept it though," he said.

"Leave that to me," Amelia said.

"Why don't we sit down," Harry told Jane. He led her over to the chairs and helped her down. "The cure doesn't cost anything so you don't need to worry about that." He placed his hands on top of hers. "The cure works I have seen it. Madam Bones here wants to make sure that I'm telling the truth. Are you willing to drink the cure so she can see that it works?" he asked.

Jane nodded. "I will," she said. She studied his face for a moment. "You are a very nice man," she said. "Most people are afraid of us. It's rough. The wolf likes contact. Does the cure take the wolf away?" she asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "It might be that your animagus form would be a wolf after you have taken the cure. All I know is that it works."

Jane nodded. "I want to do it," she said.

"There is no going back," Harry said. "You will be immune after this." He had learned that from Ria. She was a nice woman, and they had spent quite a lot of time together.

"I still want it. I don't want to be a danger to my children," Jane said.

Harry smiled at her. "Winky!" he called.

The little elf showed up.

"Could you bring us a cup please," Harry asked her.

Winky disappeared and reappeared with a goblet for her Master. She left again as she saw that she was no longer needed.

Harry pulled the White Phial out of his bag. He uncorked it and poured the potion into the cup.

"How about others," Jane asked. "Is that all there is?" She looked down at the goblet that the 'brunet' was holding out to her.

"The phial refills automatically. We'll never run out of potion," Harry said reassuringly.

Jane nodded, took a deep breath and downed the potion in one gulp. "Urgh, that's disgusting," she said as she placed the back of her hand against her mouth. She breathed in slowly. "That feels weird," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around herself.

 _'_ _Ah,'_ Harry thought. Last time he'd seen this happen it had been Ria. Ria was a warrior; she probably hid the effects of the potion. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her. "It will be O.K." he said softly.

Jane did try not to let the pain show, but it hurt so badly. She pressed her face to the man's shoulder. Her hands grabbed onto his shirt in tight fists. She whimpered softy. Her breathing became hectic and then she blacked out. Harry shifted her before he lifted her up. He looked up at Amelia and said, "There is a hospital ward further in. We should take her there so she can rest up."

"Is she alright?" Amelia asked.

Harry nodded. "She is fine," he said. "The effects of the potion knocked her out. It didn't happen last time I was around for this. But last time the woman that drank it was quite tough. I don't think she would have let herself black out." He led Amelia to the Hospital Ward and placed Jane down in a bed. "Hello Glint," he said. He placed a hand on Jane's abdomen and scanned her with his magic. He could feel the potion doing its job slowly, but apart from that there was nothing wrong. "I'll stay with her," he told Amelia. "I can send Winky to let you know when she's awake if you would like."

Amelia nodded. "I would appreciate that," she said. The gray-haired woman walked out of the Hospital Ward. She hoped that Jane would be alright. She had two little kids at home that would be devastated if something happened to her. She trusted young Peverell though. Even if she barely knew him. He had an air around him and a demeanour that told her he was trustworthy.

…

Several hours later nut-brown eyes opened slowly. Jane looked around. The man that had helped her was standing a few beds away talking to a goblin. She sat up slowly and he turned her way. A smile spread over his lips as he saw that she was awake. "How do you feel?" he asked after walking up to her. "Better," she answered. "I don't really feel any different from before."

Harry nodded. "That is probably a good sign dear," he said.

"No sir you can't just barge in ther…"

Harry looked over at the door as it was flung open. A sandy-haired man with white-rimmed glasses walked through the door. He turned towards Jane and relaxed. "What is going on?" he asked. "I got home and your mother told me you had gone to Gringotts with Madam Bones, and now you are here." He looked around the room. "This is a hospital?" he asked.

Harry stood up. "This is Gringotts Hospital Ward," he said. "Few witches or wizards know that the goblins will help with maladies." He stepped away from Jane's bed. "I'm Kato Peverell. Your…" he saw the ring on the man's finger and the matching one on Jane's, "wife came to me with Madam Bones to cure her lycanthropy," he said.

The man shook his head in disgust. "You dare take advantage of her condition," he said. He turned to Jane. "What did you pay him with?" he asked.

Amber eyes rolled. Harry didn't appreciate being called a liar, but he knew it would happen. "I didn't ask for payment sir," he said. "I know how werewolves are treated. I won't demand money from those who have a hard time." He looked back down at Jane. "You should be fine to go back home," he told her. "I don't suggest you apparate though."

"It's good to see you up again Jane," Amelia said as she entered the Hospital Ward. She turned to the sad-haired young man. "Gerald its good to see you," she said. "Here to pick Jane up?"

Gerald nodded. He wasn't going to talk up to Amelia. She had done so much for their family. He walked up to the bed and helped his wife up. "We'll floo home," he said calmly. He glared at Harry as he passed the 'brunet'.

 _'_ _He'll change his tune when Jane doesn't turn on the twelfth,'_ Harry thought. "She should be just fine now," he told Amelia.

The stern woman nodded. "She looked much better," she said. "If this works out like you say then there needs to be some way to give this to more people."

"I have talked to Glint, and she's happy to deal with it. All they have to do is come here. She can only cure so many in a day though. The phial only refills once a day," Harry said. "There will probably need to be a ticket system just so everyone can get it. I'll see if I can get a goblin set up to handle that in the main hall."

"That sounds good," Amelia said. "I'll make it known once I know it works."

Harry walked her out of the bank. _'I should maybe get some shopping done,'_ he thought. He wanted to get out in the non-magical world though. He walked back inside so he could put something more appropriate on. He changed from his college style robes to jeans and a t-shirt. He made his way past the exchange station before heading through the Leaky Cauldron. He wandered around central London for almost four hours stepping into one shop after another. He bought mostly clothes. Non-magicals were way better at making functional clothes than magicals were. He had even stumbled into a very interesting shop. He wasn't sure why women would wear that stuff and the few things they had for guys were… he was sure what to think about that. The sales woman had been nice though. He hadn't been able to stop himself from buying something – for Fleur.

He returned to his apartment and ate a nice supper prepared by Winky of course. Then he unpacked his purchase slowly, making sure that all the tags were removed. Shirts and tank tops, t-shirts and a hoodie or two and cargo pants. He placed it all into his closet orderly before grabbing his Transfiguration homework so he could finish it off.

It was late as he placed his book down and turned the lights off. He yawned wide. Grabbing his shirt, he pulled it off and sent it off to the hamper standing in the corner. Winky would not be happy with him if he threw his clothes on the floor.

* * *

 _6th of July, 1995. Thursday_

Scrolls were strewn across the kitchen table. They could do anything from creating light, to making fireballs, to conjure familiars, well basically anything that Harry had learned in Skyrim. He was sorting them up after school and then more specifically after spell. He had a meeting with a member of Clan Tarnok. She would be arriving in an hour. He wanted to have everything in order before she arrived. Unlike his knowledge of the Dwemer machines, his scrolls we not something he would just give away. It didn't really fall under things that Clan Magun dealt with though so he needed to deal with another Clan. Clan Tarnok was a scholar clan so they would be better equipped to deal with the scrolls.

There was a knock on the door and Winky went to open. She returned with a young goblin with sharp, moss-green eyes.

"Please take a seat," Harry said. He placed the briefcase he kept the scrolls in on the table and opened it up so she could see. "They are sorted after magic school which is how the different kinds of spells are split up in Skyrim. Illusion deals with sensory and emotional control over other beings. I have made some of those, but I suggest that they are used on animals not other people. Destruction is basically control over elements so those scrolls can do anything from throwing Fireballs to creating a Lightning Storm. In conjuration I have only made conjure familiar scrolls. They will summon an animal familiar to aid the caster. The other beings I can summon I'm first of all not sure I can summon from here, and if I can I don't think that anyone else using them is a good idea. I might change my mind if it turns out that I can summon them. Restoration is basically healing spells but also deals with banishing undead in case you have use for that. Then there is Alteration that handles magic armour, light, detecting life, telekinesis, waterbreathing and paralyze."

"You have written information for all of this," the goblin asked.

Harry nodded. "I have a detailed description for every spell," he said. "If there is a spell you would like more than others I would like to know. How are we going to transport these to each other?" he asked. That was his biggest concern right then and there.

"I can bind this briefcase to one of my own," the goblin said. "That would transport the scrolls directly to me once you place them in your briefcase and closed it."

"You need a simple way to contact me there are pockets in the briefcase can you link one to go my way and one to go your way. That way you can let me know which scrolls you need more off," Harry said.

"That I can do. It will make things easier for us. My name is Nedra by the way," the goblin said. She reached out and grabbed the briefcase. She went to work quickly.

Harry could feel the magic swirling from her hands. Goblin magic was more direct than wizarding magic. It was a lot like his enchanting. _'I have to look into getting the parts I need for that,'_ he thought. He summoned a piece of paper and started scribbling notes down. Maybe the young goblin with him now could help him. He needed a stone slab, a crystal ball and some way of transporting it. He started drawing, not his strong suit, but he was good enough to get his point across.

"What is that?" Nedra asked. She tilted her head and looked down at the paper.

"It's an Arcane Enchanter," Harry said. "I can enchant armour and items with certain types of magic. I need the table though. Doing it without that is really difficult. I use magic gathered in these gems." He removed one of his charged emeralds from his belt. "I know several enchantments that I can infuse items with and the table helps funnel the power. I know how to build one, but I'm not sure I can get a hold of the items needed for it," he said.

Nedra looked the things over. "The stone. What kind of stone does it have to be?" she asked.

"It can't be soft," Harry said, "or brittle. It has to hold. Carving it won't be a problem for me."

"Granite then," Nedra said. "And then a crystal ball I can get a hold of that."

"I would like to figure out a way to make it transportable. I will want one for my house as well, but right now I would really want to have one I can take with me."

"Does it have to be that shape?" Nedra asked. The pentagon would make things difficult.

"The stone has to be but it can be set in a box or something," Harry said.

Nedra smirked. "Then it will be easy," she said. "You will have to show me how it works once we have it working."

Harry nodded. "I have another thing I would like to make as well," he said. "It is an Alchemy Lab. Like Skyrim alchemy which is a lot like potions here. It uses plants differently though. He closed his eyes for a moment and then a model Alchemy Lab appeared on the table between them. "I thought this would be smarter than me trying to draw it," he said.

Nedra nodded. "You are quite skilled at this," she said. She studied it and drew herself. "Could you show me the … Arcane Enchanter like this as well?"

Harry tilted his head to the side and the second table appeared next to the first. Nedra was fast though. She drew it all down neatly in a few minutes. "I'll look into getting this working. They won't hold any magic though you will have to fix that. I will place them both in boxes that you can shrink it won't affect what's in the boxes," she said. She looked over at the briefcase that now held the scrolls she would be able to sell. "I want twenty percent of the winnings from selling those," she said.

"You can have twenty-five," Harry said. "You have made things much easier for me."

Nedra bowed her head. She wasn't going to argue with that. More money for her was just a bonus. She pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote up a contract. She pushed it over to the human, and he picked it up. He read through it slowly. Everything looked to be in order. He read through it an extra time before signing it.

"We'll settle the price for the Arcane Enchanter and the Alchemy Lab when I have them done," Nedra said. She stood up and grabbed her briefcase. "I will let you know if there is anything specific that goes faster than the other spells."

"Good," Harry said. "It was a pleasure doing business with you." He stood up and shook her hand before showing her out.

Harry walked back into the kitchen to clear his things out. He was really getting things rolling now. The scroll sales would get going. He was securing vaults. He could just not care about Hogwarts at this point. He didn't really want to deal with the insanity that would come with people finding out about him. He sighed. He knew there would be one big circus when he did let people know that Harry and Kato was the same person. He'd deal with it when he got there.

"Master Harry has a customer for security," Winky said. "Master Harry has to be careful."

"I will Winky," Harry said. "I won't be going down alone this time." He walked over to the front door. "I'll be back soon enough," he said. "Bye Winky." He made his way up to Gogil's office and walked inside. The older man sitting in there was dressed in expensive clothes. Harry's face went blank as he was given a condescending glare. He turned to Gogil. "This is Lord Nott," the goblin introduced the man.

Harry turned back to the wealthy looking wizard. He bowed but not deeply. This man didn't deserve that kind of respect. "Lord Nott you have requested my services. I am Kato Peverell," he said.

Reginald raised an eyebrow slowly. He studied the young man. _'So this is the one Lucius recommended,'_ he thought. He didn't look like much. "I wish to have my vault secured," he said. "Lord Malfoy tells me that you can provide this service satisfactory."

"I can yes," Harry said. He went into what his added security would do. He quickly decided that he preferred Lucius. The man may be arrogant, but you could talk to him. Nott was impossible. The man was so frustrating.

"Can the vault be locked against specific family members?" Reginald asked.

"I could," Harry said. "It would cost though. The magic involved is complicated to work."

Reginald gave the young man a blank look. "Money is not a problem," he said like Harry had insulted him.

"Is there someone specific you have in mind then Lord Nott?" Harry said. As far as he knew the only family member this man had was his son. "If they have married to other families or are related to you but do not carry your family name then they will not be able to enter anyway."

…

Harry walked out of Gringotts. He needed air. Lord Nott was one of the most annoying men he'd ever met. The sun was shining brightly. The raven walked down the street slowly. He passed several shops and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. He considered getting some ice cream, but he really should eat before that. He wandered down to Knockturn Alley. Why, he didn't know. He wandered down there past hags that sold toenails and strange men who gave him creepy stares. He'd been past worse. Bandits could do way worse. The shops down there were all pretty shady. He found a shop that sold potion ingredients, Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary. He wandered around in there for a while. They had things in there that while not illegal were looked down upon. The twins could do well with some of it though. He focused on ingredients that wouldn't go bad over time. He didn't buy anything dragon related since he could probably get better stuff himself.

Mr Mulpepper was dealing with another customer when he reached the counter. Harry did his best not to listen to them. He shifted the mandrake leaf in his mouth around. That was getting old.

"Don't even try Nicholas!"

 _'_ _Well that is Snape,'_ Harry thought. He wandered around another shelf. He didn't want to listen in on the Potion Master's conversation.

"Take it or leave it Snape. This is what my contact gave me you won't get better," Mr Mulpepper said.

Harry walked up to the counter. It looked like they were arguing over dragon scales of some sort. He placed his purchase down. The scales looked dull and held no magic whatsoever. "It can't be that hard to get better than that," he said. He could probably get better in about five minutes down in Gringotts.

Severus turned around and narrowed his black eyes. "I wasn't aware you were part of this conversation," he said.

Harry shrugged. "I had business in the store," he said. He reached into a pouch and pulled out some Crystalback scales. "It's not that hard to get a hold of good scales," he said.

"What are those?" Severus asked.

"Crystalback scales," Harry said. "The species has an extinction warring. They were better known by their Latin name Cristallum Parvus, but these scales were freely given by the dragon they are from." He watched the salesman's eyes widened. He could tell that the man would love getting his hands on the scales he was holding. He dropped them back in the pouch he had grabbed them from. "I'd like to buy these," he said as pushed his items towards the man. He raised an eyebrow at the man's expression as he pulled five galleons out of a pouch. He knew that was more than enough. He gathered his things together and left the store.

"Mister Peverell," a smooth voice said.

Harry turned around. It was Lucius Malfoy. "Lord Malfoy what a pleasure," he said. He shook the man's hand firmly.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Harry turned around.

"If it isn't Severus," Lucius said. "I see you have met Mr Peverell."

Severus froze for a second. He looked over at the amber eyed young man. _'Lucius knows this person?'_ he thought. He straightened up. "Are you willing to sell those scales?" he asked the brunet.

"Of course," Harry said. "I wouldn't have showed them if I wasn't willing to sell them."

Lucius watched the other two. "Why don't we take this somewhere a bit more comfortable?" he asked. "It is almost time for lunch."

Severus looked up at his old friend. The man was right; in the middle of Knockturn Alley was not the best palace to make a deal. "I would appreciate that," he said and looked at the brunet.

Harry nodded. "I have nothing against it," he said.

Lucius held an arm out to him. "Since it is your first time going to Malfoy Manor I'll take you there," he said.

"Thank you sir," Harry said. He placed his hand on Lucius arm and they left the dirty alley. As they landed, they were standing on a gravel driveway leading up to a beautiful manor house. The grounds were large, and he could see gardens in the distance. He followed Lucius up to the manor and they walked into a dimly lit hall. On the walls were portraits of former Malfoys.

Severus had joined them at some point, but Harry couldn't tell when. They headed up to the blonde's private study and settled down in comfortable armchairs. Lucius called an elf and informed her they had guests for lunch. "Why don't you settle you business? I have some things to go over," he said before summoning some papers.

Harry turned to Severus and brought the scales out. He gave them to the Potion Master.

"I have never seen scales like these before," Severus said amazed. "You said they are from a nearly extinct species?" He looked up at the brunet.

Harry reached up and lifted Malqo from his shoulder. He placed the little dragon in his lap. "This is Malqo. The scales come from him," he said.

Black eyebrows furrowed. "But he is tiny," he said. He looked down at the scales in his hand. _'This boy has a dragon with him. Does he not realise how dangerous that is,'_ he thought. He watched as the little dragon left the boy and flew out to land on the floor. It grew to be almost seven feet long. Over half of it was tail though.

"The Crystalback can shrink from their full size it any size they like," Harry said. **_"Dreh'ni haalvut naan - don't touch anything, Malqo,"_** he told the dragon.

Lucius looked up as he heard the tongue of dragons spoken. He saw the crystalline dragon sitting on his carpet.

"He'll behave Lord Malfoy don't worry," Harry said.

"You do know that having a dragon for a pet is illegal," Severus said.

"I know," Harry said. "But he has decided I'm his mother and there is little I can do about it. I can't just leave him."

"You talk as if the dragon has human-like emotions," Lucius said.

"He does," Harry said. "Dragon's are quite intelligent. Emotions become a part of that. It works differently for them. Their instincts are far stronger than human instincts. They value other things, but they are perfectly capable of understanding." He looked over at Malqo. "They can't speak human though. As I understand it, us speaking is much like birds' twitter for them," he said. "Could I let him out? You have large grounds here he would love to fly. I can make sure he won't attack anyone. He hasn't gotten much of a chance in the past week. I have stayed hold up in Gringotts."

Lucius considered the request for a moment. "Go ahead but make sure he doesn't eat the peacocks," he said.

"Thank you," Harry said. He stood up and walked over to a window. **_"Malqo come here,"_** he said. He held his hands out and the dragon flew over to him and shrank. **_"Hi vis bo um tir til - you can fly around out there. Keep within the wards and don't attack anything. You can't, nir, hunt out there alright. Unt wah ni gefaas naangein - try not to scare anyone,"_** told the little dragon.

 ** _"_** ** _Bek, alright monah,"_** Malqo said. He jumped towards the window and took off. He could fly. Monah had let him go out on his own. He would have to be a good boy though or monah would be angry.

Harry walked back to his seat and sat down. "Two galleons a piece for those," he said and pointed to the scales in Severus hand. "If you are interested in other dragon scales, I'll be doing some travelling this summer. I can probably get a hold of other types that are less rare."

Severus looked down at the scales. He really wanted them, but he would create problems with his funds and he wasn't sure what he could do with them.

"I'll pay for them," Lucius said.

Severus looked up at his old friend. "You don't have to Lucius," he said.

"But I will," Lucius said. He turned to Harry. "I can write you a check?" he asked.

"Of course," Harry said.

The blond wrote a check out and Harry took it. "You say you will travel," Lucius said. "Could you keep your eyes open for something for me?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I can't promise anything without knowledge of what the item is sir," he said.

"The item is a book," Lucius said. "It holds knowledge on many different things. It is titled _Marque Éternelle ou – Non_. It is quite rare. I'm looking myself, but it never hurts to have an extra pair of eyes on the lookout."

"I can keep my eyes open Lord Malfoy. A book is only as powerful as you let it be after all," Harry said.

"Please call me Lucius," the blond said. "If we are going to do business together it will be more comfortable to be on a first name basis."

"Then I would be happy if you would use Kato, Lucius," Harry said.

For the next coming few hours, Harry spent time listening to Lucius and Severus talk. Not that he didn't join in. He realised that his first impression of these two men was somewhat off. He could live with that. Lucius may come across as cruel and uncaring, but there were people he cared a lot about. He didn't hate non-magicals, but he didn't like how their culture was destroying old wizarding ways. Harry wasn't sure what to think. He would keep his mouth shut on that one. They had a nice lunch with Narcissa and Draco.

Harry was glad that he'd changed so much that people couldn't see Harry Potter in Kato Peverell. He would be in so much trouble. _'If Ronald could see me now,'_ he thought.


	54. Swedish Hospitality or something

**Swedish Hospitality … or something**

 _7th of July, 1995. Friday_

Harry looked down at the port-key in his hands. It was a small blue orb. It would take him to Karlstad, a town located north of Lake Vänern in Sweden. It would take him to the Swedish slash Norwegian branch of Gringotts located on Ra gatan. Gata was road as far as Harry could tell. He would have to get a hold of someone who could help him. The names alone were confusing enough. He would have to figure some way of dealing with things out. He took a deep breath before activating the port-key. The familiar hook behind the navel settled in and his surroundings started spinning. He closed his eyes tightly. At least he'd learned how to land without falling over.

He landed in a beautiful wooden building. The long hall he was standing in was lit up by a heavy chandelier. Goblins were sitting by heavy oak desks.

"Mister Peverell."

Harry turned around. There was a female goblin standing next to him. "Yes that's me," he said.

"Good," she said. "I am Sanna of Clan Magun. I will be your go between during your visit."

"It's an honour to meet you clan sister," Harry said. "I could definitely use some help. I went over a map before coming here, and the street names alone were enough to confuse me."

"Other languages have that effect on you when you don't understand them," Sanna said. "I have heard a lot about you. You have created change in the clan. We have some people here who would like their vaults secured. News travel fast."

Harry nodded. "I can't do more than one vault in a day, and the day after I really shouldn't fix another one," he said. "It drains me a lot." He followed her to an office – he presumed hers.

"Are you up to securing a vault today?" Sanna asked.

"Yes that's fine," Harry said. "I have to meet with the owner though. I can't do it otherwise. I need to lock their vault to their family magic. He's aware of the cost?"

"I'll contact the owner in question then," Sanna said. "Now remember that you won't understand each other, but I will translate for you. And he's aware of the cost and has no problem paying 300 galleons but no more. "

"Of course, that is perfectly acceptable" Harry said. They finalised the buy before Sanna rose from her chair. He watched her as she walked out of the room. He tilted his head back and sighed. Travelling the distance he had with a port-key was a bit strange. It threw you off a bit. He ran his fingers through his hair. _'I need to put this up,'_ he thought. He wasn't very focused as he opened his bag up. A soft chuckle escaped him as he looked down at the blue hair clip that Fleur had given him. He knew that no one would take him seriously if he put that on, but he didn't care what they thought. He pulled his hair back and put it up with the clip.

As the door to the office opened some time later, Harry stood up. He held his hand out. "Greetings sir," he said. He could hear Sanna translating for the man.

"Goddag," the man said.

"Good day young man," Sanna translated. "This is Lord Bauer. He was one of the first that learn about your work in Britain," she told him.

Harry nodded. "It's an honour. I'm surprised that word has spread to other courtiers," he said and then he waited for Sanna to translate.

"Jag försöker hålla mig informerad," Lord Bauer said with a smile. "I do try to stay informed," Sanna translated.

Harry chuckled. "I guess we should get going," he said. "It will be easier if we all go to the vault. That way you can make sure that no funny business is going on." He waited until Sanna had translated for the Lord. "I appreciate the gesture young man," she translated for him. She led them out of the room and down a corridor. Unlike Gringotts in Britain the old vaults in the Norwegian/Swedish branch were all placed just beneath the main floor.

"This is the vault?" Harry asked as they walked up to a big stone door.

"Yes," Sanna said.

The 'brunet' pulled his dragonbone dagger out of his boot. He started carving slowly. "You are his account manager Sanna?" he asked.

Sanna nodded. "I am yes," she said.

"Good will you let him know that I'll take a sample of his magic for the lock in a moment," Harry said. He could hear her talking to Lord Bauer as he carved the last part in. He turned around and walked up to the tall dark-haired man. He held his hands out and gathered himself. He turned back to the door and shouted.

Lord Bauer's eyes widened. He had never heard anything like the tongue the young man had used. The power connected to his words was intense. He could see the text added to his vault glow. The young man stepped to the side. He looked tired. Lord Bauer walked up to his vault and opened it up. "Fantastisk jobb unge man. Jag är mycket nöjd," he said.

"He's grateful for your service," Sanna said. "You don't look to good though. Do you need to lie down?"

Harry smiled softly. "I'll be alright," he said. "I just need something to eat that's all."

"I'll take you to your rooms once I have sent Lord Bauer off," Sanna said.

"Thank you."

…

The following couple of days Harry spent walking around town and helping other fairly rich men and women with their vaults. He realised soon enough that Sanna was actually way more polite when translating than the people around him were when talking to him. He didn't really mind, but he was pretty sure he could handle a bit of rudeness. It was strange to be in a country where he couldn't understand anything. Some words however did reminded him of dovahzul strangely enough.

He travelled up and down Ra gatan. The book shop didn't have anything he could use. Most of the books were in Swedish. He guessed looking for a French book would turn out better in France. Honestly he had a ton of fun trying to guess what certain things meant. Sometimes words were related; the Swedish and English words were pretty much the same. Most of the time, though, there was no connection. He figure out that nu in dovahzul was the same in Swedish and meant now.

* * *

 _13th of July, 1995. Thursday_

 _'_ _Finally,'_ Harry thought. He had travelled to Sweden so he could go to the dragon reserve. He needed to talk to some people who knew about dragons. The Swedish reserve was the one closest to Great Britain. There was Clan MacFusty in Britain who cared for the Hebridean Blacks in the country, but they rarely spoke to outsiders. He would actually be going to the reserve now. It was early and he had a port-key that would take him to the reserve somewhere north of a town called Arjeplog.

He made sure that Malqo was secure around his neck. The orb in his hand glowed softly as he activated it. He had been told that there would be a woman there waiting for him when he arrived.

"There you are finally. I'm Cecilia Dahlgren," a woman in her mid-twenties with strawberry-blonde hair said. "We have an uproar on our hands. I don't understand why the goblins had to send some rookie in now."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I won't get in your way Miss," he said.

"Fine then come with me and stay close. I don't want to have to tell the goblins I got their envoy killed," Cecilia said. She started walking quickly towards a high fence. From the other side Harry could hear dragons roaring. There were too many voices at once though. He couldn't make out what they were saying.

They walked quickly almost running to the entrance. When they got there Harry froze in awe. The pen had seemed big from the outside, but it didn't even compare to the inside. It was huge. He couldn't see the other end of it. He quickly pulled himself out of his stupor and caught up to Cecilia. They were getting closer and closer to the dragons. There were people there as well running around like little scared ants.

 ** _"_** ** _Dreh ni bo lov - do not come near me foolish humans,"_** one of the females roared.

Spells were sent her way.

"Stop!" Harry roared. "Stop attacking her or I'll fucking set you on fire." He ran in between the humans and the dragon female and threw up a shield. He turned to the humans. **_"Fus!"_** he roared sending them back. "Stay back!" he shouted.

"What the hell are you doing," Cecilia roared.

"Not now Miss Dahlgren," Harry said. "Tell them to stay back or I'll deal with them; they won't even get time to worry about the dragon." He looked over at the other winged beasts and realised that they were all fairly young. They had to be her younglings. He turned around and breathed in slowly. **_"Nonvul dovah lig stiildus tum - noble dragon please calm down,"_** he said calmly. **_"I am Harry. I, kaat, promise that I will not cause harm to you or your young."_**

The silvery-blue dragon turned her head and looked down at him with sharp yellow eyes. **_"Hi tinvaak un tinvok - you speak our language little jul. Tell these annoying pests to leave me and my little ones alone,"_** she said.

"Vad i hela friden håller han på med."

"Fråga inte mig," Cecilia responded. She looked over at the brown-haired young man. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Harry turned to her. "I'm talking to this lovely lady here," he said. "She isn't too happy with any of you. She'd rather you left. I can probably figure out what is wrong but not with your people pissing her off."

"You honestly want me to believe you can talk to her," Cecilia said.

"Yes," Harry said. "I can talk to her. Something your people here are doing is really getting her angry. If you don't want to be attacked then step back."

"Fuck off kid," one of the men said.

Harry sighed. **_"Malqo please come out and shot some lightning at their feet_** ," he said. **_"Don't hurt them though,"_** he said.

The shimmering blue dragon sprung from his shoulders and grew. He looked down at the humans and flapped his wings. Bolts hit the ground.

The men shouted and pulled their wands.

The dragon behind Harry roared and breathed in. "I really hope you know what you are doing," the 'brunet' said. "She's angry and she doesn't like you." He knew that there might be casualties from this. He was trying to help them. He couldn't do more. He could feel the heat from the Short-Snouts fiery breath as it past him. Malqo had moved up closer to him before the fire hit.

 ** _"_** ** _Hinzaal julle - stupid humans,"_** the dragon said. She looked down at Harry. **_"I am Dolviing,"_** she introduced herself. **_"You are different human. You feel like dovah."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I am Dovahkiin,"_** Harry said. **_"I have the, sil, soul of a dovah."_**

The dragon moved closer to him. He could see separate scales on her snout. She seemed to study him before she moved back. **_"You are different. Please help my little one,"_** she said. She moved to the side. There was a small dragon lying behind her.

Harry walked forward slowly. He kneeled down next to the little dragon. He placed his hands on her side. His brow furrowed. Something was really wrong. Her magic was all messed up. _'What has happened to you?'_ he wondered. He shifted slowly his hands travelling down the dragon's side. Then he touched something cool. He moved and sat down next to the dragon. **_"What is this?"_** he mumbled. He moved a wing out of the way. There was a thick metal collar fastened around her neck. He placed his hands on it. There was magic in the metal. He moved closer and got comfortable. The little dots marking his knowledge of enchantments started glowing.

Amber eyes opened. Anger burned in their depths. He turned to the dragon. **_"Stay with her and make sure you touch her. I'm going to find whoever did this to her. I need to know more before I can fix it,"_** he said. **_"I promise I'll be back and help her."_** He was running before Dolviing could give him a reply. He was pissed off. **_"Wuld nah kest,"_** he shouted moving himself forward fast.

"Cecilia come over her and translate for me please," Harry said loudly as he entered the long house that held their dinning and common work area.

"What the hell do you want?" Cecilia asked.

"There is a dragon hatchling in that pen with a metal collar of sorts. It is draining her of her magic," Harry said. He was doing his best to manage his anger. He wasn't angry at her.

"What the …" Cecilia said. She closed her eyes. "We have different people in charge of different pens. It can't be that hard to figure out who has done this. What about the dragon?"

"She'll live but I need to know more before I can help her," Harry said.

Cecilia nodded. "I'll gather the people who work in there and inform the boss. She won't be happy with this trust me," she said.

"Move quickly please," Harry said. "My temper doesn't rise often, but right now I swear I could burn this place to the ground. I won't though."

Cecilia snorted. "I'll deal with it," she said. She walked off. If this newbie was right there was a lot of things they would have to handle and real quickly too.

Harry closed his eyes. The little dragon would be fine. He'd fix this. He just needed to calm down. He didn't want to blow a fuse. He started breathing in slowly. His eyes closed as he found his centre.

"Kato!"

Amber eyes opened. Harry looked up at a strawberry-blonde woman.

"We've gathered everyone together. Boss thinks you should be there," Cecilia said. "It's this way."

They walked past the tables and out through a door. They entered another house. There had to be twelve people in the room. Harry wasn't sure that was much or few. He walked up to a grey haired woman standing at the head of the room. Her visible eye was moss-green. The other was covered by an eye patch. She nodded in his direction before she started talking to the people gathered there.

Cecilia walked up next to him. "She is telling them what happened. She is not happy with whoever is doing this. Just remember that we're going on your word alone. You better be telling the truth," she said.

Harry nodded. "I don't lie about things like these," he said. He watched as the older woman talked to the other people in the room. He could tell by her tone that she wasn't happy. Then the crowd started talking, and it was one person after another everyone trying their best to defend themselves.

"Morons just," Cecilia said. "They are impossible. I wish we could just get them to."

"I can get them to tell the truth," Harry said. "If you can get them to talk one by one."

"I'll ask Anne-Marie," Cecilia said. She walked over to the stern woman. She spoke quietly to her for a few seconds and Anne-Marie nodded.

"Go ahead," Cecilia told Harry.

Harry walked forward so he was standing in front of the boss. He didn't want her to be affected. **_"Vahzen tinvaak fun,"_** he whispered before backing up again.

"What did you do?" Cecilia asked.

"I told them to speak the truth. Literary I said: truth speak tell in **_dovahzul_** it is the language that dragons speak. What I do is called a **_Thu'um_** it is the power of a shout made by a dragon. Their fire breath is something similar. Dragon's can't really use it anymore though," Harry told her.

"Then how do you know it?" Cecilia asked.

"My mother taught me," Harry said. "Now that looks a lot like your boss found something out," he said.

Cecilia looked over at Anne-Marie. "She sure does," she said. "Är det Karl?" she asked. "Har den där idioten nästan tagit livet av en av våra drakar?" She listened to her boss' answer.

"I need to know exactly what he's done to the dragon," Harry said quietly. "In detail. It will be much harder for me to help her otherwise."

"I'll make sure to get you the information you need," Cecilia said.

"I'm going to go back to the dragons…"

"Wait a moment," Cecilia said. She listened to the conversation going on next to them. "He gathered the magic in a container. Bastard won't tell us where the container is."

Harry snorted. "I'll find it," he said. He held a hand out and focused on the little dragon's magic. Two blue streaks left his palm. One headed west towards the dragon pen. The other south.

"Can you deal with that on your own?" Cecilia asked.

"Yeah sure," Harry said. He left the room to follow his trail. It took him to a small house. He placed a hand against the door. It was locked. **_"Fus ro dah,"_** he shouted. His voice tore the door down. The blue trail led in to a room in the house and down in a chest. The chest was locked. He pulled out the penknife that Sirius had given him for Christmas and stuck it into the lock of the chest and turned it around.

The lock clicked and the chest opened. Harry knelled down and picked up a strange stone. It was brimming with magic. It couldn't be all that the man had taken from the dragon. He lifted it up and rose from the floor. He could use the orb to help the dragon. He headed back out of the house fast determined to help the little dragon.

"Den där är min. Ge hit den!"

Harry turned around. He raised an eyebrow at the tall blond man. "I'm sorry sir I don't speak Swedish," he said.

"Utlännings jävel," the man muttered. It sounded like an insult. "That stone is mine. Give it here," he said in English – really bad English.

"Ah, is that so sir," Harry said. He walked up closer to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you come with me sir?" he said in a friendly tone.

"Why not," the man said. His eyes had glazed over slightly as Harry's magic took over.

The 'brunet' led the man back to the house where Anne-Marie and Cecilia were. "This is his buyer," he said. "He's been selling the dragon's magic."

Cecilia narrowed her eyes. "I'll be coming with you to the pen," she told Harry. "We can go now. Let's save the poor dragon."

They hurried to the pen. Cecilia told Harry what she'd been told about the collar as they walked.

 ** _"_** ** _I'm here to help your youngling now Dolviing,"_** Harry told the Short-Snout. He was let forward to the little exhausted reptile and knelled down. He placed his hands on the collar. **_"Frein frin volusvaan,"_** he said calmly while he focused on the metal. Slowly it slipped of her scales like water pouring down on the ground. Harry grabbed the orb filled with her magic and placed it between his knees before her placed his hands on her side. He focused the magic through himself back to her.

Cecilia watched as the young 'brunet' collapsed. The dragons around him gathered up and hid him from view. She hoped that he would be alright. She figured there was nothing else she could do though.

…

Harry spent several days in the Swedish dragon reserve before he returned to the Norwegian/Swedish branch of Gringotts. He stayed for another few days when a letter from Fleur arrived asking him just when he'd be coming over.


	55. Let's go Swimming

**Let's go Swimming**

 _21st of July, 1995. Friday_

Harry walked out on Avenue de Lavande. Travelling from Sweden to France did not help him understand the street names though at least he could guess what this one was. It just changed the language he didn't know. Thankfully Fleur would help him here. He wasn't too happy about being a Brit in France. They did not like Brits. He'd just do his best to shut up until he found Fleur. Lavender Avenue was beautiful. In comparison to Diagon Alley it was spacious and light. Most of the buildings were white in colour giving the avenue a light airy look. He'd sent Winky to let Fleur know he was coming. The blonde had told him that she would be in Paris at midday that very day. Now he just had to find the café she'd mentioned.

 _'_ _At least she gave me a proper description,'_ he though. The French signs were of no help to him. He wandered down the street slowly. He didn't want to miss the place by mistake. He was looking for a garden and a fountain. The café was located near that.

Amber eyes closed slowly. He breathed in deeply. He could smell lavender in the air. The scent reminded him of home. A single tear made its way down his cheek.

"Excuse me… excuse me."

Harry opened his eyes and turned towards the voice. He couldn't be sure that whoever it was that was talking was talking to him, but it was English so he reacted. His gaze travelled up to meet with the blue eyes of William Weasley. "Yes?" he said questioningly. He'd caught himself from being familiar with the man. Kato had never met the oldest Weasley boy – or any other Weasley for that matter.

"Are you Kato Peverell?" Bill asked. _'Why did I have to find the guy?'_ he wondered. It was Fleur's male friend. Now, he knew how guys tended to act around her; he wasn't sure how to feel about this guy. Their relationship was pretty fresh, and then he'd just learned about this guy the day before.

"Yes, I'm Kato," Harry said. "And you are?"

"William Weasley. I'm Fleur's boyfriend. She asked me to meet you here. She is with her sister in a clothing store down the street," Bill said.

Harry nodded. "I guess we should join the ladies then," he said. He could tell that the redhead was tense. He guessed he had something to do with that.

"How long have you known Fleur?" Bill asked as he led them back to where he'd separated from the two Delacour girls.

"A while. She's one of my closest friends. One of the few I trust completely," Harry answered non-specifically.

"Mon chéri," Fleur said as she saw the 'brunet'. She walked up to him and hugged him while giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"It's good to see you again lokzii," Harry said. He lowered his voice. "Your sister knows to call me Kato?" he asked.

"Oui, she does," Fleur said.

"Good, I'll go find her. I think you boyfriend is getting jealous," Harry said. "Maybe you should reassure him." He smirked as he stepped away from her. Amber eyes moved over the shop. A snort escaped him. He might as well use magic. A blue streak spread from him and he followed it. A young blonde was moving skirts on their hangers. "Hello dii malfil," Harry said softly.

Gabrielle turned around blue eyes wide. A bright smile spread over her lips. "Kato," she said excitedly. He grabbed her and picked her up. "How have things been?" he asked.

At the other end of the store Fleur looked up at Bill. "What is wrong mon amour?" she asked.

"I… this guy who is he, Fleur?" Bill asked.

Fleur smiled softly at him. "'E's right you are jealous of 'im," she said. "Kato is a good friend nozing more nozing less. 'E understands me better zan most of my girl friends do. We met sometime ago. I zought I'm might be falling in love wiz 'im, but it turned out to be nozing more zan a fleeting feeling on my part. 'E never 'ad feelings like zat for me."

"And the allure sweetheart?" Bill asked concerned.

"Kato isn't affected at all," Fleur said. "Even mama can't get 'im to react." She reached up and placed a hand against his cheek. "'E is a friend."

Bill chuckled. "You make me sound like I'm being completely unreasonable," he said. "I guess I just went up on the defensive. Guys tend to be so stupid around you."

"I know," Fleur said. She looked over to her sister. "We should save 'im from Gabrielle. She'll talk 'is ears off."

"He probably deserves it," Bill said. "Ouch!" He placed a hand on his arm. She'd slapped him – lightly of course. He followed his girlfriend over to her sister. The little girl was talking a mile a minute. She seemed really excited. The brunet didn't seem to mind though. He was walking with her as she went from one set of hangers to another. Her voice was like a set of bells chiming. She switched between French and English quickly; only her sister could keep up with her. Gabrielle was holding Kato's hand as she moved around. She found a dress and in powder blue and spring green. "Can I 'ave zis please sœur?" she asked.

"Oh, Gabrielle it is beautiful but I didn't bring money we came to get Kato remember," Fleur said.

The younger blonde looked over at the dress. "I know," Gabrielle said.

Harry hummed. "I'll pay for it sweetheart. It'll look lovely on you," he said. "I can't imagine it on anyone else."

Gabrielle turned to him. "Really?" she exclaimed happily. "Merci Kato." She hugged him tightly. "You are ze best."

Harry chuckled. "Thank you dear," he said. "Let's pay for this so we can go back home to your parents, yeah."

"Oui, let's do zat," Gabrielle said. She brought the dress over to the saleswoman.

Fleur translated what the middle age woman said. Harry paid for the dress. The woman gave him a dark look as he handed her the golden coins. He inwardly rolled his eyes as he accepted the dress. "Rude zat's what she was," Fleur said as they stepped outside.

"She's French it's pretty common isn't it. French and English don't like each other much," Harry said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"It's stupid," Fleur said.

"I'm not going to argue with you there," Harry said. He took Gabrielle's hand, and they started walking down the street.

"We are staying in the town 'ouse today, but mama and papa 'ave vacation from today so we'll be going to our summer 'ouse tomorrow," Fleur said. "You'll like it," she told them. Her eyes swept up to look Bill in the eyes. "The both of you." She guided them up a street. "We 'ave to apparate from here," she said. "Will you take Gabrielle, Bill? I'll take Kato with me."

Bill nodded. He took the little blonde's hand and disappeared. Fleur reach out and took Harry's hand. "Zank you for coming 'Arry," she said quietly so no one else could hear.

"We did talk about me coming over," Harry said. "It feels good after the week I have had."

"You will 'ave to tell me all about it," Fleur said. She closed her eyes and focused. Harry held his breath as they were pulled through the strange tube that accompanied apparition. They landed and he shook his head. "I hate that," he mumbled. "I have to figure something better out." He let go of Fleur's hand and reached out for Gabrielle. She giggled as she grabbed onto him. "Come wiz me Kato," she said as she started dragging him into the house.

Fleur laughed as she watched them go. "Gabrielle really likes 'im," she said as she walked up to Bill. She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. He bent down and they shared a kiss. "We should get inside before your parents come looking," Bill said. "At least we're not at my home. My mother would go ballistic. She has some really strange ideas about couples before marriage."

Fleur giggled. "Well, I'm glad we're 'ere as well zen," she said.

They walked into the pretty light gray building. Blanket flowers grew in the flowerbeds along the house walls. Their yellow and red petals held in nice contrast against the pink feathery astilbes. Apolline loved flowers and her skills at keeping them pristine were amazing.

"Ce que votre petite soeur il suffit de glisser Kato à l'étage?" Apolline asked from the kitchen.

"She's asking about Gabrielle and Kato," Fleur told Bill. "Oui maman, qu'elle a fait," she answered her mother.

Apolline walked out of the kitchen. "You came back just in time," she said. She'd switched to English for Bill's sake. "Lunch will be ready in just a moment. Can you get your sister and friend ready please?"

"Of course mama," Fleur said. She took Bill's hand and walked over to the stairs going up to the second floor. She walked in to her sister's room. The silvery wallpaper in there had been picked by her mother. Gabrielle had wanted pink butterflies on the walls, but their mom hadn't allowed that. She had, however, gotten several enchanted butterflies that fluttered around the room. "Mama says zat lunch will be ready soon," Fleur said. She turned to Gabrielle. "Go wash your 'ands sweet'eart," she told her.

Gabrielle got up and disappeared out of the room. Harry stood up as well. He smiled at Fleur. "Your sister is fast determined to play with me I think. She keeps slipping into French though so it's hard to tell," he said.

"Maybe we should look into a spell that makes things easier. Though mama wants her to learn English so I don't know about that," Fleur said.

"It's fine," Harry said. "I'll survive I'm sure."

They headed down to the kitchen. "Hello Madame Delacour," Harry said as he kissed Apolline on the cheek.

"Bonjour Kato it is nice to see you again," Apolline said. "Please take a seat."

Harry sat down. Bill pulled out a chair for Fleur before sitting down himself. Apolline placed down plates in front of them. It was some kind of white fish with a lovely salad on the side. "This is Sole Meunière," Fleur said.

"Ah, Kato is 'ere as well now. Nice to see you again young man," Marceau said. "What 'ave you been up to lately?" He moved his chair and pulled one out for his youngest daughter as she came half-running into the kitchen. "Slow down dear," he chided her.

"O.K. papa," Gabrielle said.

They settled down to eat. The fish was fresh and lemony and the salad crisp.

"What 'ave you been up to lately Kato?" Marceau asked again.

"I've been to Sweden and the dragon reserve there," Harry said. He told them about Dolviing and her hatchlings. "It's interesting how people have learned to deal with dragons despite not really understanding them," he said.

Fleur shook her head. "Zat's awful. I 'ope zey give zose men what zey deserve," she said.

"Oh, the boss wasn't happy with them. She was definitely going to do something drastic," Harry said. "I didn't make all that many friends over there. They didn't like having a foreign smarty-pants invade and tell them they had been doing things wrong. I couldn't just let them go on though. They were harming their dragons."

Bill chuckled. "We have to introduce you to Charlie," he said.

Harry looked over at him. "Charlie?" he asked.

"He's my little brother. He works in a dragon reserve in Romania. He obsessed with dragons," Bill said. "Drives mother crazy, but it's obvious that he loves it."

"Sounds nice I wouldn't mind meeting him," Harry said. "Hopefully my schedule will allow it. It all depends on what the goblins want."

"You work for the goblins?" Bill asked.

Harry shrugged. "With not for," he said. "I'm a member of Clan Magun."

Bill's eyes widened. "No human has become a member of a goblin clan for centuries," he said. "How did you manage that?"

"I gave them something they had lost a long time ago," Harry said. "And I offered them a service that could improve on every Gringotts branch in the world." He stood up slowly and started clearing the table off.

"Oh, you don't 'ave to do zat Kato dear," Apolline said.

The 'brunet' smiled at her. "It feels weird not to help Madame," he said. "I don't mind doing the dishes." He turned the faucet on and filled the sink with hot water. Glasses went in first. Behind him the others were talking. Gabrielle had disappeared back upstairs to her room.

Fleur laughed and her mother joined in.

Harry cleaned the plates off and placed the in a rack. The other fell silent as he cleaned the silverware up. He closed his eyes. Then he bit his lip. Then he started singing.

"We drink to our youth, for the days come and gone.

For the age of oppression is now nearly done.

We'll drive out the Empire from this land that we own.

With our blood and our steel we'll take back our home."

He turned around and smiled at Fleur. He kept singing.

"All hail to Katla! You are the Dragonborn!

In your great honour I'm raising my horn.

We're the children of Skyrim, and we fight all our lives.

And when Sovngarde beckons, every one of us dies!

But this land is ours and we'll see it wiped clean.

Of the scourge that has sullied our hopes and our dreams!"

A smile spread over his lips. Fleur was smiling too. She was the only other person in there that knew what he was singing about.

"All hail to Katla! You are the Dragonborn!

In your great honour I'm raising my horn.

We're the children of Skyrim, and we fight all our lives.

And when Sovngarde beckons, every one of us dies!

We drink to our youth, to the days come and gone.

For the age of oppression is now nearly done."

By the time he'd stopped singing the dishes were done. He dried them with a gust of wind before putting them back in the cupboards. He tilted his head to the side. He'd changed the song. He wasn't going to sing in Ulfric's honour. The man didn't deserve that even if he had come around in the end. They moved into the living room and sat down so they could be more comfortable while talking. Harry caught up with what had been going on in the Delacours' lives and learned some more about Bill.

Marceau worked in the French Ministry for Magic. He was one of the Heads of the Centaur Liaison Office which was actually in use in France and had two offices one in the ministry and one that centaurs could actually go to. It had centaurs working in it as well. The other Head of the department was a centaur.

Apolline handled several charities throughout the country. She also acted as a liaison with the Veela community in the country. She loved her work. Through her family she owned stocks in all kinds of business. Her father had been very smart with money. Harry had offered to support several of the charities. He agreed whit the things she was working for.

"Kato will you come upstairs?" Gabrielle asked form the doorway.

"Sure," Harry said. He stood up and walked over to the smallest blonde. She dragged him upstairs and handed him a plushie. "Zis is Jasmine," she said.

Harry looked down at the blue eared bunny in his hand. He spent a good deal of the evening playing with Gabrielle. Her parents came in and put her to bed eventually, and Fleur showed him his room. She hugged him tightly. "Talk to me," she said. She'd moved away from him and was looking him right in the eyes.

Harry shook his head. "It can wait until Bill has left. He's only with us 'til Monday morning right? You should just focus on him until he leaves," he said. He took some things off his belt and placed them on a desk in the room before he walked with Fleur back downstairs.

* * *

 _22nd of July, 1995. Saturday_

"Kato wake up. Wake up Kato!"

It was early the next morning. Gabrielle had pulled Kato's bedroom door open and jumped up on his bed. She'd crawled up to sit on his chest. "Wake up Kato. Se réveiller Kato!" Gabrielle said. "It's morning ze sun is shining."

Harry sighed and rolled over; he pulled the little blonde with him.

"'Ey Kato wake up," Gabrielle cried.

"I'm tired. Go back to sleep," Harry muttered. He wrapped his arms around her tightly.

Gabrielle pouted. She was way to excited to sleep. They were going to the summer house after breakfast. "Let me up!" she demanded.

"Non," Harry said. "You'll just go bother someone else if I let you up. I'm not going to let you bother them." He tightened his hold on her. "It's way too early to be up yet." He focused his magic and calmed her down. He didn't have to do anything else. Calming her was enough to get her sleepy again. Her brain had been working excitedly and woken her up earlier than she was used to. Dark blue eyes closed slowly as Gabrielle fell back to sleep. She cuddled up to the 'brunet' cosily.

…

Apolline looked up at her oldest daughter as she entered the kitchen. "Savez-vous où est ta petite soeur?" she asked. "Elle n'est pas dans sa chamber."

Fleur's eyebrows furrowed. "Je vais la trouver," she said. She walked back out of the kitchen and walked into Bill. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I 'ave to find my sister. She isn't in her room. I guess she might be with Kato," Fleur said. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him before walking up the stairs. Bill turned and followed her. "Why would your sister be with Kato?" he asked.

"I don't know," Fleur said. "But zere she is." She'd opened the door. Kato was lying in there with an arm around Gabrielle. They were so cute. "Oh, get me a camera Bill, please," Fleur said. "I need a picture of zis."

Bill held back a chuckle as he walked over to her room. He grabbed his camera and walked back to Fleur. He gave it to her. The blonde walked into the room and took a picture of the two persons sleeping in the bed. Kato looked so protective of Gabrielle. "Kato wake up," Fleur said softly as she reached out and shook his shoulder.

Amber eyes opened slowly. "Bonjour Fleur," Harry said sleepily. He looked down at little Gabrielle. "I guess now is a good time to get up," he said.

"Oui, mama was wondering where Gabrielle had ended up," Fleur said as she sat down on the bed.

Harry shook his head and sat up. "She came in here at like five o'clock this morning and jumped on me," he said. "I calmed her down so she'd fall back to sleep. She was really excited. I didn't want to unleash that on anyone else." He looked up to the door and saw Bill standing there. If he'd been anyone else he would probably feel uncomfortable right now. He let go of Gabrielle and got out off bed. A hand ran through his hair as he looked for his brush.

Fleur woke her sister up. The little blonde was up and out of the room in about ten seconds. They could hear her moving down the stairs.

"That went fast," Harry said. He brushed his hair quickly.

"We'll see you downstairs," Fleur said as she walked over to the doorway.

"Sure," Harry said. He found his way to the bathroom so he could have a shower. He made his way back to his room after a quick shower and got dressed. He was fastening his belt as he walked down the stairs. "Bonjour Madame Delacour," he said before kissing Apolline on the cheek.

"Please Kato it's Apolline," she said. "Take a seat."

Harry sat down and picked a croissant from a breadbasket standing in the middle of the table. Marceau walked in and sat down as well. Gabrielle was eating a slice of orange. The atmosphere was calm. Everyone was eating silently.

"We'll pack up after breakfast," Apolline said. She turned to Harry. "Could you 'elp Gabrielle? I assume you don't need to pack since you only arrived yesterday."

"Of course I can," Harry said. Gabrielle smiled up at him as he looked over at her. "I'll help dii malfil."

"Di malf qui?" Gabrielle said.

"It means my little star," Harry said.

Gabrielle's eyes widened. "Like Fleur is lokzii?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes exactly," he said.

"Lokzii?" Bill asked Fleur.

"It means angel," Fleur said. "Literary it is sky spirit."

Harry left with Gabrielle once they were done with breakfast. They walked upstairs and into her room. She pulled a suitcase out from under her bed. "I don't need much clozes. We keep summer clozes in the summer 'ouse," Gabrielle said.

"O.K. so what should we pack?" Harry asked. He smiled softly as she started ordering him around. She was packing too and together they packed everything the little girl wanted into her suitcase. She had long ago been limited to one suitcase since she had tried to pack her entire room with her once. When they were done, Harry headed over to his room and picked his things up. He grabbed Gabrielle's suitcase and they walked downstairs to meet up with the others.

"We'll floo over to the summer 'ouse," Marceau said. "The address is Nid de paon. I'll go through first." He walked over to the fireplace and threw some powder in. The flames turned green and he walked into them. "Nid de paon," he said. He disappeared as the flames looked like they consumed him. After him Fleur went and then one by one the others followed.

Harry's eyes moved over the room he'd stepped out in. It was light. Huge windows opened up to a beautiful sandy beach. The ocean glistened blue where the sand dipped beneath its surface. They were standing in the living room. A spell hit him and the soot that had gotten stuck to him was cleaned away. He walked out over the polished pine floor.

"Come on Kato let's go outside!" Gabrielle said excitedly.

"Wait dear we should get our things to our rooms first," Harry said.

"Zis way Kato," Fleur said. She led him out of the living room through a beautiful wood panelled hallway. "'Ere is the guest room," she said as she opened a door. "I can take Gabrielle's suitcase." She held a hand out for the light blue case.

"O.K." Harry said. He handed the suitcase over and she walked back down the corridor. He walked into the room. He really liked how the Delacours decorated their homes. It was light and airy with different light colours in each room. He actually unpacked this time around. He got rid of his boots and sat down on the light green covers of the bed so he could take his socks off. He made his way outside where Gabrielle was running around. "She has a lot of energy," he commented.

Apolline looked up at him. She had sat down on the terrace that ran around the side of the house along the dinning room and kitchen area. "She loves being out 'ere," she said. "She would be very 'appy if you would go swimming wiz 'er. We don't want 'er to be alone out zere."

Harry nodded. "I can do that," he said. He walked of the terrace and into the warm sand. "Hey Gabrielle!" he called. The blonde turned around and laughed. She ran up to him and jumped. He caught her and the momentum had him falling back. "I wanna swim," she said.

"You mother did mention that," Harry said. "Shall we get in?" he asked.

Gabrielle clapped her hands and got up. She ran over to the terrace and pulled her dress over her head.

Harry got up as well and followed her. He noticed that Gabrielle didn't seem to go get a bathing suit. She was just dressing off. She turned around. "Come on," she said. "You're not shy are you?" She giggled.

Harry chuckled. "Me, shy, don't think so," he said. He walked up on the oak terrace and pulled his tanktop off. He folded it up and placed it down next to Gabrielle's dress.

"What are you up to?"

Harry looked up at Bill. The redhead looked fairly terrified. A chuckled escaped the 'brunet'. "I'm going to take a swim," he said.

"Nude?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, why not," Harry said. "This is a private beach." He folded his pants up and placed them on top of his tanktop.

"You should get out zere before she leaves wizout you," Apolline told him.

Harry smiled. "I'll get going then," he said. He walked out on the sand. He grabbed Gabrielle as he made his way out to the water. The waves rolled up over his feet. He stepped through the wet sand, his feet sank down slowly. He moved and then he threw Gabrielle out. She giggled hysterically as her head broke through her water surface. Harry laughed. "Oh, I'm going to catch you and eat you up," he said. She shrieked and then she was swimming.

Bill was standing on the terrace looking out over the Atlantic. Arms wrapped around his waist. "We should join zem," Fleur said. She hugged him tightly. He turned around with a smile playing on his lips. Fleur had reached back and was undoing her dress. "What?" she asked as she saw his expression. She folded the dress up and placed it down on a bench. "Come on Bill," she said. She ran out to the water. "Kato!" she called.

Harry turned around. Gabrielle grabbed a hold of his shoulders. "Let's go to Fleur," he said. "Yeay," Gabrielle said happily. Harry took off towards the older blonde quickly. The water was clear. He stood up as he reached her. "Hey Fleur. Did you leave Bill up by the house?" he asked.

Fleur rolled her eyes. "English prude," she said. "We'll 'ave to do somezing about zat."

Harry chuckled. "We'll work something out," he said. He placed his hand against the water and gathered some of it up in his palm. He threw the ball of water at Fleur. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed. Her eyes narrowed at him. "I'm going to get you back," she threatened.

Harry's eyes widened innocently. "I haven't done anything," he said.

"Oh, don't you try," Fleur said. She jumped forward and dragged him down. Gabrielle let go and giggled as she moved away from the other two. She watched them as they wrestled around.

Fleur breathed in deeply as she ended up on top again. She looked down at Harry. He had some kind of protection covering his face. Air bubbles escaped him. She figured that it was his way of breathing underwater.

"Fleur it's time for lunch," Apolline called from the terrace.

"We're coming mama," Fleur called back. She let go of Harry and told Gabrielle to join them. The 'brunet' broke through the water surface and breathed in. He looked over at the two blonde's walking over the beach. He guessed they had been called up. He dried himself up as he walked over the golden sand.

Bill's eyes were dark as he looked at the brunet.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't the one who didn't join," he said.

The tall redhead walked forward. "Fleur says that you aren't interested in her. I trust her, but I definitely don't trust you," he said.

"Are you trying to threaten me?" Harry asked. He looked up at him with a smirk playing on his lips. "You know Fleur is really pretty," he said. "But then again you are dashing. I don't think I could choose to be honest," he said flirtatiously. He winked at the redhead before heading up to put his clothes back on.

Bill was standing behind him wide eyed. Now that wasn't the first time a guy had hit on him, but he'd never met someone who was so blaze about it. Kato had just. _'Merlin how did Fleur find this guy?'_ he wondered. He followed the brunet inside and sat down by the dinning table. Reaching out, he placed a hand against Fleur's shoulder. She looked up at him with a smile. Then concern glazed over her eyes, but she didn't say anything. He was glad for that. It wasn't something he wanted to discus with her parents right there.

They had a light lunch before heading back outside. This time Apolline and Marceau joined Gabrielle and Harry down on the beach.

"What is wrong love?" Fleur asked Bill. They were standing on the terrace looking out over the water. He turned to look at her. "Is he always so carefree?" he asked. "Kato, he flirted with me. Why did he do that?"

Fleur snorted. She placed a hand over her mouth and tried her best to suppress her giggles. "Oh, I'm sorry Bill," she said. "Yes 'e's like zat. 'E doesn't mean anyzing wiz it zough. Not to say 'e doesn't find you good looking."

"He's gay?" Bill asked.

"Non, non 'e's… I don't zink 'e cares about gender," Fleur said. "'E 'ad a girlfriend, but … zings 'appened and she's gone."

Bill nodded slowly.

"Come on love no one 'ere will bite," Fleur said. "You can take your clothes off - relax."

Bill blushed. "I don't know," he said. Fleur raised an eyebrow. "You're cute Bill. Everyone 'ere is family. Zere is nozing sexual wiz zis. You'll see," she said. Bill sighed. He pulled his shirt off and placed it on the table. "Fine," he said. He dressed off and walked out on the beach after his girlfriend. _'O.K. Bill you have done worse things than this stop being a wimp,'_ he told himself.

Gabrielle had dragged Kato back out into the water when they reached the Delacours. Apolline lifted her wand and cast a sun protection spell at her daughter then she turned and did the same for Bill. "We don't want anyone to get sunburned now, do we?" she said.

"Fleur get out 'ere, Kato says we can go underwater swimming," Gabrielle called.

Fleur smiled. "We should go out zere," she told Bill. She wandered into the water. Her long blonde hair started sticking to her back as it got wet. She turned around and beckoned her boyfriend. The redhead sighed as he started walking out to join her. "Hey beautiful," he said. He bent down and kissed her deeply.

Water hit them. "What the…" Bill looked up. Gabrielle was holding on to Kato, they had moved significantly closer since he'd last looked at them. "You know what?" he said. "When I catch you two, you are going to regret that."

Harry backed up and then he dived. He brought Gabrielle deep down. Her eyes were alight with wonder. She loved swimming. She reached out to a fish and giggled as it swam away. She turned to the side as movements near her made the water move. Fleur had joined them. She smiled at her sister. Her hands tightened on Harry's shoulder and the 'brunet' swam deeper.

…

Hours later they were sitting on the beach. Marceau was standing by the barbeque. He was grilling fish.

Apolline had brought out a watermelon and she was cutting it in wedges for the people gathered around her. It was nice to be surrounded by family. Her daughter had found a nice young man. And then there was Harry. He had no one really. He was a natural protector though. If he was alright with it, she wouldn't mind inviting him to the family. He was a kind and caring young man, but he also knew how to have fun.

Marceau came over to them with the fish. "'Ere we go," he said as he sat down. Since they had two Englishmen in their home he was trying to keep to English.

The waters were calm. From time to time they could hear a seabird calling.

Time passed and the sun sank closer and closer to the horizon. Harry stood up and held out a hand for Gabrielle. He took her inside. They settled down in her room and he started telling her a story of wonder and a heroine who fought dragons and trolls.

Apollina and Marceau walked inside as well leaving only Bill and Fleur outside. They passed by their daughter's room on their way to their own. A smile spread over Apolline's lips. It was nice to see her daughters so happy. "Come dear let's go to bed," Marceau said. She laughed and they headed over to their room.

Outside Fleur had moved closer to Bill. He wrapped his arms around her. It was just them now. He tightened his hold on her.


	56. Turning Twenty

**Turning** **Twenty**

 _25th of July, 1995. Tuesday_

Harry tilted his head to the side as he watched Gabrielle run across the golden sand of the Delacours' private beach. He was lying next to Fleur. They had been talking for hours on end the previous day. Bill had left early that morning so they could talk about things he did really need to know. Malqo was swimming around out in the sea. He was really happy to get the chance.

Harry and Fleur were just relaxing now. They had talked about going to Beauxbatons, and the clouds blowing in overhead were indicating that it might be a good idea. If it was going to rain they might as well do something else than lazying around on the beach. Harry wondered if he'd let his tan show through his glamour when he returned to Hogwarts. He wasn't sure he could explain it, but then again he wasn't really going to say anything about what he'd done that summer. He'd let people think what they wished.

Amber eyes moved over the sky. "Hedwig," he whispered. He stood up slowly. The white speck in the sky became bigger and bigger. Harry smiled as the identity of the white shape was confirmed. "Hey girl I thought you would join me earlier," he said. "I guess I have been moving around a lot, huh?"

Hedwig hooted at him. She held her leg out so he could remove the letters attached to her. "Thank you dear," he said. He walked over to the house and entered the kitchen so he could find something for her to snack on.

"My, zat's a pretty owl," Apolline said as she entered the kitchen.

"This is Hedwig she's my owl," Harry said. He'd turned around. He was holding a grape out to the white bird.

"We need to get 'er a perch," Apolline said. "I zink I 'ave one somewhere." She disappeared out of the kitchen, and Harry walked back outside. He smiled at Fleur. Hedwig moved from his arm to one of the chairs. He placed down some more grapes in front of her as he picked the letter up. He could see Hermione's neat handwriting and Neville's scrawl. He had a letter that smelled sweat yet had a strange scent to it that reminded him of some potion. He guessed that one was from Fred and George. There was one from Sirius as well. He could tell because that letter was muddy.

He walked back down to Fleur and sat down. Opening the letter from Hermione, he scanned over the text. She was talking about her summer. She seemed to be having a good time. She asked if he was done with his homework, and then she trailed off in a long rant on their potions homework. Harry shook his head. She was cute. He opened Neville's letter next. The shy brunet was politer in his letter than Hermione. He was also more formal. He did let Harry know about some of his favourite plants and he inquired about the raven's summer.

 _Hey Harry!_

 _Hope you are having_ _a good summer_ _. We're knee deep in research._

 _We need more stuff to make things out off_ _, but that is a problem_

 _we'll have to solve somehow. Ronald and Ginny are hiding from us._

 _We think they might fear that we'll use them as guniepigs or_

 _something._ _We have some awesome ideas though._ _We have_

 _been having weird dreams lately_ _. Maybe it is our animagus_

 _animals, we don't know._ _We want to show you loads of stuff_ _._

 _But you know … we can't since we don't want anyone else to know._

 _Constant Vigilance and all._

 _We'll see you on_ _September 1st,_

 _Gred and_ _Forge_

Harry chuckled. He would have to write responses to these right away. He figured the twins were right about their dreams. He had been having them too. Fleur hadn't though. He guessed that was because she didn't actually have a form. It didn't surprise him that much. She was part Veela after all. He turned Sirius letter around and opened it. His godfather was still living in that stupid cave. At least now Winky was making sure he got food. Harry had left her in charge of his wards and house back in Britain. She knew what he wanted. Sirius mainly repeated what the others had said already, but he also inquired about his animagus.

Harry smiled softly. "I should answer these," he told Fleur.

"I'll take a swim wiz Gabrielle," Fleur said. "Come join us when you're done."

"I will," Harry said. He walked back inside so he could write his responses. Letters weren't really his strong suit. He preferred actually talking to people.

 _Hey Gred and Forge!_

 _I'm doing well. Sunny beaches, lovely blondes._

 _You know a great time. I have an associate that will come by_

 _with some ingredients for you. I don't really know when, but his_

 _name is Kato Peverell. He's a good guy you can trust him._

 _I have been having dreams that are definitely connected to my_

 _animagus form. I can fly. You should try to figure things out_

 _about yourselves from the dreams. I have to teach you guys_

 _how to make a Patronus when we get back to Hogwarts they_

 _are really useful. You know maybe using Ronald and Ginny as_

 _guinea pigs isn't the best idea. Your mother would skin you_

 _alive if something happened._

 _Progslet out :P_

He placed the quill down. He'd written the letter to the twins last. The others he had been way less truthful in. He'd done his best to be evasive. Not that he'd written anything that wasn't true. He'd just avoided a lot of things.

He placed the written letter down on the table next to Hedwig. "You let me know when you want to leave again," he told her. He ran out to the water and dived in as soon as he could. He would have to find Fleur and Gabrielle.

* * *

 _26th of July, 1995. Wednesday_

Harry turned his head to the side. He was sitting at the top of a mountain. He had never been this clear headed in these dreams before. He spread his wings and flew down to the ground below. He focused as he landed on the dew covered ground. He pulled his spirit out of the animal's body so he could see it from the outside. It was a dragon. ' _Figures,'_ he thought. He felt uneasy though. His soul was that of a dragon in a human body. He reached out and placed a hand against the beast's scaly side. He couldn't do this. He couldn't take on his animagus form. He wouldn't be able to go back.

"Oh, well," he sighed. He could live with that. It really did make sense after all.

He drifted off back into dreamland.

…

Outside rain was pouring down. Fleur was looking out the window. She didn't feel like playing in the rain. She used to do it. Gabrielle was out there already. She didn't want to this time though. Harry entered the kitchen. "Hey lokzii," he said. He kissed her temple.

"We should go by Beauxbatons today," Fleur said.

"Fleur you 'ave a floo!" Apolline called from the hallway.

The blonde got up and walked out of the kitchen. "I'll be right back," she told Harry.

The 'brunet' waved her off. He'd just taken a sip of grape juice so he couldn't talk to her. He opened the fridge and took some of the fruit salad sitting in there. He walked over to the window. Gabrielle was so happy. She really was something special. She'd had so much energy. He waved at her as she turned towards him.

"Can we go to Paris after we 'ave visited Beauxbatons?" Fleur asked.

Harry turned around. "Sure," he said. "You have a special reason or do you just want to wander around?"

"Renée and Adeline wants to meet up and 'ave a friends' night out. I talked to zem and zey want to meet you," Fleur said.

Harry shrugged. "Why not?" he said. "I don't mind being surrounded by lovely ladies."

"Mama will feel better if you go wiz us eizer way," Fleur said.

"Well, now that is true," Harry said. "We should get going then. We went from having nothing to do to a full schedule." He walked over the sink and cleaned his bowl out. "Will they be alright with us going to the castle?" he asked.

"Oui, don't worry," Fleur said. "Zey 'ave summer classes. The Palace is never closed. The teachers just switch around so zey can all 'ave vacation. We'll just floo zere. You wouldn't get zrough from the arrival 'all wizout me, but I'll be zere so it will be alright."

Harry nodded. "Should I care about dress code?" he asked.

Fleur thought about it for a moment. "We will go to Paris after. You should probably wear somezing zat is formal in the ze non-magical world," she said.

"O.K. I guess I'll get changed then," Harry said with a gay lisp. He wagged his hips as he walked out in the hallway.

Fleur just fell together laughing. She would have to change too. Her summer dress wouldn't be quite up for what she would be doing that day.

Harry opened his closet and started moving through it. He found a shirt and a waistcoat. He hadn't thought he would need that stuff, but he had bought it nonetheless. He got dressed slowly. He would need to do something about his hair. He pulled a brush through his messy locks before putting it up in a low ponytail.

Once done Harry walked in to the living room to wait for Fleur.

"Now don't you look dashing," Apolline said.

"Thank you Apolline," Harry said. She stood up and walked up to him. She fixed his tie and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You'll take care of Fleur now, right?" she asked.

"Of course I will. Not that she can't take care of herself," Harry said. He held his had out to the beautiful blonde as she came walking into the room. She was wearing a one shoulder dress with silver beads over the shoulder. A belt grazed her waist and the skirt fell in violet and white layers that opened up in the front revealing tan legs and white pumps. "You are stunning," Harry told her.

"Merci Kato," Fleur said. "You don't look too bad yourself." She took his arm and smiled. "We can go zrough ze fireplace togezer," she said.

Harry nodded. "Lead the way mademoiselle," he said. Fleur walked up to the fireplace with him and took a handful of floo-powder. She threw it in and the flames turned a vibrant green. They stepped into the flames. Fleur called out the destination and their world started spinning.

The fireplace they stepped out off was massive. Fleur pulled her wand and rid them of any soot that might have stuck to their clothes.

"So this is just the entrance hall for arrivals via floo, port-key and apparition?" Harry asked.

"Oui, ze Palace is far grander zan zis," Felir said.

"Mademoiselle Delacour welcome back," a man with well kept gray hair said. He looked official.

"Monsieur Barteau, bonjour," Fleur said with a small bow. "Je voudrais montrer mon ami notre belle école."

"Oui, of course mademoiselle," Mr Barteau said. He moved back and the double doors opened for them. A vast green field spread out before them. The sun wasn't shining there, but it wasn't raining. Not yet at least. It was beautiful nonetheless. To their left a gorgeous grand palace stood in all its glory. It was built in stone. Unlike Hogwarts, however, the stone was light almost white. Golden towers reached for the sky.

"You are right," Harry said. "This place is far more beautiful than Hogwarts. Though, I do believe that Hogwarts could be more beautiful if the castle was taken care of properly." He looked around. In the distance, he could see winged horses. He moved to arm that Fleur was holding down to her waist. " _ **Fey shun thok nusaan,"**_ he whispered. The power of his words would keep them clean no matter what they got themselves into.

"Fleur! Que faites-vous ici?" A man in his thirties came walking up to them as they approached the paddock.

"Monsieur Martell, Je montre mon ami anglais autour. Il a été intéressé de voir notre école," Fleur explained.

A dark look passed over the man's blue eyes. He looked over at the brunet. "Welcome Englishman," he said, his tone did not sound welcoming though. "I do believe zere is no lovlier castle in ze world zan Beauxbatons."

"I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and can be interpreted in many different ways, sir," Harry said. "While I do not argue that the Palace of Beauxbatons is beautiful I can't without seeing every other castle in the world say it is the most beautiful. I wouldn't limit myself like that."

"Can I assume zat is 'ow you look upon life?" Mr Martell asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I would think so," he said. He could see the hint of a smirk tugging at the man's lips. He raised an eyebrow slowly. Then he turned to Fleur and kissed her temple. He could see the slight shift in the man's magic. "He is interested in you love," he told Fleur softly.

"Who isn't?" Fleur responded. "Let's go over to ze palace instead." She turned around.

Harry turned with her. They walked up towards the school building calmly. They weren't in a hurry. Their meet up with Fleur's friends wasn't until four o'clock that afternoon. "Did that happen often?" Harry asked quietly.

Fleur looked at him questioningly. "Ce qui?" she said.

"Did male teachers try to hit on you often?" Harry asked. He was concerned. Teachers were harder to deal with than other students.

Fleur let go of his arm and took his hand in hers. "It 'appened," she said. "I 'ad female teachers zat I could go to when I needed 'elp. Zey did what zey could to 'elp."

"I guess that's part of the reasons your mother is glad I'm here," Harry said. "Some of these people are probably persistent enough to come after you now." He looked up at the big double doors of the palace as they opened on their own accord. The marble floor of the entrance hall was polished. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. It held hundreds of lit candles.

As they wandered through the halls of the palace, they spoke of little things like the décor and the students walking by them. Harry couldn't do anything but agree with Fleur. Beauxbatons was beautiful.

"Fleur cher c'est merveilleux que vous êtes de retour."

The blonde turned around. Her face fell. "Let's go Harry. I don't want to talk to 'im," she said.

Harry placed a hand on her lower back and followed her.

"Ne vous marchez loin de moi Fleur," the man said.

Then Harry felt something moving behind them. He turned and threw up a shield. "You will walk away now or I will battle you," he told the man dangerously.

The man laughed. "I am a duelling master whelp. You don't stand a chance against me," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm a Master of many schools of magic. Do not take my age for inexperience sir," he said. He threw up another shield and then he placed his hand on Fleur's back, and they kept walking down the corridor. He could feel spells hitting his shield but nothing went through. They moved into a crowd of students and disappeared. The teacher obviously knew how to use a tracking spell. He caught up with them as they walked outside.

Harry turned around irritably. "Will you leave us alone?" he said.

The man smirked. "Fleur will be mine. No little whelp can stand in the way of our love," he said.

"You are delusional," Harry said. "Fleur wants nothing to do with you." He turned to the blonde. "What do you want me to do lokzii? I'm fully capable of teaching this arrogant bastard a lesson."

"Go a'ead," Fleur said.

Harry nodded. He walked forward. "You wanted to duel me," he said. He pulled his coat off and handed it to Fleur. He tilted his head to Shinsō He pulled the wand from his grasp with his telekinesis ability. "Give up this stupid obsession of yours," he told the man as he threw the wand to the side.

Fleur took the 'brunet's' hand as he reached her and they left the school grounds.

…

They went to Paris and found a nice restaurant to have lunch in.

Harry placed his hand on top of Fleur's. "Are you alright?" he asked her. He didn't really want to think of her school time around that slime. He rubbed her knuckles soothingly.

"I'm fine Kato," Fleur said. "Zank you for asking zough. 'E was on me a lot when I went to school, but the female Professors made sure 'e didn't touch me. Once my Veela 'eritage started showing for real, I didn't 'ave 'im as a teacher anymore."

"He shouldn't be allowed to teach," Harry said. "You can't be the only student he has harassed."

Fleur smiled. "Who knows?" she said. "I really 'ope zat 'e 'asn't." She sighed and pulled her hand away from Harry. She finished her salad.

They left the restaurant not long after. With time to spare until their meet up with Fleur's friends, they wandered around window shopping. "This reminds me I have something for you," Harry said. "Hopefully I'll remember for when we get back home." He stopped as they reached the fountain on Avenue de Lavande.

Fleur moved around him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Kato what's wrong?" she asked.

Harry looked down at her. "We grew lavender back home," he said. "Ra'shall would use them to make soap. I haven't found anything that can even remotely hold up to what he used to make." He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you are her," he said. "I want to grow lavender at my house. Home is supposed to smell like lavender."

"Fleur, c'est génial, que vous êtes déjà."

Fleur turned around. It was Adeline. The strawberry blonde girl spotted a bright smile. "Bonjour Adeline," Fleur said. She turned away from Harry just a bit so she could give her fired a half-hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Is zis Kato?" Adeline asked and looked up at the brunet. He was really quite handsome. "J'ai pensé que vous aviez un petit ami. Est-ce l'un à gagner?"

Fleur rolled her eyes. "We would prefer if you would keep to English, Adeline. Kato doesn't know French," she said. "'E isn't taken, but as far as I know 'e isn't looking."

"I do hope my relationship status is not going to be all we'll be talking about. That will get old really fast." Harry said. He looked at Fleur's friend. "I'm not interested," he said. "We might as well get that out of the way."

Adeline pouted and then she sighed. "Oh well, I guess I can live wiz zat," she said. She had a look in her eyes that told Harry she wasn't about to give up though. He guessed he could deal with that for an evening.

"I know a shop you might want to go to," Fleur told him. "It is zis way." She led them over to a shop that seemed to be selling handmade soap and candles.

A smile spread over Harry's lips as he walked inside. He'd finally found lavender soap that actually held up to his demands. He also found vanilla soap that smelled really good. "I need to know if I can order these directly from her to be delivered to me. I haven't found anything like this in Britain. I don't really care what she wants for that," he told Fleur. He wandered around as Fleur talked to the shopkeeper. He found coloured candles that he really liked as well. He made his way over to his blonde friend.

"Ah, so you are the young man in question then," the shopkeeper said.

Harry was taken back. "I must say that I didn't expect you to speak English," he said. "That's why I asked Fleur to come over."

"I have plenty of British customers what you are asking for is rather common for me." She looked down at the items in his hands. "These are the products you would like to have shipped to you?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, the candles would have to wait though. My house is being built so I have no idea how many candles I might need. I'm thinking I'll buy enough soap to last me a year now. And we can start shipments next year," he said.

"Once you know how many candles you need we can set it up so the shipment is yearly," the shopkeeper said. "My name is Suzanne Veilleux by the way."

"That sounds excellent," Harry said. "We'll have to reach an agreement on when that will be at a later date though."

"I can write you up as a recurring customer now, sir," Suzanne said. "There is an initial cost for that since I don't want to do if you are not coming back. It will be taken off your first order however. I would like five galleons for writing you up in my books."

Harry smiled. "That's fine," he said. "I would like to buy several each of these two soaps now if that is possible."

"I will have to check my inventory," Suzanne said. "It will only take a minute."

"Of course," Harry said.

"Lilac," Fleur said and touched the candles.

"Yes, I think that will work out nicely. I have been considering a colour scheme for a while now and light greens and lilac sounds good to me," Harry said. "I want my bedroom to be blue though."

Fleur giggled. "You really aren't like most men," she said. "It sounds good zough."

"I only have four bars of the vanilla soap, but I have plenty of the lavender one. You need about one bar a month. You said you would like to stock up for the next year?" Suzanne said as she came back.

"Yes please," Harry said. "And don't worry I'm more interested in the lavender soap so works our perfectly for me."

"These are commonly seen as feminine scents you are aware of this?" Suzanne asked.

"I know people have decided that. I don't care," Harry said. "Besides…" he looked down at Fleur, "I'm far from strait so I doubt whatever people might say about the scents will bother me."

Suzanne's eyes widened for a moment. "Of course sir," she said. "I'll wrap them up for you. They will stay perfectly safe in their wraps. I suggest only taking one out at a time. They will self drain water though I do recommend you buy a box to keep the soap you are using in. It will ensure that it is always ready for use."

Harry had raised an eyebrow. He had nothing against buying the product she was suggesting though. He could see his own benefits with it. "Sure add a box," he said. He started counting out money for the soap and for the advance payment for shipments.

Suzanne counted the money and brought a book out. "If you would please write your name and address here," she said as she handed him a quill.

"You are the only one who will see this?" Harry asked. She nodded, and he wrote his real name down together with his address: Ennerdale Estate. It was the first time he used that. It wasn't home yet, but it would be.

"Thank you young man," Suzanne said. She handed him a bag with his soaps in it. "It will be a pleasure doing business with you."

"The pleasure was all mine," Harry said. They three of them left the shop.

"We 'ave to find Renée," Adeline said as they passed the fountain again. "She said somezing abut Antonin buying her somezing or another zey are probably over in Rose D'argent."

Fleur nodded. She wouldn't be surprised if Adeline was right. She wasn't sure she wanted to walk in on Renée and her boyfriend though. They had a right to some privacy. Adeline didn't seem to agree with her though. The strawberry-blonde girl had already taken off. Her arm in Harry's, Fleur followed at a more sedated pace. "She is going to ruin 'er dress," she pointed out.

"I don't see how that is our problem," Harry said. "She will feel silly if it breaks though. You might want to point that out to her. I'm not going to say anything. That girl will take any comments made towards her completely out of context coming from me right now."

"Oui," Fleur said, "she definitely will."

"Adeline que pensez-vous que vous faites?" a somewhat angry female voice said.

The strawberry-blonde came walking back out of the store with a brunette next to her. The brunette didn't seem happy. She dragged Adeline over to an alley.

A confused blond male came walking out of the store a moment later looking confused. He looked around and caught sight of Fleur. "Fleur savez-vous où Renée est allé?" he asked.

"Oh, she is lecturing Adeline," Fleur answered. "This is Kato he is English and doesn't speak French so we would be 'appy if we could keep to speaking English," she said.

"Ah right, Renée did mention you would 'ave an Englishman wiz you," Antonin said. "Nice to meet you," he told Harry as he held his hand out for the brunet to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," Harry said.

"I zought your boyfriend was zat tall red'ead you 'ad wiz you a couple of weeks ago," Antonin told Fleur.

"'E is," Fleur said. "Kato is a friend."

"You will 'ave to be careful Fleur or people will start zinking zat you are collecting Englishmen," Antonin said. "Wiz your Veela-allure zat wouldn't be difficult to do."

"Apart from the fact that I'm not the least bit affected by the allure," Harry said with a small smirk. He watched as Renée and Adeline came walking back to them. Apparently they had met up to see a theatre performance of some sort. He guessed it would all be in French so he wouldn't understand a word, but the experience might be worth it just as it was. He blocked out the girls arguing. Fleur's friends kept switching language so it became hard for him to keep up even if he wanted to. At least now he knew why they had to dress up. As they reached the theatre, a line of well dressed men and women was making its way inside.

…

Fleur looked around herself calmly. Harry had headed for the restrooms as the play ended. She was waiting for him to come back. She had no idea where Renée and Antonin had disappeared off to, and Adeline was trying her very best to flirt with some single guys. She felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned around. She didn't know the man standing next to her. He started talking, complimenting her on her looks. She tried telling him that she was taken, but he wouldn't listen to her. She wished she could curse the man, but the theatre was in the non-magical part of Paris. She couldn't tell if this man had magic or not even if she could there was nothing she could do. ' _Come on Harry,'_ she thought. She wasn't one to hide behind someone else, but she knew that her friend knew how to deal with people without anyone noticing what he was doing.

"Excuse me sir but this lady is spoken for," Harry's smooth baritone said from behind the blonde suddenly. She breathed out in relief. "Kato mon amour," she said and turned around. The 'brunet' wrapped his arms around her possessively.

The man that had been trying to seduce Fleur looked the young man up and down. He couldn't see any opening apart from that fact that they man was English, and that would probably not work to get rid of him. He was well dressed and held himself with confidence only obtained when you had battle experience. Last time he had seen anyone hold himself like the young man in front of him had been his grandfather who had fought in the Second World War. He didn't want to know what hardships this young man had seen. He bowed, apologised and walked away.

"Non-magicals have more brains than wizards sometimes," Harry whispered to Fleur.

She started laughing merrily. "Zat zey do," she said softly.

* * *

 _31st of July, 1995. Monday_

"Joyeux anniversaire!" Gabrielle cried as she jumped into Harry's bed several days later.

They had spent several days just relaxing and having fun. Harry had remembered to give Fleur her gift and she had blushed like crazy when she opened it. "You can have some fun with Bill," Harry had said.

Two days earlier they had gone shopping with Gabrielle. Harry had never been that exhausted before in his life. The little blonde had so much energy. She had dragged them from store to store. He was glad that he was making as much money as he was on the vaults. He'd received a report from Mara as well. The scrolls were disappearing like crazy. He had made sure to create new ones for her. Since he wasn't doing anything else, and he could do it while sitting out on the Delacours' private beach, it was easy for him to do.

Harry opened his amber eyes slowly and looked up at the exited blonde sitting across his chest. "Bonjour Gabrielle," he said. "I thought it was I that was supposed to be exited today not you. It is my birthday right?"

"Get up! Open your presents," Gabrielle said as she bounced on him.

"Fleur save me from your sister," Harry called out. "I don't wanna get up." He turned around and buried his face in his pillow. He could hear footsteps walk into his room. "Kato laisser seul Gabrielle," Fleur said.

The little blonde sighed and moved off the bed. "Why do you guys always 'ave to be so boring?" she asked. Fleur rolled her eyes. "It is Kato's birthday right?" she said. "He has a right to sleep in if he wants to on his birthday."

Gabrielle just staked off. She couldn't understand why he would want to be lying around when he had presents to open.

Harry moved slowly as he felt a weight settle down next to him. "Hey Fleur," he said.

The blonde smiled at him. "You aren't going to go back to sleep now, are you?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm not," he said. He lay down on his back and his hair spread out over the pillow beneath his head. "Your sister really doesn't understand that I don't really care about most of those presents," he said.

"She's young. To 'er birthdays are ze best days of the year," Fleur said.

Harry nodded. "I guess I might as well get up," he said. He moved up and hugged Fleur before moving off the bed. He pulled her with him. "Come here I wanna go swimming, and I wanna get out there without Gabrielle noticing," he said. He closed his eyes and they went invisible. "Oh, my," Fleur breathed out. "I guess she won't notice us if we are careful."

Harry made sure their steps couldn't be heard, and then he pulled her with him. They made their way out to the Atlantic and moved into the water. The two of them swam out further than they would when they had Gabrielle with them. Harry made it possible for them to breath under water. They became visible again as they dove. They found a school of fish and swam closer. Harry calmed the fish down so they wouldn't swim away. He smiled at Fleur. She smiled back.

They stayed down there for hours before hunger forced them to go back.

Apolline looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "Ze two of you are 'ungry now I take it," she said.

"You could say that," Harry said.

"Sit down I will bring you somezing to eat," Apolline said.

…

Hours later after they had eaten supper, Harry gathered his gifts together and started opening them. Frankly he wasn't half as interested in the gifts as he was in the company he had. Gabrielle had did give him a silver anklet that he put on right away though. "It's enchanted too," Fleur said. Her gift was for his house. She knew he wasn't really interested in all that many things so she had gotten him something that would be useful – something men had a tendency to overlook.

His gifts from Neville and Hermione were nice, but nothing revolutionary. They didn't know he turned twenty not fifteen though so it wasn't their fault. Fred and George had sent him a pair of sunglasses that had several little quirks to them.

The twins had also figured out that their animagus animals were coyotes. They seemed really excited about that. Harry was happy for them. He could after all do the transformation; he would just choose not to since he didn't want to be a dragon for the rest of his life.

They went from his gifts to a delicious cake. Apolline could definitely compete with Mrs Weasley.

As Harry went to bed that evening, he realised that had to be the best birthday of his life. They hadn't celebrated his birthday in Skyrim. They had celebrated the day he had arrived on Nirn but not his birthday. He fell asleep with a smile playing on his lips.


	57. Romanian Dragon Reserve

**Romanian Dragon Reserve**

 _4th of August, 1995. Friday_

It was dark. No sounds could be heard. A single hooded figure moved around in the darkness. He had spent months looking for another way for his Lord to rise again. He had finally found this place. It was filled with old book. Most of them unrelated to their current situation. His Lord would be interested in them nonetheless.

Then his eyes fell on a small dirty journal. ' _On Life and Death by Antioch Peverell,'_ he read. He flipped through the pages quickly. "Peverell," he whispered. "This looks promising." Maybe he could search specifically for more things written by Peverell. He lifted his wand and sent of a search spell.

A smirks spread over his lips as he made his way back to his Lord. He had found several books that had to help. His Lord would return.

…

 _6th of August, 1995. Sunday_

The Sunday after his birthday Harry received a letter from Gringotts.

 _Dear Mr Peverell,_

 _We write to you to request that you travel to the Dragon_

 _Reserve in Romania. Their shipments to us have stopped._

 _We wish to know what has happened._

 _We ask you to go because of your knowledge with_

 _dragon-tongue. Payment has been worked out with Gogil_

 _of Clan Magun._

 _We hope that you will fulfil our request._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Gardock, Head of Clan Zoldark_

Harry looked through the second piece of parchment. It was written by Gogil and gave him more information about what he needed to do. It was obvious that the Head of Clan Zoldark expected him to leave as soon as possible. There was a port-key with the letter.

"Is somezing wrong Kato?" Fleur asked. She had walked around the house to let the 'brunet' know that lunch was ready.

"The goblins want me to travel to Romania as soon as possible," Harry said. "I have a job there." He turned around and smiled at her. "I guess my vacation is over now," he said.

"You will at least 'ave lunch before you leave," Fleur said.

Harry chuckled. "Of course," he said. He walked with her back to the table on the terrace. It would be his last meal with the Delacours that summer.

After lunch he walked over to his room and packed quickly. He made sure he had everything and then he walked back outside.

"Kato wait," Marceau said. He was holding a book in his hands. "You said you were looking for zis," he said.

Harry looked down at the book _Marque Éternelle ou – Non_ , he read. It was the book Lucius wanted. "Thank you Marceau," Harry said. "It is hard to find something this specific when you can't speak the language it is written in." He looked from the book to the dark-haired man. "Did you pay for this?" he asked.

"I did," Marceau said, "but that is fine you…"

Harry rolled his eyes and placed a good amount of golden coins in the man's hand. "And I'm not taking no for an answer." He turned and walked away from Fleur's father. He kissed Fleur and hugged Gabrielle.

"You are welcome back at anytime," Apolline said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you Apolline," Harry said. He rolled the port-key in his hand. Thankfully Romania was only an hour later than France. "I'll see you next summer at the latest," he said. "You guys take care of yourself and each other." He activated the port-key. The beautiful beach house disappeared in a whirlwind of colours.

Harry landed heavily. He raised his gaze from the grass covered ground. He was standing outside a mansion. He tilted his head to the side. The house looked pretty old. It might have been there before the reserve. The doors of the mansion opened slowly. He walked forward. The entrance hall was dark. Someone seemed to want to intimidate him. It wasn't really working. He moved his sunglasses up on his head. ' _Oh, well,'_ he thought. He activated a detect life spell. There were small blue shapes moving around the house; he guessed those were house-elves. A bigger shape was sitting the next floor up. In his minds-eye he could see the path up to the person sitting up there.

He turned to walk up the stairs. He dropped the sunglasses back down and ran a finger over a place on the left temple. He was looking for any magic, like curses or wards. He didn't want to be surprised, and while he could feel things like that. It did help to use the glasses. The penknife Sirius had given him for Christmas and the glasses were some of the more useful items he had been gifted. He pulled the glasses back up on his head as he reached the door. He let go of his spells. The blue aura on the other side of the door dissipated. He raised a hand and knocked on the door.

The door opened slowly. With a blank face Harry walked inside. The man sitting by the single desk in there had black hair and a weatherworn face. He looked up as the 'brunet' walked in further.

"Welcome to Romania," the man said gruffly. "You must be the goblin representative. I am surprised they sent someone so young. I am Wadim Albescu I run this reserve. I was going to ask you to do something for us as well, but I wasn't aware they would send someone barely out of school," he said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "They sent me because I am a member of a goblin clan, sir. My name is Kato Peverell of Clan Magun" he said. "They trust me more than they trust other humans. Age means little if there is no experience. I have plenty of experience. I doubt I would have been acknowledged as an adult by my clan otherwise."

Wadim straightened in his chair. He looked the young man up and down.

Harry held his arm out. A little blue-scaled dragon ran out on his arm. "This is Malqo," he said. The dragon dropped to the ground and grew in size.

Wadim stood up, his eyes wide. "What is that?" he asked.

"A Cristallum Parvus or Size-Shifting Crystalback," Harry said.

"It can't be," Wadim said. "They are supposed to be gone. How on Earth do you carry one around with you like this? Dragons are not pets." He looked up at the brunet.

Harry looked down at Malqo. "He isn't a pet. He is convinced I'm his mother," he said. He kneeled down and placed his hand on the little dragon's head. He stood back up slowly. "I can deal with the dragons, sir. Don't worry about me," he said.

Wadim gave him a calculating look. "Fine," he said. "Someone here is stealing from us and I want to know who," he said. "You will have to figure out who it is. I need proof." He placed a camera on the table.

Harry took the camera. "I can do that," he said. "How do you want to introduce me to the others?" he asked.

Wadim smirked. "I'll introduce you as a new guy that's all," he said.

' _Why do I get the feeling that is not going to be fun,'_ Harry thought. He followed Wadim as the man started walking out of the office. They made their way over a glistening river and up to a huge longhouse. "This is our dining hall and study. There is a library in here as well," Wadim said. They walked inside. There where quite a lot of people in there. "If you would all pay attention please," Wadim called. "This is our newest addition. Kato Peverell. Please make him feel welcome." He turned around and walked back out.

' _Great,'_ Harry thought. ' _Maybe I should have made sure that dude understood just what I'm capable of.'_ He watched the others. He might have more of a confidence these days, but he still didn't like being in the centre of attention. He was going to make sure that he was properly paid for this. He turned around and walked outside. He had better things to do than stand there.

There was a gathering of houses to his left. A road led out past a stone wall. The walls seemed to circle the area he was in. He wondered where the dragons were.

"Hey newbie you're with me."

Harry turned around. There was a woman standing behind him. "I'm Hawkeye. We're going this way. Come on and don't lag behind," she said.

Harry followed her. He guessed Hawkeye wasn't her real name. She looked Asian of course that didn't necessarily mean that her name had to be Asian. He wouldn't make that mistake. She loaded him with item he couldn't see why they would need at all, and then she dragged him off outside of the inner wall. He just followed her. She didn't talk to him. He didn't see a reason to talk to her. If he wasn't stuck in this bullshit, he could probably find the thieves in about half a day at the most. He was still going to find what he needed that day.

At one point when Hawkeye told him to stay behind so she could go ahead and take a look at the dragons, Harry summoned Ven. "I need to find some people who are stealing things. I'm going to make you invisible can you look around for them," he told her.

She moved up to him and stroked against him. He cast an invisibility spell at her. "Find them and stay with them honey," he said. She cooed and then she took off.

Harry looked over at Hawkeye. He wasn't all that interested in whatever it was she was doing. He would get to do what he wanted eventually. So far she was just dragging him around for no reason really. The things he was carrying around were not being used. He didn't see why he was bringing them. He wondered briefly what would happen if he just didn't bring them. He would consider experimenting with that later.

…

Harry walked with Hawkeye into the dining hall. He could sense Ven. She was staying with whoever she had found. She was a really smart girl. "So this is the newbie," Hawkeye told the others as they sat down.

Harry looked down at the plate in front of him. He tilted his head to the side. He was not going to eat what was on that plate. It was way too fat. He didn't care what anyone thought about that. It would make him sick.

"You need the energy newbie," one of the men said.

Harry looked up at him. "I won't eat this bullshit. I could do better myself. All I would need is a trip outside of this reserve," he said. "It isn't nutritious, and it would most likely make me sick 'cause I work on a diet that is very well rounded."

The man snorted. "You'll learn to eat what you are given," he said. "Your fastidious behaviour won't go over well around here."

Harry just smirked. "Sure whatever," he said. He stood up and walked out. He had no problems being a bit arrogant. In all honesty he didn't care what anyone there thought of him.

The area they lived in was huge. He wondered if there were any bunnies in there. Bunny made alright supper. He ran out of the immediate living area and activated his magic. Sure enough there were rabbits nearby. He took off again. He wasn't all that interested in returning inside with anyone else. Looking up at the sky, he decided that he might as well stay out there for the night. ' _Get the evidence over the coming days and go see my dragon friends,'_ he planed what he'd be up to. He would stop being in any way well behaved as soon as he had the evidence he needed.

He lifted the little brown bunny up by the ears and headed over to a place where the river running through the reserve ran close to a high stone wall. He settled down and cut the rabbit open. "Winky," he called hoping that the little elf could hear him.

There was a pop and the little brow-eyed elf showed up. "Master Kato," she said. "What does Master Kato want from his Winky?"

"How is it going at the house?" Harry asked.

"The goblins be doing good job Master Kato. The house be almost done. The wards are up completely," Winky said. "Winky be keeping an eye on them like Master asked."

"That's great Winky," Harry said. "Could you get me some raw materials for food dear? I'm going to need to make my own food for a while."

"Winky could be making Master's food," Winky said.

"No I need you to deal with Sirius and keep an eye on the house," Harry said. "I can take care of myself for a couple of days. I used to do this all the time back in Skyrim."

Winky didn't look to happy but she did nod before popping away. She needed to do what her Master asked of her.

Harry grabbed his bag so he could empty it of things he didn't want to be carrying around. He didn't need a lot of the stuff he had gathered together or been given lately. He would give them to Winky so she could take them back to his small apartment in Gringotts.

The little elf showed back up with a grocery bag. "Here Master Kato," she said. "Master needs to be careful."

Harry smiled at her. "I will Winky I promise," he said. "Can you bring these things back to my apartment? They are just in my way right now."

Winky looked down at the stuff. "Of course Master Kato. Winky will make sure Master's things are safe," she said.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said. He turned back to his roasting rabbit. Winky left with his things. " _ **His vis bo tir - you can come out now, Malqo,"**_ he told the little dragon.

" _ **I miss lokzii and malfil,"**_ Malqo said. " _ **Daar staad los alunrinis - this place is boring."**_

Harry chuckled softly.

Once the rabbit was cooked, Harry cut it up and handed pieces of meat to Malqo. He ate and then he washed his hands in the river. ' _I should go find these thieves now,'_ he thought. " _ **Malqo come here,"**_ he said softly. The little dragon flew back to his shoulder and settled back down around his neck.

Harry was running across the grass covered ground. He would have to be careful. He didn't want these people to know he was onto them. At least he could focus on Ven to find them. He cancelled his previous spells as he reached a house. It looked to be some kind of storage building. He made himself go invisible and muffled his movements before heading inside.

He walked slowly through the cluttered building. He had to be careful so he didn't make things fall over. He found an area hidden behind some old cloths. Moving them aside he walked in. There was an area back there filled with valuable items. Harry raised the camera he had been given. He started taking photos of the items.

Footsteps could be heard and a man entered. Harry walked up to him and snapped a perfect shoot of his face. Then he backed off so he could take pictures that showed both the man and the items. Another person entered not long after. They spoke to each other, but Harry couldn't understand them. Whatever language they were speaking it wasn't one that he knew what it was.

The second person took her hood off. Harry lined up the camera. He smirked as he took a picture. He backed off and snapped a few more pictures before he moved up against a wall so they wouldn't notice him. They started putting things in bags and he raised the camera again.

Almost a whole hour later, the 'brunet' was heading back to the place he'd set up camp in earlier. He lay down and looked up. The star filled sky was so mediocre. He sighed and closed his eyes. ' _I guess tomorrow won't be much better,'_ he thought.

* * *

 _7th of August, 1995. Monday_

Harry was tailing Hawkeye again. She was dragging him around for no reason much like the day before. He wondered how people normally reacted to this treatment. Did they collapse or what? In a way it felt like they were trying to break him. ' _Isn't going to happen,'_ he thought.

He walked around with Hawkeye all morning. They returned to the longhouse for lunch. The food was acceptable this time around. It was harder to mess up a salad than the fish they had been given the night before.

"You're coming with us now newbie," a guy said. "I'm Jackal and this is Pip. Come on don't lag behind."

Harry stood up and walked with them. They went to one of the dragon pens and walked inside. As the 'brunet' caught scent of something putrid, he cast his modified waterbreathing spell. They wanted him to shovel dragon dung. Why? He was sure there were better ways of dealing with that particular task. He mumbled in dovahzul to make sure that the neither the dung nor its scent would stick to him. He didn't want to smell like that. He was handed a shovel. "The dung goes in the barrels," Jackal said. "Get working."

Harry inwardly rolled his eyes. He started working though. He'd rebel eventually, but it wasn't time for that yet. He was pretty sure that the other two were supposed to work as well but they had settled down some way away just relaxing. ' _I guess they do this to sell it,'_ he thought. He knew you could buy dragon dung.

He started sweating as he worked. The sun was blaring down on him.

"Hurry up newbie," Jackal said. He was standing behind the brunet. "These barrels have to be full before dinner."

Harry stretched. "They would be full by now if you guys would do your job," he said. He felt hands touch him and had to stop himself from reacting. He was showed forward into the dung. He breathed in slowly. He was pissed off. He could easily plant that guy in the dung, but he wasn't going to be that petty. He stood up and grabbed the shovel. He was probably coming across as a pushover, but that wouldn't be his problem as soon as he had filled his camera with pictures. He did his best t get things done despite doing it on his own.

He fell behind the other two as they made their way back out of the reserve. He combined his fire and ice cloak just to make sure that he didn't have any dragon manure stuck to him. He would get back at these guys. It wouldn't even be hard.

"So how is the newbie working out?" Hawkeye asked Jackal.

The man snorted. "Whined and wouldn't do shit. We're behind schedule because of him," Jackal said.

Harry stopped. His jaw was clenched. Lies was one thing he hated, and this guy was lying about him. He looked down at the table. He wasn't eating that. He turned around and headed back out. He could confront them, but they weren't worth it. That and he couldn't stir the waters just yet.

He made his way back to the little hidden room. He would fix supper up after he had taken his pictures this time around. The people were in the already, but that didn't stop him. He threw up an illusion before heading in. A small smirk spread over his lips as he snapped pictures of every single person in there. He moved back out with a good amount of proof or whatever. All he knew was that by the next day he should have everything he needed.

"Hey newbie!"

Harry turned towards the voice. He recognised her. The indigo hair was familiar. She must have been one of the people that went to Hogwarts with the dragons for the tournament. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm Hedgehog," she said. She held her hand out for him to shake. "It is nice to meet you." She bit her lip. "You know I saw what happened in there. Unfortunately it's pretty common for newbies to be treated that way."

Harry nodded. "I wouldn't care so much if they would keep to the truth," he said. He started walking again and she fell in next to him.

Hedgehog nodded. "I know," she said. She grabbed on to her left arm with her right hand.

"What's with the nicknames?" Harry asked. "I mean you guys can't be named these things; it's absurd."

"You name isn't supposed to mean anything around here. It doesn't matter what family you are from," Hedgehog said timidly. "That translated into nicknames eventually. You are not a fully accepted member of the crew until you get a nickname."

"So I'll be newbie until then," Harry said.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said.

Harry settled down by his camp. He had caught another rabbit before Hedgehog had run into him. He grabbed his knife from his boot. He cut the rabbit open and skinned it.

"Whoa, you really know how to do that."

Harry looked up. He had a snarky remark on the tip of his tongue. It was Charlie. The remark died down.

"Hey Firefly," Hedgehog said.

"Can I sit down?" Charlie asked.

Harry studied him for a moment. "Yeah, sure, whatever," he said. He opened his bag and pulled a pot out before he started cutting the rabbit into pieces.

"You just have to ignore those guys," Charlie said. "No one really believes what Jackal and Pipsqueak says. Hawkeye definitely won't at least."

Harry looked up at the redhead. "How do people get their nicknames really?" he asked.

"The handler gives them," Hedgehog said quietly. "The nickname is supposed to describe the person. Firefly got his 'cause he kept getting burned by the dragons when he was new here."

"And Hedgehog is Hedgehog because she is cute and timid until she gets uncomfortable then all her spines are out," Charlie said.

"So Hawkeye is supposed to give me my nickname?" Harry said. "How is she supposed to learn enough about me to give me one when all we do is walk around?"

"Oh, she'll manage. Hawkeye is very observant," Charlie said.

' _I highly doubt that she knows anything about me,'_ Harry thought. He placed his hands against the pot and heated it up. He stirred the meat as it fried. A bit of water was added once the meat was cooked and then he grabbed his knife and brought a potato out of his pack. He peeled it and then he cut it in pieces. He found a few more things that he added to the stew before he set it to boil.

"You don't use a wand," Charlie commented.

Harry shook his head. "I don't need one," he said. "There is so many other ways of doing magic. Witches and wizards seem to think that their way of doing things is the only way. They don't even consider house-elf magic or goblin magic. Centaurs have their own magic too. What I do is different as well. I'm sure people could use it if they tried." He was glad he had finally encountered some intelligent people.

An orange eyebrow rose. "Well, it is true that other races use other types of magic. I can't say I have considered other humans having non-wizarding magic though," Charlie said.

"You'll be going with me tomorrow though," Hedgehog said changing the subject.

Harry smiled at her softly. "That sounds good," he said.

"Oh, you won't think that tomorrow. Hedgehog is the worst taskmaster in the camp. She'll make you work your ass off," Charlie said.

"Oh, shut it Firefly," Hedgehog said. "He's just trying to scare you," she told Harry.

"Takes more than that to scare me," Harry said. "Why do people act like jerks? Don't they realise it will backfire on them eventually."

"People act like jerks because they don't know better," Hedgehog said.

Harry chuckled. "I was thinking more in the reserve not in general. This place is not a good place to get someone angry at you in," he said. "Why is Hawkeye dragging me around for no reason? I'm not even going to go in on Pipsqueak and Jackal."

"Often newbies are nowhere near fit enough when they come here," Charlie said. "I was better off than a lot of people and they wore me out in a week. You don't seem the least bit affected. You just walk around like normal that's not what usually happens. You should have seen some of these guys when they got here."

Harry nodded. "I'm used to run for at least an hour everyday in forest," he said. "I like walking places."

"Well that is good. Apparating around here is like signing your own death sentence. You do it wrong and the dragons will kill you," Charlie said. "It is one of the first things they taught me."

"Haven't heard that," Harry said. "I've just been dragged around on foot all over the place."

"Hawkeye doesn't like ending up with newbies," Hedgehog said bluntly. "She shouldn't have to really. She is one of the best caretakers we have."

Harry nodded. He guessed he could understand the stone-faced woman better. He'd give her one hell of a shock soon though.

"Either way just try to shrug them off," Charlie said as he gave the brunet a warm smile.

Harry nodded. "That's basically what I have been doing," he said.

* * *

 _8th of August, 1995. Tuesday_

Hedgehog was quite nice. She was quiet spoken but could be really blunt when she did speak up. She wasn't dragging Harry around. She actually taught him. They travelled into the different dragon pens, and from afar she would tell him what certain dragons preferred. It was the first time Harry got to know which dragons lived where. He had a good time. Hedgehog knew a lot about the different dragons they had at the reserve.

All good times have to end though. That afternoon Harry was sent of with another set of morons. He could do without bullying idiots.

"Hey newbie catch!"

Harry moved out of the way. The clay pot the woman had tossed to him broke as it hit the floor. Now Harry would feel bad about that if she hadn't been throwing stuff that was really dangerous at him for the last hour or so.

"You fumbling idiot," Thimble shouted. She climbed down and slapped him across the face. "Do you have any idea how much that is worth?!"

Harry gave her a blank look. It wasn't his fault she had made sure he would step out of the way by throwing heavy rocks and sharp tools down at him before throwing something he had to catch. He wasn't perfect.

Thimble narrowed her eyes at him. "You know what get the fuck out of here," she said. "I don't want you anywhere near this stuff."

Harry raised his hands up in the air. ' _Whatever,'_ he thought. He walked outside. ' _Well, I might as well do something useful,'_ he thought. He made his way back to the thieves' little hideout. He settled down in there and waited. He needed more pictures of these guys.

…

Harry was walking back to the mansion. He was invisible still. In his hand, he held the camera that he'd been given. He would be turning it in and then he was going to find Suthiiz. Her eggs must have hatched by now. He made his way up to the second floor and into the Boss's office. He placed the camera on the desk and walked right back out again.

' _Finally,'_ he thought.


	58. You know nothing about me

**You know nothing about me**

 _9th of August, 1995. Wednesday_

Rosalie sat down in the longhouse for breakfast. She smiled at Charlie as he joined him. "Something wrong Hedgehog?" the oranget asked.

"Can you see the newbie anywhere?" Rosalie asked.

Charlie looked around. He guessed he couldn't see that shaggy brown head anywhere. "I don't think so," he said.

"Where is he?" Rosalie asked. "He is supposed to go with me this morning."

Charlie shrugged. "I can keep my eyes open," he said.

"Thanks Firefly," Rosalie said.

They ate their breakfast before heading out for the day. Rosalie waved goodbye to Charlie as they separated. He was her best friend. Most people just thought her shy and non-cooperative. He had seen straight through her shields and given her time.

That's why she liked the newbie. He wasn't intruding on her. She liked that. She got the feeling there was way more to him than most people saw. ' _Hope he's alright,'_ she thought. She made her way to the Ironbelly pen. She had a job to do and the dragons would suffer if she didn't do it. The newbie was a grown man he had to be able to take care of himself.

…

Harry rolled to the side. He looked up at Kranlok; he was one of Suthiiz's hatchlings. He was quite the little hurricane. Suthiiz had been quite happy to see him. He'd stayed with her and her little ones the previous night. In the distance he could hear voices. ' _Great humans are coming,'_ he thought. He sat up. Was he going to move or was he just going to stay there. He stood up slowly. Looking down at his watch he realised he'd left Hedgehog hanging. He sighed. ' _Now, that's not very nice Harry,'_ he told himself. He should try to find her. " _ **I'll be back,"**_ he told Suthiiz.

" _ **Hi los valokein pahfod hi hind - you are welcome whenever you wish,"**_ Suthiiz said.

" _ **Nox hi,"**_ Harry said. He became invisible so he could sneak by the humans. A blue streak appeared before his mind's eye. It was leading him to Hedgehog. He found her with the Fireballs. She was way closer to them than he had ever been allowed. He walked up next to her. "Hey, Hedgehog," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't show this morning."

Hedgehog looked up at him. "You shouldn't be this close," she said. "Dragons are dangerous."

Harry looked up at the young Fireball in question. She had obviously done something to it. "I'll be careful I promise," he said.

Hedgehog nodded slowly. She guessed it would be alright as long as they were careful. She finished with the young dragon. "We should leave. He will come to soon enough," she said. She started walking away from the dragon, the newbie following her. They had lunch in the longhouse before she led him over to the Horntail pen. "Stay close to me," she told the brunet.

"Will do Hedgehog," Harry said. He followed her into the pen. In the distance he could hear roars. They sounded angry.

"Hey, Hedgehog send out an emergency call. We've got a problem!"

Harry looked up. It was Hawkeye. Next to him Hedgehog sent a strange black cloud off. "What is going on?" he asked. He didn't get a response. Hedgehog had started running. He took off after her. If they really had a problem, he could do better than most of them. Maardaan was in there somewhere. He might be able to find her. ' _Maybe that's what I should be doing,'_ he thought. He activated the magic that would let him search for the mighty dragon. He took off from Hedgehog's path. He'd catch up with her later.

The pens were crazy huge. He felt sorry for the people that had to run all the way. The uneven landscape worked to his advantage which he was really glad for. The others wouldn't be able to see him anymore. " _ **Maardaan!"**_ he shouted. " _ **Dovahkiin los het - the Dragonborn is here!"**_

Harry looked to the sky. He was hoping that she would come to him. He was still moving in her direction. His feet took him down into a valley. The beating of wings alerted him to the approaching dragon. He backed up and a beautiful black beast glided in over the hills. She landed in front of him. She roared and fire spread from her.

Harry turned to the side. " _ **Yol toor shul,"**_ he shouted in proper dragon manners. The elder always spoke first. " _ **Drem yol lok Maardaan,"**_ he said with a bow.

" _ **Drem yol lok Dovahkiin,"**_ Maardaan said. She lowered her head.

Harry reached out and placed his hand on her snout. " _ **Zu'u lost staavek hi - I have missed you Maardaan,"**_ he said. " _ **Vir los hin malgeinne - how are your little ones?"**_

The yellow eyes went dark. " _ **Kaag munne. They took my children from me, Dovahkiin. Dii klurre lost gahrot - my eggs were stolen,"**_ she said. She tilted her head as the human dovah ran his little hand up her snout in a comforting motion. Smoke came out her nostrils.

" _ **Zu'u los krosis - I'm sorry, Maardaan,"**_ Harry said. He sat down with her snout resting in his lap.

They could hear roars in the distance. " _ **Dreh hi mindok fos bo nau - do you know what is going on**_?" Harry asked Maardaan.

" _ **Goraan punmakke los krif fah rel - the young males are fighting for dominance,"**_ Maardaan said.

" _ **Ful julle los nahlii hinzaal - so the humans are being stupid trying to stop them,"**_ Harry said.

" _ **It has to happen, Dovahkiin,"**_ Maardaan said. " _ **The humans are only putting themselves in danger. Their actions will not stop what is happening. They can only hinder it for so long."**_

Harry sighed. " _ **Fen hi bo voth zey - will you come with me to try and stop them?"**_ he asked. " _ **The humans not the dovahhe."**_

Maardaan blinked slowly. " _ **Hi fen siiv tir fos nust drey wah dii klurre - you will find out what they did to my eggs?"**_ she asked.

" _ **I will,"**_ Harry said.

" _ **Then we shall go,"**_ Maardaan said. " _ **Climb up I will fly you there."**_ She waited until the little human had settled down just in front of her wings. Then she took off from the ground. Her giant wings beat heavily on either side of her. She flew up high before moving towards the fighting young males. She couldn't understand why the humans couldn't just leave well enough alone. These fights needed to happen.

Harry looked down at the group of humans gathering just at the outskirts of the fighting dragons. He could see indigo and bright orange hair in the midst of everyone else. " _ **Can you land between them? I won't let the humans' spells hit you,"**_ he asked Maardaan. She veered and sank. A few feet above the ground she pulled her wings in and landed heavily. She roared. Harry threw up a shield in front of her before dropping down on the ground. He walked forward slowly. " _ **Fus ro dah,"**_ he shouted sending the witches and wizards back. "You are just putting yourself in danger for no reason," he said.

Hawkeye narrowed her eyes. "What the hell are you doing, newbie?" she asked angrily. "These dragons need to be stopped before they kill each other."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You really know nothing about me. They won't be dangerous to us unless you get involved. They need to fight. It is a part of growing up for them. If you don't let them prove themselves then the females won't let them anywhere near them. There won't be anymore dragons," he said. "You are stopping them from doing something they need to do."

Charlie walked forward. He looked at the brown-haired young man. "They'll die," he said. "Don't you understand that," he said. He thought this guy might be worth knowing, but now he wasn't so sure.

Harry sighed. He didn't want to get on Charlie's bad side. He walked forward slowly. "They need to fight," he said. "You're thinking of them like people. You can't do that. They need this. It is a part of growing up for them." He turned around.

" _ **They will want to fight you too,"**_ Maardaan said.

Harry looked at her. " _ **That is inconvenient,"**_ he said.

The big female Horntail flew up. " _ **Pruzah gluus Dovahkiin - good luck Dragonborn,"**_ she said.

Harry sighed. "Great," he said.

"What is going on?" Hedgehog asked.

"She told me the dragon younglings would want to fight me too," Harry said. "I'll do my best not to kill them." He sidestepped a spell and turned around. "This will be a lot harder if you guys are going to attack me too," he said. "I get it! I'm not giving much of an explanation right now, but I haven't really got the time." He met Hawkeye's eyes. "You know the dragons better than most around here. They need this. It is a part of their culture. You stopping it won't make them stop," he said.

Hawkeye studied him for a moment. Then her eyes focused past the brunet. She pulled her wand. "Kuso," she swore.

Harry turned back around. There was a Horntail coming their way. "Step back everyone!" he called. He moved forward. The dragon breathed fire at them. Harry breathed in. " _ **Ven gar nos,"**_ he shouted. Wind spread from him. It whirled like a cyclone towards the dragon. He collapsed to the ground angrily. Harry ran forward. Ice swirled around his arms. He grabbed on to the foolish youth. " _ **Ofan vok - give up,"**_ he ordered the young dragon. His voice held power and would not allow for any contradictions from the young male. " _ **Leave me alone young one,"**_ he said.

" _ **Let me go and I will leave,"**_ the dragon said.

Harry moved off the dragon. He got back up on his feet and flapped his wings before taking off. Harry turned around and walked back to the other humans. "So where were we?" he asked. He looked at them. Most of the people there were looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Charlie walked up to him. "You just fought a dragon like it was fucking nothing," he said. "How did you do that? You are unbelievable." The oranget seemed really upset.

"I can speak to them," Harry said. "If that wasn't apparent already. _**Malqo you can stop hiding now."**_ He looked down as the little dragon took off from his shoulder. "This is Malqo. He thinks I'm his mother and has been with me since I passed goblin Clan Magun's adulthood test. I'm a member of Clan Magun. I'm not here to start working here. My name is Kato Peverell. I don't give a shit about your petty little tests and ideas."

"Then why did Boss introduce you the way he did?" Hawkeye asked.

Harry looked from person to person. Then he looked back at the still fighting dragons. "Maybe we should take this somewhere else," he said. He pointed over his shoulder. "They are not going stop, and they don't care about us in the least."

Hawkeye looked over at them. "Fine but you are going to give us a proper explanation," she said. "Come on everyone." She held a lot of authority around the reserve so the others listened to her. They made their way out of the pen and then she stopped. "Explain!" she ordered.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "I was sent here to find out why the reserve isn't sending shipments to Clan Zoldark like normal. When I got here your boss asked me to look into a series of thefts. He wanted me to get photo proof showing who the thieves were. I turned that in yesterday," he said. "I could have gotten it all done way quicker if he hadn't introduced me like a member of the crew. But… you know, he wanted to do it that way. Anything else?" he said.

Hawkeye closed her eyes. She knew about the theft. She didn't understand why they had needed an outsider to deal with it though. "You said you can speak to the dragons," she said. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly what I said. I can speak with dragons," Harry said. "My mother taught me. It is a long lost art on Earth. The dragons speak though. Maardaan told me about the younger dragons. She also told me that her eggs have been stolen."

Hedgehog's eyes widened. "Maardaan that is the lady you arrived with," she said.

Harry nodded. "She is," he said.

"She is the one we took with us to Britain," Hedgehog said.

Charlie shook his head. Too many things went wrong in connection to that trip. The eggs that were destroyed. The eggs that were stolen once they got back. The things that had been going missing ever since then. He wished things would just go back to normal.

"Well if that is all," Harry said. "I'm going to get myself something to eat." He didn't wait for a response. He just took off. They would have to decide how they wanted to take things on their own. He didn't catch a bunny that day though. He couldn't eat rabbit everyday.

…

Hour later, Harry was walking into the Fireball pen. He wanted to say hello to Neltoor.

"The Fireballs are dangerous."

The 'brunet' turned around. "They won't hurt me," he said.

The oranget did a double take. His eyes narrowed. It couldn't be. The kid had introduced himself as Kato Peverell. ' _But that tone. I have heard that before,'_ he thought. "Harry," he said. He could be wrong. But then again he could be right. He saw amber eyes widen for just a split second. He had been right. He must have been.

"Woops! I guess the cat's out of the bag on that one," Harry said. "Who puts cats in bags anyhow? Cats HATE bags." He shook his head. He knew he'd given himself away before he'd confirmed it verbally. "You can't tell anyone," he said.

Charlie walked up to him. "You are going to have to explain this one," he said.

Harry smirked. "I guess I could do that," he said. "But you are going to have to promise me you won't tell anyone else. There are big parts of this story I don't want people to know." He wasn't sure why he was willing to trust the oranget. Maybe because he was Fred and George's big brother. ' _But I didn't feel like telling Bill,'_ he thought. He for some reason wanted to tell Charlie. It was like back when Fleur had first confronted him. "Let's go find Neltoor first," he said.

"Neltoor?" Charlie asked.

"She is the Chinese Fireball you brought with you to Hogwarts," Harry said.

"They all have names?" Charlie asked realising just how stupid that question was after he'd already asked it.

Harry just smirked at him. "Yeah," he said. "Do you have any idea what Hedgehog would have said if she heard you saying something like that?"

"She would give me a lecture from hell," Charlie said, a soft smile playing on his lips.

Harry chuckled. "Their names are words in dragon-tongue. Neltoor means fast inferno," he said. "You met Maardaan earlier her name means terror doom." He turned back front. "I'm going to call Neltoor. She won't harm me," he said. " _ **Neltoor, Dovahkiin los het, fen hi bo koraav zey - the Dragonborn is here, will you come see me?"**_ he shouted. "She won't harm you either if I ask her not to."

"Well that's nice," Charlie said. "I don't want to mess with any of the females here. They don't like a lot of stuff you know. It's really easy to get these girls to fry you and there is basically no shield that can protect you from the lava breath of a Chinese Fireball."

"She won't breathe fire at us," Harry said. He looked up. He could hear wings beating. It was a sound he would never forget. The beautiful red and golden dragon landed in front of them. " _ **Yoltaas toor goraag shul,"**_ Harry shouted in greeting.

Neltoor breathed out a mushroom shaped flame in response.

Charlie moved back. He didn't want to get in the way of that. Strangely enough it looked like the fire created by the young man next to him was actually the more dangerous one. ' _What has he been through?'_ he wondered. ' _How did he learn that?'_

Harry had walked up to Neltoor and was running his hand over her snout. They were speaking softly. Then a smirk spread over his lips. " _ **Nox hi, Neltoor,"**_ he said. He turned around to look at the oranget. "Come on Charlie. She'll fly us to her nest," he said. "Come on she won't wait forever."

Charlie walked forward slowly. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. He had a lot of respect for the big dangerous beast. He didn't want to become dinner.

"Yes I'm sure," Harry said. "She respects me she won't hurt you. She might get irritated with you if you take to long though." He climbed up in front of Neltoor's wings and held a hand out to Charlie.

The oranget shook his head. But he'd been in Gryffindor for a reason. He walked up to the dragon's side and grabbed the 'brunet's' hand. He was helped up behind the other man. His arms were grabbed and wrapped around the other man's waist. He could feel heat rising up his face. He didn't get a lot of time to think about that though. Neltoor took off from the ground. She flew them up high. Charlie's hold on Harry tightened as he realised that the other man was the only thing he had to hold on to. He looked down at the ground far below. A look of amazement spread over Charlie's face. He loved flying. He loved dragons. He'd never imagined that he would fly on a dragon.

They flew in over a nest and landed. Harry placed a hand over Charlie's arms wrapped around him. He could feel the man pressed against his back. He bit his lip. Heat rose to his cheeks. He could feel Charlie moving his arms away so they could get off Neltoor. He wasn't sure if it was just him or if the oranget had wanted to linger. He'd figure it out - eventually. He'd have to sort his own head out as well. He knew he was attracted to Charlie physically, but he wasn't sure he wanted to act on that. He dropped down from Neltoor. " _ **Tol lost daazun - that was amazing,"**_ he said.

" _ **I'm glad you liked it,"**_ Neltoor said. She looked to the other human. The one without a dragon's soul. " _ **Do you wish to speak to your mate now?"**_ she asked.

Harry's eyes widened, but he didn't try denying what she'd said. She wouldn't believe him. Dragon's were stubborn that way. " _ **Yes, I would,"**_ he said instead. " _ **I have things to tell him I don't want others to know."**_

" _ **No one will come near here but me and mine,"**_ Neltoor said. " _ **You are free to speak."**_ She wandered off slowly. Her little ones needed her attention.

Harry walked up to Charlie. "Let's go over here," he said. He led the oranget over to the edge of the nest. "No one here will hurt us. Neltoor won't let them," he said. He sat down and looked up at the oranget. He had only told the full story he was now going to divulge to one other person. He had told Moody a lot but not all. He closed his eyes and his hair and eye colour changed back to normal.

"That really drives it home," Charlie said as the raven opened his eyes. He sat down next to the other man. "How old are you really?" he asked.

"I turned twenty not to long back," Harry said.

"So, somehow you have ended up five years older than you should be?" Charlie said. "You and Ron were the same age right?"

Harry nodded. "We where when we met this summer," he said. "But when we met after the first task of the tournament we weren't anymore." He looked off in the distance. "I spent several years in another world," he said. "On the planet Nirn far away from here. I lived in Skyrim. It is like the north around here in a way. Nirn is very different though." He sighed. He knew this story would take a while. He smiled softly. "I'll show you," he said. He held his hand out to the oranget.

Charlie only hesitated for a second before reaching out and taking the hand offered to him. He pulled in a deep breath as the ground disappeared beneath him. He couldn't pull away from the raven though. The other man's grip was too tight. They were sitting in mid air. Beneath them a whole country spread out. He could see mountain ranges and lakes between billowing hills.

"This is Skyrim as I remember it," Harry said. He opened his eyes and looked at Charlie. He pointed to the sky. "They have two moons and the stars are…" he trailed off.

Charlie looked up. His eyes widened. He understood what the raven meant. The sky was filled with stars. It was beautiful. He looked down and placed his hand down next to him. He was still sitting on firm ground. He could even feel the dirt the nest was made off.

"It's all in your head really," Harry said. "It is easier for me to just created this in our heads than make it appear in the world outside."

"I guess that makes sense," Charlie said. He looked over the landscape below. It was beautiful really. "You lived here?" he asked.

Harry smiled softly. He focused what he wanted the oranget to see. "I lived here actually," he said as their surroundings changed and they were sitting outside a house. He stood up and pulled Charlie with him. "This is Lakeview Manor," he said. "I lived here with my adoptive mother and kind of an uncle figure. He was a character. I can show them to you but I don't like doing it for long. My memory of them is not anywhere near close enough to the real thing; it is not something I want around."

A woman walked out of the house. Her long wavy brown hair was put up haphazardly like she wanted it out of the way but didn't care enough to keep it neat. "That's Katla. She took me in and raised me. She was like me, Dragonborn. We have … our souls are dragon souls trapped in a human body. Katla was a warrior and a blacksmith. Most people knew better than to anger her. She would kill anyone that endangered any of us. You have to think medieval times. Things were different back in Skyrim than they are here," Harry said. "She battled the ancient dragon lord: Alduin, the World-Eater, and saved the world."

"She really is that tall?" Charlie asked.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, she is a good three inches taller than I am," he said. He looked over at Katla, and she changed. She was wearing armour now and holding her greatsword. "This is the woman people saw," he said.

Charlie's eyes widened. "Merlin she is intimidating," he said.

"She is mom," Harry said with a shrug. "Most people don't understand that my childhood wasn't that good." Katla disappeared. He didn't want to hold the image of her any longer. "My Aunt didn't like me much. She and her husband were afraid of magic. They feared what it could do to them. So they really disliked having to take care of me. For most of my childhood I lived in the boot cupboard under the stairs. I don't really care about any of that anymore. Monah and kaazaak helped me through that."

Charlie could decipher monah, but what was kaazaak? "Kaazaak?" he asked.

"Oh, that's my uncle," Harry said. "I'll show him." He led Charlie into the house. "Ra'shall is my uncle. Kaazaak means cat guide. He's a Khajiit. They are a feline race native to Nirn." The feline man stood up. His tail waved behind him. "He was a thief and a murderer, but he loved Katla and I. He would basically do anything for us. He was one of the most cold-blooded people I have ever met."

"He is definitely different," Charlie said. He had never seen anyone like the man in front of him before.

"He taught me how to handle a sword," Harry said.

"So, cat people is a race around this world?" Charlie asked.

Harry nodded. "Most of them live way further south though," he said. "Let me take you on a little adventure. We're going to travel all over Skyrim." He led the oranget back out of the house and the landscape around the changed again. They were standing inside Sky Haven Temple. "Suthiiz the Swedish Short-Snout you had with you to Hogwarts sent me to Skyrim and I ended up here. She told me I needed to learn from the Dragonborn. Katla and Ra'shall found me…"

Charlie watched the raven as he told his story. He was still holding the other man's hand in his. They had travelled far and wide across this magical land. It all seemed too real to be made up. He couldn't imagine that harry was lying to him. He was taken to see Paarthurnax. He saw Blackreach and the Elder Scroll. He had no idea how long they had been travelling around when he was taken to the College.

"This is the College of Winterhold," Harry said. "I spent about a year and a half here learning magic. I mastered every branch of magic they have on Nirn." He led the oranget inside. His head lowered. There was a woman standing in there. "This is Rhavaniel," he said. "She became the Arch-Mage, the leader of this College, during my time there. She was also my girlfriend. We had an open relationship since she didn't want something serious, and I knew I was leaving. I loved her though."

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't sure why that bothered him. He looked down at their clasped hands. He guessed he might have hoped for more. ' _Merlin, Charlie you are such a …'_

"Charlie what's wrong?" Harry asked.

Charlie looked up at the raven. He'd never told his parents. He didn't know why. Bill knew he preferred men to women. He'd never met someone like Harry before. He guessed he never would. The raven had been over to another planet and learned how to talk to dragons. "Just lost in thoughts that's all," he said.

Harry nodded. He led the oranget in to the College and showed him around. He told him about the Eye incident and showed him Labyrinthian. He smiled softly as he let go of the illusion. "Thank you for listening," he said.

Charlie looked around. They were still sitting. "So all of that happened in my head?" he asked. It made him just a tiny bit uncomfortable.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "It's more like I invited your consciousness into my head," he said. "I don't like messing with other peoples' heads."

Charlie nodded slowly. He felt Harry's hand slip from his. The raven grabbed his bag. "So how about wizarding magic? You learned magic on Nirn but it isn't the same right?" Charlie asked. He watched as the raven pulled a pot out of his bag.

"Oh, my wand stopped working for me eventually. I can't use wizading magic as is anymore, but there basically isn't anything I can't do with my mage magic," Harry said. "I don't mind much. It makes school a bit boring at times that's all."

Charlie nodded slowly. He lowered his gaze so he was looking down at his fingers. He had this weird feeling swirling in his chest. He had just learned things about Harry that made him feel so close to and yet so distant from the other man. He hadn't lived through anything even remotely like what the raven had been through. A big part of him wanted to reach out and grab the other man. Hug him or … he wasn't sure. ' _Get your head out of the gutter Charlie,'_ he thought. He was looking down at his hands. ' _Where is your Gryffindor courage now?_ ' he asked himself. It was weird. This guy had been born the same year as his youngest little brother. Yet as he watched the raven he knew that he was only a three year age difference between them. Probably more like two and a half years. He needed to wrap his head around everything he had learned.

"Here," Harry said as he held out a wooden bowl filled with soup to the oranget.

"Thank you," Charlie said. He lifted the spoon out of the bowl and raised it to his mouth. He blew on the soup to cool it down. It was really quite nice. He ate slowly at first as he waited for the soup to cool down.

"Do you want seconds?" Harry asked when he realised that the oranget had finished.

Charlie held his bowl out to the raven. "Yes, please," he said.

Harry smiled. "What about you?" he asked as he handed the bowl back. "I mean I know you went to Hogwarts and that you work here…"

Charlie shrugged. "It all feels so insignificant after the story you just told me," he said. He looked down into his bowl. "There is no adventure or anything," he said.

"Oh, that is a lot in how you tell a story," Harry said. "But it doesn't have to be an adventure. I had plenty of those. I just… I would like to know more about you. All I know is little things that Ronald told me way back."

Charlie's ears turned red slowly. He had no idea what to say. "I don't know," he said. "I was a part of the Quidditch team. I love flying, but I don't get much of a chance to do it anymore. It was always more about the freedom than the competition. That's why I didn't pursue it as a career after Hogwarts," he said. "I always loved being outdoors. It was way easier back when I was young. The house was full of kids so being outside was a chance to relax. Bill and I used to hide outside pretty often."

"And you're here in Romania and Bill is in Egypt. I'm sensing a pattern here," Harry said jokingly.

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "Mom wanted us to find nice girls and settle down with jobs in the Ministry and kids. She is a bit disappointed that neither of us have a girl yet," he said.

"Oh, Bill has one," Harry said. "Do you remember the French champion from the tournament?"

Charlie's eyes widened. "You're kidding?" he said.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not. They went all gooey eyed when they saw each other so I pushed them in the right direction. Then I was over at Fleur place before I got here. She is the only person besides you that I have told the full story of my life to. She figured out that something had happened after we had completed the first task. It was nice to have someone who knew around – someone I could go to when I got really homesick. Anyway when I got to Fleur's place Bill was there and he was so protective of her it was crazy. I just had to mess with him. The Delacours have a summer house and they don't really care about clothes when they are there. I'm used to not caring. So, I had been off swimming with Fleur and Gabrielle, and we got back to shore. He was basically threatening me which was cute and all. I just had to sass him so I flirted with him," he said. "He calmed down after that."

"You flirted with Bill?" Charlie asked. Now he had no clue what to think about the other guy. He had a girlfriend and flirted with Bill. He didn't know how to wrap his head around it. He looked up at the sky. It was getting pretty late. Thankfully he could apparate back to his apartment. "We should probably get back. It is getting late. We'll need our sleep," he said.

Harry shrugged. "I'll just stay here," he said. "No one bothered getting me a place to stay when I got here and the weather has been nice so I have just been staying outside. Neltoor won't mind having me around."

Charlie closed his eyes. His colleges really weren't doing a very good job. He watched the raven as the man stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow yeah? Harry said. "I need to find whoever is in charge of shipments to the goblins that's why I came here to begin with."

Charlie nodded slowly. "I'll see if I can figure out who deals with that," he said. "I… I guess we'll see each other tomorrow then," he said.

"See you tomorrow," Harry said. He backed off a bit. Charlie looked like he wanted to say something for a moment, but then he must have changed his mind because he simply spun on the spot and disappeared.

Harry shook his head. A sigh escaped his lips as he placed a hand on his abdomen. He could still feel the warmth that had radiated from the oranget's arms as they flew to the nest. " _ **Hey Neltoor,"**_ he said as he got closer to the dragon.

" _ **Did your mate leave you?"**_ she asked. " _ **That is not very nice of him. Don't human mates stay together?"**_

Harry smiled at her. " _ **He'll be back,"**_ he said. " _ **Or I'll find him."**_

* * *

 _10th of August, 1995. Thursday_

Harry closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He remembered that he had changed his hair and eye colour the day before so he changed it back. He didn't want to get into trouble with people. He stood up. His dreams that night had been interesting. He looked up as Neltoor came flying in. She had a pig in her claws. She dropped it down by her hatchlings. " _ **Dreh hi hind wah lif nu - do you wish to leave now, Dovahkiin?"**_ she asked.

Harry nodded. " _ **Yes, please,"**_ he said.

" _ **Come here I'll take you,"**_ Neltoor said. She waited for him to settle down in front of her wings. She took to the sky.

Harry closed his eyes and relaxed. He needed a bath. He smelled.

" _ **Julle, humans,"**_ Neltoor said.

Harry looked down at them. It was Jackal and Pipsqueak. " _ **Vis mu thesk voth niin lig - can we mess with them please?"**_ he asked.

Neltoor smirked. Oh, she could have so much fun with this. She flew around.

" _ **I can make them think you are blowing fire at them,"**_ Harry said.

" _ **Please do,"**_ she said.

Harry chuckled as the men ran screaming. The flames wouldn't hurt them but he would make sure they were laughed at that day. It wouldn't physically hurt them just humiliate them a bit. " _ **Mal kaviir ru ru hond - little bunny run run away,"**_ he said in a singsong voice. He could see the bunny ears and tail attached to them.

Neltoor dropped him off by the entrance to the pen. " _ **Nox hi,"**_ Harry said. He waved to her as she took off. ' _Now I have to find Charlie,'_ he thought. It was early enough that the oranget should be in the longhouse. He took off running. The river going through the reserve made it past the wall to the north. He slowed down so he could have a quick wash off before continuing. He made it into the dining hall. ' _Orange hair,'_ he thought. It wasn't that difficult to find Charlie. "Hey Firefly," he said softly as he leaned in over the oranget's shoulder. He reached out on the table and snatched a piece of bread up.

"You should see the look on your face Firefly," Hedgehog said. She was smirking at him.

Charlie could feel his ears burn with embarrassment.

Harry chuckled. "Did you find out who deals with the goblins?" he asked. He stood up straight his left hand still resting on the oranget's shoulder.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "It's Rainbow."

"Great," Harry said. "That helps me so much." He looked around. He was being sarcastic though. He looked around for the blue glow. "Found her." He bent down and gave Charlie a peck on the temple. "See you later."

Rosalie looked at her friend. "What did the two of you do yesterday?" she asked.

Charlie's eyes were following the 'brunet'. "Nothing that should have led to that," he said. "At least I don't think so." He shook his head. "What do we have to do today Hedgehog?" he asked.

Harry walked up to a woman with multi coloured hair. He didn't have to wonder how she got her name. He could see it. "Excuse me," he said. She looked up at him. "Gardock is wondering where their shipments are," he said.

Her eyes closed as she sighed. "We have had so many stupid problems that Boss has put me up to do things that aren't normally my duty to do. I told him that Clan Zoldark wouldn't be happy," she said. "He wouldn't listen. I'll write a full report to Gardock."

Harry nodded. "I have my own report to write I can take them both back to Gardock," he said.

"Thank you," Rainbow said. "It will take me a while to get it done though. There is a lot I have to go through."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said. He looked up at the door as it opened. He placed a hand over his mouth. Rainbow followed his gaze. "Oh my that is just unbelievable," she said. "Is that Jackal and Pipsqueak?"

"Yeah, it is," Harry said.

She looked up at him. "You did that, didn't you?" she said.

"Maybe," Harry said. As he slipped out of the hall silently, he could hear the two guys tell the others about the horrible incident they had just been through. They didn't know what they looked like - yet.


	59. Shroud Hearth Barrow

**Shroud Hearth Barrow**

 _12th of August, 1995. Saturday_

Charlie walked up to Harry. They guy was sending him so many mixed signals he didn't know what to do. "Kato," he said as he reached the guy.

Harry turned his head towards the voice. His eyes were glistening with tears.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked. He sat down next to the 'brunet'. He reached out and placed a hand on a sun-tanned cheek.

Harry shook his head. He reached up and took the oranget's hand. He lowered their hands down to his lap. "It just hits me sometimes," he said. "How much I miss Katla and Ra'shall. I don't see a reason to be all gloomy and hold it in." He raised his free hand and wiped the tears from his face. "It feels better after I have cried anyway." He lifted a Dragon Claw up from the ground.

"What is that?" Charlie asked.

"It is a Dragon Claw. They act as keys," Harry said. "I came across my first one before we travelled up to High Hrothgar the first time. It unlocked a door in Shroud Hearth Barrow. It was the 22nd of Heartfire the year 4E 201. It was a Morndas or Monday. Katla wanted to travel down past the Dragon Door in the Barrow. We had found a man who wanted people to think he was a ghost in there before going up the mountain. According to Katla there was likely a Word Wall down there somewhere and she wanted to learn the shout."

"Shouts are like the specific words you used for dragon magic right?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, they are," Harry said. "Ra'shall wasn't too interested in the whole thing, but he knew how much it meant to her, and he did agree with her that it would be a good opportunity for me to learn what existed down in the depths of Skyrim so we were going to go down there.

The first part of the dungeon we had already explored so there wasn't much there. Dragon Doors in Skyrim are like huge double doors made in one segment and the lock is circular. It consists of three heavy stone rings that can be turned. In order to unlock the door you have to match the symbols of the rings to the symbols on the key. If you got it wrong a trap would be released and kill you."

"That doesn't sound good," Charlie said.

"No, not really. We had the key, though, so we didn't have to worry about that. The Rings of the door offered three different choices of symbols: a dragonfly, an owl and a wolf. To pass through the door we had to spin the bands so that the wolf was shown in the innermost circle. The owl was shown in the middle circle and the dragonfly in the outer one…

~Harry reached out with the Dragon Claw and pushed it in place in the lock. He twisted the claw to the right and then over to the left. Dust rained down on him from the stone bands of the lock as they moved until they all showed the picture of the owl. Then the whole door slid down into the floor beneath it revealing a tunnel.

"Lovely," Ra'shall said sarcastically.

Katla rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad," she said quietly. They walked through the tunnel until they reached a cave in. There was a table almost covered by the rocks.

Harry moved forward and lifted a purplish-pink stone up. "What is this?" he asked as he held the stone up in front of him.

"It's a soul gem," Ra'shall answered. "Some Mages or enchanted weapons can capture creatures' souls and put them in soul gems. Then you can use the soul gems to make enchanted weapons or armour."

Harry looked ill for a moment. "That's sick," he said.

"Not really," Katla said. At the raven's horrified look she smiled and then she added, "Think of it this way. If you are going to kill a creature to eat it is it wrong to use the power buried within them as well?"

Harry shook his head. "It's their soul… And you trap it in a stone that's just wrong," he shuddered. He definitely didn't want something like that to happen to him.

"You don't have to worry about this one though," Ra'shall said. "There is no soul in it." ~

"Soul Gem?" Charlie asked horrified. "You really mean that you can trap a person's soul in a stone?"

Harry smiled softly. "Trapping a human soul is classed as necromancy," he said. "I know how to do it. I have done it, but only when I had to kill the person in question."

"But what happens to the soul?" Charlie asked.

"They end up in the Soul Cairn," Harry said. "It's a plane of Oblivion. It only happens to souls caught in black soul gems though. If you use a white soul gem, the soul will simply be allowed to pass on once the soul gem has been used."

Charlie looked at the other man with an unreadable look on his face. "Oblivion? Using souls? For what?" he asked.

Harry took a deep breath. "Oblivion is best described by what Christians call Hell. The Daedric Princes rule different parts of Oblivion. They are similar to gods but closer to… Nirn at the very least. I don't know if they exist around here under other names. You can pray to them. They will do things for you, but you sell your soul when you pray to them. I never did that. Rhavaniel and Ra'shall both prayed to Daedric Princes. I didn't think it was a good idea. I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense." He rubbed his eyes. "On Nirn you use souls to enchant weapons and armour. You can for example make a weapon scourge an enemy as you use it."

"That's just wrong," Charlie said.

"I agree," Harry said. "That's why I worked out another way to do it. It uses my gathered magic instead of souls." He lifted one of his gems from his belt. "It is filled with magic."

Charlie reached out and lifted the gem up. "So you use the magic from this to place enchantments on items?" he said. "That's pretty sweet. And, no souls I like that."

Harry chuckled. "Definitely," he said. "So, I looked down at the stone on the floor. I'd dropped it as soon as they had told me that it was used for trapping souls. I didn't want anything to do with it. I felt how something settled over my head before it fell forward and covered my eyes. "What the… what is this?" I asked as I pulled it off my head. It was a helmet – a sturdy leather helmet with a metal nose guard and a metal strip travelling up over the head piece. I grimaced. "Do you have any idea who wore this last or where it has been?" I asked. I placed it down on the table. "It's way too big for me," I said. "Katla is going to make an armour for me." I smiled at the brunette.

"'And here I was just trying to make you feel better,' Ra'shall said with a dramatic sigh."

~Harry stuck his tongue out at the feline childishly. "You're just being annoying," he said before he started walking down the stairs left of the table. He touched a shelf as he walked past it. It was dark down there. Raising a hand he made an orb of light appear above his head. The shelf held a couple of books but the text was impossible to read. He continued into the next room. It was big.

Harry moved up a small set of stairs. There were two dark sarcophaguses just up the stairs on either side of a small stair. There was another sarcophagus standing up there. He turned around there was a book lying on a podium. He moved up to it and picked it up. It was a spell book. _Oakflesh_ he read. Well that would be an interesting read. He continued walking when suddenly … Crash! He spun around. Bars had slammed down. The coffin in front of him popped open. "Shit," he hissed. He moved back. " _ **Yol toor shul,"**_ he shouted at the undead that rose before him. He held his hands out and his griffin rose before him like a spectral shield. He bit his lip and raised his right hand, palm out. A spray of icy spikes spread from his hand towards the approaching draugr. "Oh, no you don't," he said as he backed away.

" _ **Bolog aaz, mal lir!"**_ the dead man said.

"Oh, shut up," Harry muttered. He sprayed the man in the face with his frostbite. He dodged out of the draugr's sword's way.

"Good Harry," Ra'shall said as he ran his sword through the undead's chest. He walked up to the teen. "You handled yourself well," he said.

Harry's eyes lit up. "Thanks," he said.

"You didn't panic and you dealt with the situation. You also used your training," Ra'shall said. "I'm proud of you."

A faint blush spread over the raven's cheeks. "Thank you," he said. He pointed up towards where he'd been walking. "There is a lever up there," he said. He moved a hand out and his familiar disappeared.

"Why don't you go up there and pull it," Ra'shall said. "Oh… and Harry," the raven turned around, "don't walk that far ahead of us again. This time went well. But we don't want you to get stuck on the other side of a set of bars from us."

Harry nodded. That made sense. He would have to keep an eye on the openings he walked through from now on. "O.K. I'll be careful," he said.

"Good," Ra'shall said.

Harry walked up to the heavy stone leaver he'd seen earlier and pulled it. A scratching noise tore through the room as the bars rose. He moved back down to Ra'shall, and they moved over to the next doorway. There was a spiral staircase going up and a set of iron bars on the floor. "That does not look safe," he said.

Ra'shall snorted. "It's a trap. If you walk out on that it will drop you down into the water," he said. "It's not so dangerous for you or me, but it would drown Katla with her heavy armour."

"What is going to kill me?" Katla asked.

"Nothing unless you walk out on that," Ra'shall said and pointed towards the ground as Harry jumped over to the wooden spiral staircase. The teen ran up the staircase. He went past the first door and continued even higher to the next. When the grown ups started making their way up, he walked back down. "There is a locked door up there," he said.

Katla nodded. She looked over at Ra'shall. "Are you going up?" she asked. "Harry and I will move on I think." The raven smiled at her. He pushed the door next to them open. "There is a skeleton in here," he said. He raised a hand and a cloud of ice left his palm. The skeleton collapsed. "How do they move around? They are just bones."

Katla chuckled. "I have no idea how," she said. "Be a bit careful there are pressure plates on the ground." She moved forward and down the stairs. Kicking the bones that the animate skeleton had been made up from out of the way, she stepped over a pressure plate. There was a thick iron door down the corridor. She moved up to the door and opened it. There was another sarcophagus. She turned around. "Harry come over here," she said. "I want you next to me if these guys decide to wake up."

The raven moved up to her quickly. They took another few steps forward.

"Shit," Katla said before she pushed Harry back. An arrow clattered against the stone wall. 'The floor was filled with oil,' she thought. She moved forward once more. " _ **Yol toor shul,"**_ she shouted and the oil below caught fire. "That should take care of them," she said casually. She smiled as Harry moved up in front of her. "Be careful," she said as the teen started walking down a wooden ramp down to where the skeletons had been.

Harry tilted his head to the side. He kicked one of the charred bones to the side. "This is weird," he said. "They shouldn't be able to walk around yet they do. And that weird sound they make is just creepy."

Katla roller her eyes. "It has to be some kind of magic," she said. She walked down to the bowl as Harry stared walking up the ramp on the other side. There was a loud cracking noise. "Draugr," she called out. "Harry, defend yourself," she called. She drew her sword and turned around. An undead moved down the ramp she had just walked down. She moved forward and slashed the zombie's legs off. "There you go," she said before moving up and slashed the draugr's head off. "Are you doing alright Harry?" she called.

"I'm fine Katla. This guy is ridiculous," the raven called back.

The brunette chuckled. "And Ra'shall was worried about you," she said as she shook her head. She looked up as the feline come walking over the wooden floor above. "Anything good up there?" she asked.

"A sword that might have an interesting enchantment on it but it's so darn big I don't want to carry it around," he answered. "And some coins."

"Oh, well," she said.

"There are swinging blades up here!" Harry shouted. "And a draugr." He walked back from the corridor he'd walked into. "He isn't following me," he said. He peaked out through a break in the wooden wall. "Could you please come up here?" he asked. "This guy is annoying."

Amber eyes rolled cheerfully. "We should get up there before he just keeps going," she said jokingly.

Ra'shall snorted. "Sure," he said.

They made their way up to the raven, and Ra'shall continued past into the next corridor. He ducked out off the path of an arrow before he sidestepped a swinging blade. He pulled an elven dagger from his belt and threw it at the undead man. The man staggered back which gave the feline a chance to move forward and lob the man's head off. He grabbed his knife from the corpse with a yank. He reached out and pulled the chain that would stop the trap behind him. He moved forward towards a set of burial niches and rammed his knife down into a draugr's chest. "We don't need you getting back up," he said. He moved on through the room killing the undead as he went.

In the next room there was a trench filled with flowing water. A stone bridge went over the water. A waterfall cascaded down the wall on the other side of the room. A short log ramp went up to another level of the room. It was rather dark in there, but it changed when Harry came walking into the room with his floating ball of light.

"Go up there will you," Ra'shall said and pointed up the ramp. "There are no enemies in here so it's safe."

"Yeah, right it's safe!" Harry shouted as he made his way back down the logs. "There is a draugr up there." He kept running because the undead gray-skinned man had not died when he attacked it and had destroyed his familiar. "I'm not fighting that thing. It's way too strong," he said. He moved up behind Katla, who was smiling. She grabbed her sword from her back and moved forward. "I'll deal with it then," she said in fake-cockiness. She moved forward quickly, sword raised. A few moments later there was a splash as the brunette kicked the corpse of the undead into the water. "You can come back up here now Harry," she called.

The raven walked back up. He stopped next to Katla. "What are we going to do now?" he asked. There were several strange stones with animal pictures on them. All of them were showing snakes at the moment, but Harry knew that there were other animals on the sides of the stones since he'd checked earlier.

"There must be some sort tablets that let us know how these are supposed to be turned," Katla said. "Maybe they are in the other room. Can you cheek that out dear?" she asked.

"Sure," Harry said before walking into the room where the draugr had been hiding. He walked forward, freezing in place as he heard a clicking sound. Looking down, he could hear a loud scratching noise filling the room. His blood froze. Had he stepped straight into a trap? Then he caught something in the corner of his eyes. There where four stone slabs spinning around slowly at four open parts of the walls. It wasn't until he could see a pillar appearing in an opening of the slab that he calmed. "The far left one is a fish," he called. He kept watching until he'd seen all four symbols. He walked back out. He saw Katla grab the last stone and spun it until it showed another fish.

"Stand on the button," she instructed the teen.

Harry walked up to the pressure plate and stood on it. There was a cracking noise just before a wooden bridge fell down from the other side of the room. "There is something moving over there," he said. A shimmering figure sprung from him and ran over the bridge. "I don't think I should go first," he said.

"Probably not," Katla said. She moved up in front of the raven as she pulled her sword. She moved over the bridge into the next tunnel.

The draugr in there backed off as she came closer. " _ **Aav dilon!"**_ the undead said derogatory.

"Oh, shut up," the brunette said. She ducked as an arrow came flying by before she tore the draugr apart with her blade. There was a locked door to her right. She knew that Ra'shall would check that out.

There was a dark tunnel. It led down to a set of old wooden doors. They had dried out a long time ago.

Katla raised a leg and kicked at the door. It cracked. "Stubborn huh," she muttered. She moved forward and rammed the door.

Crash!

She stumbled slightly into the next area. She could see a set of sharp spikes sticking down from the ceiling. ' _Great… bars,'_ she thought. She could either move forward without the others and deal with the enemies on her own or wait for the others. The problem was that the enemies could be really dangerous which meant that she didn't want Harry in there.

Deciding, she moved forward and heard as the bars fell down behind her. In front of here several sarcophaguses popped open. Skeletal hands grabbed at the black stone before an undead rose from its grave. Katla shifted her blade and cut the bone-man down. There were four coffins on the ground floor. "Fuck!" Katla swore as a sharp pain flared up in her side.

"Katla!" a young male voice shrieked.

She turned to look at Harry standing on the other side of the bars. He looked upset. Small hands went past the bars and magic spread from his fingers. A griffin jumped forward and spread its wings before launching into the air and flying over to a pillar where a skeleton was aligning another arrow to fire at the brunette. The griffin screeched as it descended on the bony villain.

"I'll be O.K. Harry don't worry," Katla said. She grabbed the arrow stuck in her side and twisted it before pulling it out. She hissed. The arrow clattered as it hit the ground. Grabbing her sword in both hands once more, she continued through the room, killing undead as she went. She reached the altar at the top and smirked as the draugr overlord growled, " _ **Faaz! Paak! Dinok!"**_

"Yeah, right," she said and rolled her eyes. She caught the man's axe with her great sword before twisting the blade and running the edge over the undead's chest. A thick blackish sludge poured out of the wound. " _ **Dir,"**_ she growled. She moved forward and shoved the draugr back before raising her blade and slamming it through the undead's skull.

She could hear the bars down below rise.

It wasn't long before Harry and Ra'shall joined her. The feline sighed as he walked up next to her. "We're taking that off," he said and poked the armour plate. "When you go in on your own could you not get hurt," he said irritably.

"Well, I'm sorry for not realising that there would be bowmen in here," she said sarcastically. She shifted as Harry started pulling at the straps holding her armour in place. She could see the concerned look in the boy's eyes. "It's not that bad Harry," she said comfortingly.

"But you're hurt," Harry said.

"Yes," Katla said, "I'm hurt. It happens sweetheart. I'm not going to die from this."

Ra'shall snorted. "Of course you won't die. You wouldn't die if they'd cut your arm off either so it's really a moot point," he said. He grabbed her back- and breastplate and lifted them off her. He pushed her down so she was sitting on the edge of the sarcophagus. "Drink," he said briskly.

Katla accepted the potion and drank it down quickly. She hissed as she could feel a cold cloth touch the open wound in her side. Harry sat down next to her and hugged her. She raised an arm and wrapped it around the teen. "See I can do stupid things too," she said. "I should have waited for Ra'shall to join me, but I didn't want you to end up in danger so I went on ahead," she said. "I'm sorry for scaring you." She hugged him tightly. "Ouch, fuck Ra'shall stop that," she exclaimed. She'd almost punched the man. Almost… he was way to fast for her to hit him instinctively.

"Good one," Ra'shall said as he moved back to clean the wound out properly. "There you go," he said. "We can put your armour back on."

"Good," the brunette said. They got the armour back on quickly before they continued down a tunnel until they reached a big room with cascading water and a Word Wall. There was a big bronzed chest right in front of the outlet of the tunnel they came through.

Ra'shall walked forward and threw the lid of the chest open. "Money," he said. "And a…" he pulled a golden thing out of the chest, "and a sword."

"Ah, that looks good," Katla said as she moved up to him. "I think I'll take that." She grabbed her Orcish Greatsword from her back and placed it down. "I think I'll take this instead," she said. The sword had no real hand-guard but neither did the Orcish sword. The sword was double-bladed rather than single edged though so she would have to adjust her fighting style to that. Apart from that there wouldn't be much of a difference, but the old sword had a lot of dents in the blade-edge so she really needed a new one.

Harry had moved on ahead to the Word Wall. Light spread out towards him from a word on the wall. It made his head spin slightly and his vision blur. ' _Oh, great,'_ he thought. His head felt heavy. He wanted to know what the Word Wall said though so he raised a hand and an orb of light started floating above his head~

… I read on that wall. And I still don't know quite how I did that at the time. But it said; ' _ **Het nok kopraan do Hela fahdon wah pah sivaasse aar do Kaan aal rek siiv unahzaal praan ko Feykro do Hahnuue,'**_ which means, 'Here lies the body of Hela, friend to all beasts, servant of Kyne. May she find eternal rest in the Forest of Dreams,'" Harry told Charlie. "Either way Katla walked up to me, and she read the word which was _**Kaan**_ for the Goddess Kyne and we made our way back out of there," he said.

Charlie smiled softly. The way that Harry told the story really gave him an understanding of how much he missed his mother and uncle. They were still holding hands in the other's lap. "Were they always like that?" he asked.

"Katla and Ra'shall?" Harry said. "Yeah, they were. They would nag and be at each others throats all the time, but they loved that. They kept each other centred."

"But they weren't involved?" Charlie asked. He wasn't sure being with a cat person was the best idea. As he understood it, they had pretty sharp teeth and claws.

"Oh, no Katla was in love with a guy named Balgruuf. He was a Jarl in one of the holds. I told you about those. He ran Whiterun," Harry said. "Khajiit really aren't all that workable as lovers for non-Khajiit. Their claws and teeth just tear you up."

"Eh…"

Harry laughed. "I was dumb enough to have sex with one. She was a lovely lady, but the wounds I had the next morning weren't really my thing," he said.

Charlie closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what to say to that. "You have done some not so smart things," he said finally.

"You don't say," Harry said. He tilted his head to the side. Then he heard a roar. He stood up. They had been sitting in the Common Welsh's pen. He was pretty sure that the roar he had heard had come form one of Sovenvild's hatchlings. The Common Welsh's grew up faster than the other dragons. They were joining the fights already. He stood up. He wanted to keep an eye on this fight. He started moving when suddenly he was pulled back.

"You can't just do this," Charlie said. He turned Harry around. "You spill you heart out and then you just run off? Yesterday you kept showing up and …"

Harry moved forward. He breathed in to steady himself, and then he kissed the oranget. His eyes had closed. A smirk played on his lips as he moved away from Charlie. The oranget's eyes opened. He reached out and grabbed onto Harry's waist. "You're not playing with me?" he said.

Harry shook his head. "I don't play with people's feelings," he said. He reached out and ran his fingers over Charlie's cheek. He looked down. "I wasn't sure what I felt myself you know. I haven't really felt up to a relationship since Rhavaniel. I guess being with a guy would be easier. I keep comparing girls to her. She was so tough in comparison to any girl I have met here on Earth. Then again I have mostly been stuck at Hogwarts." He shook his head. "I'm rambling," he said. "The point is that I am interested in you and I would like to see where this goes." He moved closed to Charlie and kissed him again. The oranget gave as good as he got this time around.

They hit the ground as fire passed over them. Harry sat up. " _ **Bo hond gel su'um - go away smoke breath**_ ," he roared.

" _ **Dir mun - die human,"**_ the dragon responded. It flew in closer to them and Harry threw a shield up. He hissed as the dragon's flames went through the shield.

"Harry," Charlie exclaimed concerned. He could see the other's shirt catch fire.

"Stay down," Harry hissed. He looked up at the young dragon. " _ **You attack me with fire then taste my frozen breath. Iiz diinaan slen nus zokro,"**_ he roared as he stood. As his breath hit the dragon, the nose gained a light frozen sheen. Then the wings froze and then dragon fell towards the ground. Charlie had turned around and he saw the dragon hit the ground and shatter into a million little pieces. He swallowed thickly. He felt something wet hit the side of his face. He looked up. Harry was crying. He got up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't expect that to happen," Harry said. "I should have. I know what those words mean, and I know what they do. I was scared so I overdid it." He closed his eyes. "He wouldn't have stopped," he whispered.

Charlie stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Harry. "Shhh," he tried his best to sooth the 'brunet'. He had been really fucking surprised. He had never seen something that destructive before. He figured he was still in shock. He'd been there before. He looked down at Harry and moved away slightly. He could see the burnt flesh on his arms and the missing shirt. "Harry," he said softly. "We need to get you to the healer's hut."

Harry had buried his face in the oranget's shirt. As he was spoken to, he looked up. "Healer?" he asked.

"Your arms are burned Harry. You should be in pain," Charlie said.

Harry lifted his arms and looked at them. Charlie was right. He bit his lip and did his best to focus. A golden light spread over his arms. He hissed as the pieces of shirt that had burned to his skin were removed. " _ **Ahraan,"**_ he hissed. He could feel Charlie moving away from him. He closed his eyes. It was just all too much. He could hear another roar. He looked up towards the sky. He didn't want to have to kill another one. " _ **Lif zey naalein dovah - leave me alone dragon,"**_ he shouted putting as much power as he could behind it. He turned around, and then he started running. His vision was swimming.

Charlie watched the dragon come towards them. He heard Harry shout something. The dragon made a wide turn and flew back the way it had come. "Harry," he said as he turned around. He saw the 'brunet' running away. Then his eyes widened as the man collapsed. "Harry!" he shouted realising too late that he couldn't use that name like that. If someone else heard him, he would have a hard time explaining himself. He reached the collapsed 'brunet'. "Harry," he said quietly. He turned him around. "What am I supposed to do with you?" he asked. He lifted the sun-tanned arms. They were perfectly healed. ' _Exhaustion maybe,'_ he thought. There wasn't really anything a healer could do for that. He sighed. He didn't want Harry to have to wake up in the healer's hut. That and he wanted some kind of control over the situation.

Charlie lifted Harry up. He shifted the man around before apparating out of there. He landed in his apartment hoping that this idea wouldn't come back to bite him. He placed the 'brunet' down on his bed. He reached out and unbuttoned the scourged shirt Harry was wearing. He pulled it off and threw it to the side. He wanted to make sure there were no wounds he hadn't seen. "And this isn't normally how you do it," he whispered to himself. He found no wounds on the well defined chest. Before it got creepier, he walked out of the bedroom. His thoughts were still scrambled. He had just seen another human use magic that froze a dragon. The dragon had dropped and shattered. Now Harry was obviously upset by what he had done, but by Merlin that had been scary.

Charlie shook his head. He had been shocked. It was frightening to think that Harry could basically do that to anyone. He leaned against his kitchen cupboards. Did he still want the guy? ' _You just decided to remove his shirt for no real reason,'_ he thought. It was still Harry – the same guy he had been talking to the past couple of days. This wouldn't change that. If Harry hadn't cared about what he hand done then maybe he wouldn't be that interested. He hadn't though. He had been really upset about it.

…

Amber eyes opened slowly. Harry had no idea where he was, how he had gotten there, or how much time had passed. He knew exactly what had happened prior to him fainting. He really had come too some time earlier. He had slipped into his mindscape and raged. He wasn't happy with himself. He should have known that the dragon would die. He had added extra words to the shout. He knew that made them more powerful. He sat up slowly. ' _Where did my shirt go?'_ he wondered as he looked down at his bare chest. He moved his legs of the bed and stood up. He wanted to know where he was.

Reaching the bedroom door, Harry opened it up slowly. The next room was a small living room. Charlie was lying on a sofa in there with a book resting on his chest. He must have fallen asleep reading. A small smile spread over the 'brunet's' lips. He guessed the oranget couldn't be that upset with him. He was pretty sure that the man wouldn't have given up his own bed for him if he wanted nothing to do with him.

"Come on Charlie," Harry said calmly. "Your back will hate you tomorrow if you sleep here." He picked the book up and placed it on the small coffee table. "Wake up Charlie you can't sleep here," he said. He could hear the man grumbling, and he did manage to help him up. He was glad he was no weakling as he helped the oranget into his bedroom. He dropped Charlie down on the bed. "You are heavy," he said. He didn't get a response. He sat down next to Charlie. ' _This will be interesting tomorrow morning,'_ he thought before lying down again. At least they both still had clothes on so there shouldn't be any strange ideas floating around.


	60. Fireworks and Gingers

**Fireworks and Gingers**

 _13th of August, 1995. Sunday_

Blue eyes blinked open. A yawn passed over dry lips. ' _Warm… cosy,'_ Charlie thought sleepily. He moved back closer to the comfy feeling. It took his brain a while to kick into gear. He was staring at his bedroom wall for a good five minutes before he realised that he'd fallen asleep in the sofa in the other room. ' _How did I get here?'_ he wondered. He sat up. He felt a weight shift from his waist. He turned around and looked down at the half naked guy lying behind him. A mess of brown hair spread out over one of his pillows. ' _Harry,'_ he thought. Had the other guy moved him the night before? He smirked. ' _Well I guess that gives me the answer I need,_ ' he thought. Bending down, he kissed the 'brunet'.

Slowly Harry joined in. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Charlie's neck. A soft hum rose from his throat. Tightening his hold on the oranget, he flipped them over. His hands moved nimbly, unbuttoning the shirt beneath his fingers. He broke the kiss off as he spread his hands out over Charlie's abdomen. Green eyes met blue. "Good morning," he said huskily. With a smirk playing on his lips, he moved down. He trailed kisses down the bare chest before him. He could hear Charlie breathing in harshly as he found a sensitive spot.

"Come back up here," Charlie growled.

Harry chuckled. "Mara you are demanding," he said teasingly. He moved up back up.

Charlie sat up and kissed him. Harry deepened it and tongues danced. He pushed Charlie's shirt of his shoulders and ran his fingers down is back as he moved closer. Arms wrapped around his waist tightly. He was breathing heavily as they broke apart. He moved back slightly before grabbing onto Charlie's belt so he could unbuckle it. "Let's get these off, yeah," he said breathily.

Charlie smirked as he watched the raven take his pants off.

Thunk! The pants hit the floor. "What do you keep in your pockets?" Harry asked.

"Never mind," Charlie said as he pulled Harry to him.

"Impatient much," the raven said. He pushed the oranget back. "Don't you worry I'll take care of you," he said mischievously. He moved down.

Charlie felt a shiver running down his spine. His eyes closed and he hummed as Harry's hands rubbed over his cock. It was way too long since he'd been with someone. His bread hitched as a hot mouth enveloped the head of his cock.

Harry purred as he took more of the hard shaft into his mouth. His head bobbed up and down slowly. Charlie reached out and ran his fingers through raven locks. He was glad Harry had dropped the wrong colours. ' _Fuck that feels good,'_ he thought. He did his best not to buckle up. He didn't want to hurt the raven. His head fell to the side.

Harry pulled away slightly. He didn't want to choke. He could feel the oranget's fingers tighten on his hair. He swallowed as Charlie came. His hands travelled up the toned chest before he moved away from the softening member. He sat up and hugged Charlie tightly. "Hey sexy," the oranget said. He placed his hand on the bulge in the raven's pants. "Your turn," he breathed.

…

Harry ran his finger through his hair as water sprayed down over him. A smile played over his lips. The butterflies that had taken up resident in his stomach were fluttering happily. He grabbed his box of soap and headed out of Charlie's shower. It was way too small for the two of them so he had gone first. He dried up as he walked back into the bedroom. He kissed Charlie. "Your turn," he said. He waked over to his bag and opened it up. He grabbed a pair of pants and some briefs. He really disliked the fact that they didn't have a kitchen in the apartment. He wasn't that interested in joining the others even though breakfast was basically the only meal worth eating in the longhouse. He grabbed a tanktop from his bag as well. He wasn't going to wander around shirtless. He was brushing his hair as Charlie came out of the shower. He walked up to the oranget and kissed him soundly. A sigh escaped him as he moved away. "You should get dressed," he said. "We have to get down to the longhouse to have breakfast." He finished brushing his hair, and then he plaited a strand of it. "I need to eat something before I collapse. After using as much power as I did yesterday I need to replenish my energy," he said. "You're yummy, but I can't eat you."

Charlie laughed. He walked up to the raven as he buckled his belt. "We should probably get down there before you do try to eat me," he said. "You should change your hair colour again though." He took the other man's hand.

Harry changed to Kato's colours. "You better remember to call me Kato now," he said. "You keep slipping between. Just do Harry for black hair and Kato for brown so we don't have to explain things to people."

Charlie opened the front door to his apartment and walked out. "Yeah, that's probably smart," he said. He raised an eyebrow as a very bunny looking man walked past them. "I thought that would have worn off by now," he said.

"It won't were off until I leave," Harry said as he walked out. "I don't like the way they act."

"You did that?" Charlie asked. He closed the door and they headed down towards the longhouse.

"I am the silent partner in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I have many own brand too," Harry said.

Charlie's brow furrowed. "That's the name of Fred and George's joke shop. You are involved in that mess?" he asked.

"I fronted the money for it," Harry said. "I'm pretty sure they will be a success. We're building stock right now. It's what they want to do. I like Fred and George. They are way better company than my so called classmates these days."

"I hope mom never finds out that you are helping them she might just kill you," Charlie said. He smiled. "I'm glad though. Their ideas were always creative. You are going back to Hogwarts when it starts back up?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't really want to deal with people finding out that I'm five years older than I should be right now. There is stuff going on at Hogwarts I want to keep an eye on as well," Harry said.

"So we're going to have to go long distance?" Charlie asked. They sat down by one of the tables.

Harry looked up at Charlie. "Is that alright?" he asked. "I'm gonna like it just about as much as you will, but as far as people in general are concerned I'm fifteen right now. If I don't complete my fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts I'm going to end up in a mess from Oblivion. The goblins will protect me, but I don't want to basically be locked out of Britain. If I wait then they won't have as much of a reason to look into me, and I can just go about my business." He reached out and placed a hand on Charlie's cheek. "Then there is that small fact that Voldemort is probably going to come back at some point. He's tried before. I doubt he's given up. The less he knows about me the safer I am. He seems to have some weird obsession with me. Something was supposed to happen in connection to the Tournament you know that's why I was entered. I ruined their plans though so they couldn't go through with it. I can't be sure that was Voldemort, but my guess would be on him."

Charlie nodded slowly. He could sort of see Harry's view on things. He knew that the British Ministry would be all over the raven if they realised what was going on. "And what about Kato?" he asked.

Harry sighed. "I have a thing set up with the goblins. I'm not sure how it works, but they promised me that when I want to switch to my real name it would work out. I just have to have faith in my Clan," he said. He moved so he was sitting facing the oranget. "I didn't exactly plan on finding someone I'd be interested in," he said. He leaned forward and kissed Charlie. "You can't really plan your life out perfectly," he said.

"Oh, aren't the two of you cute."

Harry sat up straight and turned his head. It was Rainbow. "Hey girl," he said. "Something you wanted?" he asked.

She handed him a roll of parchment. "You said that you would take this to Gardock," she said.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I will thank you," he said.

Rainbow smirked. "I have heard about your little escapades with our dragons. And now you're getting cutesy with Firefly. Maybe we should just call you Dragonfly, huh?" she said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have to talk to Hawkeye about that?" he asked.

Charlie shook his head. "Rainbow doesn't listen to anyone. She can do whatever she wants. If she says you're Dragonfly then you are Dragonfly," he said.

Harry shrugged. He honestly didn't care what they called him. "I'll take care of this Rainbow," he said and held the roll of parchment up. "Thank you."

Rainbow giggled and walked off.

Harry focused back on Charlie. "I need to deal with this," he said. "That's why I came here to begin with." He placed the scroll on the table. "I'll be back after I'm done. This shouldn't take all that long."

Charlie nodded. "Do you need me to take you anywhere?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, I have a port-key to Gringotts in Britain. I'll just go there," he said. He hugged Charlie close. "I'll see you soon," he said. The he stood up. He grabbed the scroll. He reached out and lifted Charlie's chin up so he could kiss him deeply. " _ **Zu'u fen kos zek, lokaal,"**_ he whispered.

"See you soon," Charlie said. He watched the 'brunet' walk way. Suddenly he was gone. How had he developed feeling like these that quickly? He groaned. ' _Great,'_ he thought. He went for years without finding someone he was actually interested in, and now when he had found someone, they couldn't be together.

"Problems Charlie?"

The oranget looked up. He smiled softly at Rosalie. "I don't know," he said. "We can talk about it once I have made some kind of sense of the mess in my head right now." He stood up. "I guess it's time to get to work," he said.

…

Harry landed in a familiar marble filled hall. He breathed in deeply. ' _O.K. what do I have to do while I'm back?' he_ asked himself. He wanted to be as efficient as possible. He made it down to the lift so he could walk over to the portal that would take him to Dragrimmas. Much like Blackreach in Skyrim it was a city with surroundings underground. He hadn't been there before. He hadn't had a reason to go there.

Stepping through the vibrating portal, he was taken to a dark cave. It looked so much like Blackreach that it was hard not to expect Rhavaniel to be there. It looked like Blackreach would have looked at the height of the Dwemers' reign. It was bigger too and lacked the quantity of towers leading up to the very ceiling of the cave that Blackreach had. ' _At least I know who I'm looking for,'_ Harry thought. He focused his magic and followed the blue streak.

"State your name and business, human."

"Kato Peverell of Clan Magun. I'm here to divulge information about the Romanian Dragon Reserve to Clan Head Gardock," Harry said.

One of the guards walked into the building. He was gone for a short while. When he came he looked up at the human. He bowed. "You may enter Kato of Clan Magun. Our Clan Head will see you now," he said.

"Thank you warrior of Clan Zoldark," Harry said. He walked past the guards. The hall he walked through was decorated with gold and gems. He could see statues with full armours on them. He wondered if they represented goblins of old. He turned still following his magic. Respectfully he knocked on the door separating him from Gardock.

The door opened up. "Ah, young Kato come in," Gardock said.

Harry opened his pack up. "I have two written reports. One from me and one from your supplier. I can tell you that part of the problem has been theft," he said. "I dealt with that while I was there though. Details about the reason you haven't been getting shipments will be in Rainbow's report." He handed the scrolls to the goblin.

"Thank you Kato," Gardock said. "You will be properly rewarded for your work."

Harry bowed. He headed back out of the office. He wanted to know how the construction of his house was going. He had a port-key that would take him right there. ' _I should probably take the portal back to Britain first,'_ he thought. He had no idea how far from Britain he was. He didn't want to needlessly get port-key lag. Travelling far by port-key would mess your whole system up.

He made his way back to the portal and travelled through. He found the port-key he needed and activated it.

The sun was shining brightly. Lush grass grew beneath his feet. His eyes moved over the treeline. He liked having forest around. The house looked like it was almost done. They seemed to be working on the roof now. It looked amazing. He walked forward slowly.

"Master Harry," Winky called. She smiled at him. "Come Master Harry Winky will show you your home."

Harry laughed. "Thank you Winky," he said. She took him into the house. It looked just like he had wanted. It wasn't done yet of course. It was just an empty shell, but it looked like home. He walked up to one of the beams holding the second floor up.

One of the goblins came down the stairs. "Kato," he said. "What do you think?" he asked.

"It is beautiful," Harry said. "It's better then I imagined it could turn out."

The goblin's face darkened for just a second. "You did not have faith in us?" he said.

"That is not it Carpenter of Clan Droknar," Harry said. "There was no way I could convey what I wanted to you properly. I used the basics of another house and changed it to fit what I wanted. I did my best to tell you what I wanted. The fault would have been mine had this not turned out right."

The goblin nodded slowly. He could understand that. "You can look upstairs as well," he said. "Only the roof is left at this point then we'll bring the enchanters in so they can increase the size of the library tower and guest quarters for you."

"That sounds good," Harry said. He wandered around the house for a while before he decided to walk down to the shore. He found the ward pillar. It was amazing. He reached up and placed a hand on one of the arched stone bands that made the complicated structure of the centre piece of his wards. He pulled his knife out of his boot and cut the palm of his hand. He placed it back to the ward pillar. The arch bands pulsed once and he felt how the wards settled in his mind. They were connected to him now. He controlled them. He didn't have to stand next to the pillar anymore. He settled down by the lake and closed his eyes. He slipped into his mind. He would have to make a spot for the wards. He shifted through them slowly. He made sure that goblins could enter the grounds. Witches and wizards would only be able to travel right to his entrance room. He was going to place specific wards over his house. He would have to wait until the goblins were done though.

Harry looked out over the lake. He had been going over how to travel in an apparition like manner for a while. He needed to test it though. He placed his bag to the side and took his boots off. He had a lake right there. He could try straight out into the lake. " _ **Gut wundun staad bo**_ ," he whispered as he focused on a spot out in the lake.

He could feel his body being yanked forward. He heard the splash as his body hit the water. He swam back up to the surface. He pulled himself up on the water surface. ' _Well, that didn't turn out the way I had hoped,'_ he thought. He had ended up way off course. ' _This will take some practice._ ' He closed his eyes. The words held the magic but his mind held the outcome and the execution. He would have to make the words work the way he wanted them to. " _ **Gut wundun staad bo,"**_ he whispered again.

He jumped back and forth across the part of the lake that was hidden under his wards. He had to stop eventually. He would exhaust too much of his power otherwise. He took his port-key back to Gringotts and went down to his apartment. This time Winky came with him and she cooked a wonderful meal for him.

* * *

 _14th of August, 1995. Monday_

Harry was sitting in the sun by Ennerdale Water. He was taking a pause from trying to Gutbo. He had to call it something. He had forgone clothes this time around though. A small smile was playing over is lips. His mind was far away.

He needed to deliver the ingredients he had to Fred and George. ' _Oh, well I can always try to gutbo there,_ ' he thought. He stood up and made his way over to his things. He got dressed and made sure that his hair and eyes were the right colour. He closed his eyes. ' _Focus… gather power and…'_ " _ **Gut wundun staad bo,"**_ he whispered. He opened his eyes. ' _Yes!'_ he thought. He had landed on the Weasleys' front lawn. He walked up to the door and knocked. A pleasant smile spread over his lips as the door opened. It was Mrs Weasley. "Good day ma'am I'm looking for Misters Fred and George Weasley," he said.

"What do you want with my sons?" Molly asked.

"I have a delivery for them…"

BOOM!

Harry looked up. That had to be the twins. He had to suppress a chuckle as fireworks whistled out of through the window. They exploded in beautiful flowers of red and pink and green. ' _What are they doing?'_ he wondered. Another firework piece came whistling out, but it didn't explode in beautiful colours. A strange pink goo hit a shield the 'brunet' had thrown up.

"Not again," Molly said with a sigh. "I'm sorry mister, but my sons aren't accepting any deliveries."

Harry smiled. "I understand," he said. "I'm sorry for disturbing you." He bowed and then he made sure that she thought he was leaving. He turned invisible, and then he headed up to the twins' room. He wasn't taking no for an answer. He pulled out the penknife Sirius had given him and used it on the lock. He slipped into the room no one the wiser.

Fred and George were sitting in there covered in some kind of strange fluorescent pink goo. "That is very interesting," Harry said. "I wasn't aware of the fact that pink goo was the newest fashion." Two pairs of blue eyes turned to him and two wands were pulled. He raised his hands. "I'm here with a delivery. My name is Kato Peverell. We have a common friend in Harry Potter," he said.

"What is the name of the dragon that means the most to Harry?" George asked.

"Malqo," Harry said.

The wands lowered. "How is Harry?" Fred asked.

"He was doing alright last time I saw him," Harry said. He opened his bag up. "He asked me to deliver this to you. He wouldn't say why, but I guess it is for some kind of experiment," he said. He lifted several packages out of his bag. "Here," he said.

"Do we need to pay for this?" George asked as he opened a pouch up. There were several dragon scales in the pouch.

"Oh, no Harry made sure that everything like that was dealt with," Harry said.

"How did you get past mom?" Fred asked.

"I have my ways," Harry said. "She won't notice me I assure you. Good luck with your experiments." He grabbed on to a port-key and disappeared.

"Harry knows some really interesting people," George told his brother.

"Yeah, definitely," Fred agreed.

…

Harry chuckled as he walked into his apartment. The twins were obviously having a lot of fun making life difficult for everyone else. Hopefully they would have some working ideas by the time school started up again. He walked into his little living room and sat down with a book. He loved reading. He was making his way through the _The Lord of the Rings trilogy_ at the moment. They were good books, but the author really could have skipped a good deal of the second book that he was now holding.

He was reading about Faramir the Captain of Gondor when there was a knock on the door. He placed the book down on the coffee table and stood up. Winky opened the door and let a goblin inside. "Kato of Clan Magun," the goblin greeted him. "I am Aldun of Clan Tarnok. I have heard of your special connection with dragons. I'm here to request your presence in a research team that will head to Dragon's Breath Cave near Namibia's Kalahari Desert. We have gotten reports of something that might be dragons there. They are shy though. We have to send humans because of the non-magicals near the site. Are you interested in a spot?" he asked.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "It really depends on how long you need me there," he said. "I have to be back here in Britain by the twenty-ninth of this month."

"We can set it up so you can leave by then. Do you think you can set things up with the possible dragons by then?" Aldun asked.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Harry said. He closed his eyes. Then he nodded. "I will do it if you can get me out of there on the twenty-ninth," he said.

"That can be arranged. I will see you tomorrow morning so I can set you up with the rest of the team. We might arrive before many of them. It all depends," Aldun said. "We'll have to take a port-key to the meeting spot."

Harry nodded. "That's fine. I'm basically packed so it won't be a problem for me. When do you want to meet?" he asked.

"Six o'clock tomorrow morning. We'll gather the teen together as people arrive. We have a wizard in charge of it already. I'll introduce you to him," Aldun said.

"Six o'clock tomorrow it is then," Harry said. "I will see you then."


	61. Scourging Sun

**Scourging Sun**

 _15th of August, 1995. Tuesday_

Harry went through the things he would take with him. He was going somewhere in Africa. At least that's where he thought Namibia was. He needed to brush up on his geography. He started packing once he'd decided he had everything he needed. He had half an hour before he needed to meet up with Aldun. "I'm leaving now Winky," he said.

The little elf came walking out of the kitchen. "Winky has made Master Harry food and bought groceries for later," she said. She held two different packages out to him.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said. He opened his bag and packed the food down. "Good bye you take care," he said.

"Master Harry is the one who needs to take care," Winky said.

"I will be careful Winky," Harry said. He opened the front door and almost knocked Nedra over. "Nedra, I'm sorry. I need to get going. Is there something you need?" he said.

Nedra held two boxes out. "I'm deducing the cost for these from the money we are making on the scrolls," she said.

"Thank you Nedra," Harry said. He placed the boxes in his bag. "I have to go or I'll be late. I'm sorry." He was running quickly through the halls. He reached the travel room with five minutes to spare. He calmed his breathing down and moved his bag.

Aldun walked in a couple of minutes later. He held an orb in his hand. "Touch this," he said.

Harry reached out and placed a hand on the stone. He could feel the hook behind his navel settle in. Everything went hazy as they were taken from Britain to…

' _Sand,'_ Harry thought. He looked around. Well it wasn't just sand. He could see a city in the distance as well. He was led over to a big tent.

"Mister Weasley how are things going?" Aldun asked. "How many have arrived?"

"The Elovyns are here and Prower arrived yesterday," Bill said. "Were waiting for our dragon people and Rose."

"You have one dragon expert," Aldun said. "This is Kato Peverell."

Bill looked over at the brunet. "We have met before Aldun," he said. He moved up to the young man and held his hand out. "It's good to see you again," he said.

Harry shook the offered hand. "You sure it is good to see me again," he said with a smirk.

Bill snorted. "I'm not that insecure," he said.

Harry smirked. "Not that you have any reason to be," he said. "Fleur missed you like crazy after you left. I'm the one that had to listen to her go on and on about you." He play-punched the redhead on the shoulder. "So am I going to be the youngest member?" he asked.

Bill thought about it for a moment. "Yes, probably," he said. "We're all pretty young mostly because they need people who won't break on the way to the cave."

Harry nodded. "Sounds logical enough. So we're the first real team sent?" he asked.

"We will be, yes," Bill answered. "I have to look into some things, but I'll find you when I'm done." He figured he should at least try to be friendly with one of Fleur's best friends.

"Sure, sounds good," Harry said. He walked out of the tent. It was so bright out there. He dropped his sunglasses down over his eyes. ' _Better,'_ he thought. He knew he couldn't just go anywhere right now. He seemed to be in an area where non-magicals couldn't go. He walked up to one of the pyramids. A big part of him wanted to go down there. It would be an adventure. He guessed he could wait until they were headed for the cave though.

"No, no you can't go there. Come back here, sir!"

Harry turned around. He froze. ' _That can be,'_ he thought. His legs started moving on their own accord. He was closer to the man then the woman that was chasing after him. "Stop him!" she called.

Harry reached the balding man and grabbed him. "You should listen to the Healer, Arniel," he said. He shifted to the side as a Dremora appeared behind him. He raised a hand towards it and sent of a spell. "Stop Arniel," he said. He made the Dremora disappeared.

Something shifted in the man's grey eyes. "It didn't work out. My head all a mess. I wanted to go. The Dwemer," he said. "You know, don't you?"

"Thank you sir."

Harry looked over at the woman. "No problem," he said smiling softly. "Come on Arniel let's go with the nice lady."

The healer's narrowed. "Are you familiar with this man sir?" she asked.

"Yes," Harry said truthfully. "He was experimenting on magical intergalactic travel. A couple of years ago he just up and disappeared. No one back home knew what happened. No one really cared. Most people just thought he was insane." He shook his head. "He must have managed to do something. It seems like it scrambled his brain."

"So you know what the creatures he creates are?" she asked.

Harry nodded slowly. "They are beings from a plane of Oblivion," he said. "It's a different dimension. Some conjurers can summon them to this world. Arniel is one of them. I might be able to fix that for you, but I'll have to research it. I don't want it to harm him."

The healer nodded. "We wouldn't allow that," she said. "Neither will we allow you to conduct experiments upon him sir."

"I don't need to," Harry said. "I can summon beings from Oblivion too. I can conduct the experiments on myself. I'm also a Master in the School of Restoration which includes healing." He looked over at Arniel. "The creatures he can summon are very dangerous. I doubt you have seen the worst yet. I'll get to work on this right away since I'm not staying for long." He walked out of the Hospital tent. Before he could start working on a way to hinder conjuration magic he would have to assemble his Arcane Enchanter. He hoped that Mara had managed. Sitting down he opened his bag and picked a small box out. He placed it down on the ground in front of him. "Shift," he said as he ran a finger down the centre of the lid. The box grew bigger. "Assemble," he said. He was glad that Nedra had contacted him and asked if he wanted them voice activated.

A smile spread over Harry's lips as he ran a hand over the stone pentagon. He reached out and ran his fingers over the crystal ball. It was perfect. Now all he had to do was carve the necessary symbols into the stone. He pulled his dragonbone dagger out of his boot. He cut across the surface a pentagon and a star. Five slots for the five schools of magic. He was sitting bent over the table focused on his task. He didn't notice as a spell was cast over him or when another person sat down next to him.

Bill watched the brunet as he worked on some kind of strange box. He had no idea what it was supposed to be used for. As Kato moved back he could see a bird, a tree, maybe a flame, three circles and a strange symbol all surrounding a sword with magic swirling around it. Kato reached out and placed his hands on the table. He was mumbling softly so Bill couldn't hear what he said exactly. Then the symbols on the table started glowing softly. A strange green cloud appeared in the crystal ball, swirling around.

Harry was smiling. He had an Arcane Enchanter again. Everything felt right. They had managed. He was tired though. That had taken a lot of power out of him to get it working. He would have to wait before he could start enchanting things. He looked up at Bill. "Just how long have you been sitting there?" he asked.

Bill shrugged. "A while," he said. "What is that for?" he asked.

Harry looked down at the Arcane Enchanter. "It is an enchanter. It allows a person to infuse objects with magical properties," he said. "Dismantle," he said and the enchanter returned to its box-like state. "Shift." The box shrank and he placed it back in his bag.

"I didn't actually think they would send you on this," Bill said. "I remember what you said about the dragons in Sweden, but I expected two experts from a reserve."

"I have an advantage to any dragon expert," Harry said. "But then there will be a dragon expert as well right?"

Bill nodded. "There will be. I still don't know who that is. It's the only member missing at this point," he said. He shook his head. "This is the first time I'll lead a team," he said with a sigh.

"I guess I'll have to keep an eye on you then," Harry said. "We can't have you ending up in trouble. Fleur would never forgive me." He lay back and looked up at the sky. He should eat something. "Your little bothers are blowing the house up by the way," he said. "They were covered in pink goo when I was there."

"You went to the Barrow?" Bill asked. "Why?"

Harry looked at him. "I had a delivery to them from Harry Potter," he said.

"You know Harry?"

"Yeah, I got in contact with him after I realised that we have common ancestors," Harry said. "He's a descendant of the Peverell family too."

' _Makes sense,'_ Bill thought. It explained why they looked similar. He hadn't actually thought about until Kato had mentioned it, but now it was obvious. With common ancestor it wasn't that strange though.

Harry sat up again and opened bag. He found the pack of food that Winky had prepared and opened it up. A smile was present on his lips. It smelled heavenly. He held a plate out to Bill. "Do you want some?" he asked. "I have plenty."

Bill's eyes widened. He was about to say no, but then he thought better of it. "Thank you," he said as he accepted the plate. Harry dug around for his silverware for a moment and then he handed Bill a fork.

He grabbed one himself and then they dug into their food. They ate slowly. Harry reached into his bag for goblets and brought two out. He held one out to Bill. It filled with water as the redhead took it.

Harry washed his plate off after he was done.

"That was really good. Thank you," Bill said. He was glad he had accepted the food. The cafeteria tent they had didn't serve food that good.

"I'll let Winky know you liked it," Harry said.

"Hey, Weasley the dragon handler is here we've got everyone now!"

Billy turned. "O.K. Elovyn we'll be right there!" he called. "Can you gather everyone up in the tent?" he stood up. "Let's get this show on the road," he said.

Harry nodded and then he got to his feet as well. He grabbed his bag and followed the redhead back to the first tent he had entered when he arrived. They walked into a room and Harry sat down at the back while Bill walked up front.

The tall redhead straightened as he turned to the small group of people gathered in the room. "We are gathered here because we are some of the best in our separate fields. Clan Tarnok has handpicked every single one of us. We are headed for Dragon's Breath Cave. No one has been down there yet. There might be non-magical scientists there already so we'll have to be careful," he said.

"I should be able to get us the cave to ourselves," Prower said. "I have some documents that should get them out of our way."

Bill nodded. "That is great," he said. "The non-magicals is the least of our problems though. There might actually be dragons down there which is why we will have two dragon handlers with us," he said. "We'll have to walk about sixteen miles from Tsumeb to the cave entrance. We can't apparate there since there is to big a risk that we'll end up in mid air."

"And what about the dangers on the way," Rose asked.

Bill turned to the pink haired historian. "We have two hardened former Aurors with us," he said. "We should be fine. We can all handle ourselves pretty well too. Or objective is to set up base down in the cave. We need to make it safe for others to apparate nearby, and we have to establish a functional base. We'll leave tomorrow morning. I'll see you all here at six o'clock. Don't be late." He walked up to the new arrival and hugged him. "Hey Charlie nice to see you again," he said. "How have things been?" he asked.

Charlie shrugged. He looked a bit worse for wear.

"You look like you haven't been sleeping properly," Bill said.

Charlie shook his head. "Boss is working us like crazy right now," he said. "We're trying to tell him that it won't work out, but he isn't listening." He looked up at one of the pyramids that Bill worked in. It was nice to be away from the reserve. He was a bit worried though. Harry said he would be back, and he had left. This was an opportunity he might never get again though. It could really help him make his career. He wasn't sure he wanted to stay in the reserve forever. The raven would understand.

Bill looked at his younger brother. The dragon handler seemed to be lost in thought. He saw Kato looking their way and waved him over. He wanted to introduce those two to each other. They would probably have fun talking about dragons. He placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder as Kato got closer. His brother didn't react though. ' _Daydreamer,'_ he thought. Then his eyes widened as Kato wrapped his arms around Charlie. His brother seemed to come to life. He looked to the side, a smile spread over his lips and then they were kissing.

' _O.K.'_ Bill thought. He guessed they knew each other already.

Charlie was still smiling as they broke apart. "I was worried you'd get back to Romania after I had left," he said.

Harry shook his head. "The goblin in charge of this insane operation asked me to join in," he said. "I'm glad you're the dragon handler they sent. I know a few I wouldn't want to work with." He leaned closer to Charlie and placed his head on the oranget's shoulder.

Charlie turned back to his brother. "I'm sorry for spacing out on you," he said. His grip on Harry tightened. He knew that his brother wasn't aware of Harry's real identity. His girlfriend knew, but he didn't.

"That's fine I think I know why now," Bill said. He looked down at Kato. "I guess I'm not the only one that's found someone recently," he said.

Charlie chuckled. "Yeah, I heard about Fleur," he said. "She's a cute girl." He leaned his head against Harry's. "So you're the boss now, huh, big brother?" he said. "Big bad Bill. We're all going to want to run and hide by the end of this." He was smirking evilly.

"Imp," Bill said. "I'll have to keep you away from the twins. They will get impossible otherwise."

Charlie snorted. "I'm not the one you have to worry about in connection to Fred and George," he said. "They can create plenty of problems without my help. I happen to know they have a backer for their insane venture. They are doing no matter what mother thinks."

"They have gotten a hold of money. Oh, Merlin save us," Bill said. He was smiling though. "Come on. I'll show you where you can stay," he said. "I'm guessing you'll want to stay together." He looked over his shoulder. They were holding hands. Now, the way he'd acted around Kato in France felt really silly.

"Yeah, we would like that," Charlie said.

They made their way over to a sett of houses and walked into one of them. Like many things in the Wizarding World, the house was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Bill walked them up to a door and opened it. "You can stay here," he said. "Just remember that we're leaving early tomorrow." He gave them a look worthy of his mother. "Don't you get up to any funny business now," he said in a bad imitation of Mrs Weasley.

Harry laughed. "Thanks Bill. We'll behave. I promise we'll be there on time tomorrow," he said before he dragged Charlie into the room.

Bill was shaking his head as he walked back out. Now he was really missing Fleur.

Clothes had been dropped on the floor in a trail over to the bed. Charlie was leaning with his back against a stack of pillows. He was looking down into Harry's green eyes as they were talking. The raven was lying with his head on his chest. "So you're not going to let Bill know who you are?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "Not right now at least," he said. "It won't really make a difference for this trip since he would have to use Kato anyway. I'll let him know, but it will have to be when it makes sense." He ran his fingers down Charlie's chest. "Does it mean that much to you?" he asked lazily. "Kato, Harry they are just names."

The oranget sighed. "I don't know," he said. He reached out and ran his fingers through Harry's hair. "So you went to see Fred and George?" he asked. "How were they doing?"

"They were trying to fill the house with luminescent pink goo," Harry said. "Your mother wasn't too happy with them. I had to sneak by her to deliver the stuff I had gathered for them."

"I hope she never finds out about that," Charlie said. "She wouldn't be happy with you."

Harry smiled softly. "I know," he said. "So you know telling Bill who I really am seems like small fry in comparison to telling your parents about us."

Charlie groaned. "Please I don't want to think about that," he said. "We can just never tell them." He wasn't serious though. Not telling his parents would mean hiding their relationship every time they were near. He didn't want that. He didn't like the idea of hiding. It was one of those things that had led to breakups in the past for him. Maybe that was why he wanted Bill to know about Harry and not just that he was seeing someone. Well his brother knew he was seeing Kato so it wasn't just some unknown dude. He understood why Harry wouldn't say anything, though, and he would respect that. He knew that Harry didn't want to hide forever. It was just to keep himself safe.

* * *

 _16th of August, 1995. Wednesday_

Sun-tanned fingers ran through tangerine hair. It was early the following morning. Harry was smiling softly. It felt good to have someone else he could rely on fully again. Fleur was nice, but it wasn't the same. "Charlie wake up," he said softly. He kissed the oranget. "We have to get going," he said. His hands travelled down and pulled the covers down. His hands ran down his lover's chest. "Up you get Charlie," he said.

"You really are persistent," Charlie said sleepily. "Lay back down you're cosy."

"But we have to get up. We're leaving for Dragon's Breath Cave," Harry said. "You're brother will skin us alive if we're late."

Charlie groaned. "I hate him," he said.

"No you don't. You just don't like that he is cutting in on your beauty sleep," Harry teased.

A blue eye opened. "Are you trying to tell me I'm not beautiful already," Charlie said. He pouted and Harry gave him a look that had him breaking out in laughter. He sat up. "I guess we should get going though," he said.

"I have been saying that," Harry said. He leaned in and kissed the oranget. "I'll make breakfast. You shower." He disappeared out of the room.

Charlie sighed. ' _Better get up,'_ he thought. He stood up, summoned some soap from his bag and walked over to the bathroom. He opened the shower cabin up and stepped into the shower. Water sprayed down over him. He shook his head and his hair went everywhere.

Harry smiled as he cracked another egg open. He could hear the shower. It had felt nice to wake up next to someone else. He poured the eggs into a pan. He was going to make omelet. He grabbed some cheese from his pack and cut a piece form it. Packing the cheese back again he could hear the shower turn off. He cut the cheese in pieces and spread it over the omelet. He felt warm hands land on his shoulders. They started massaging him slowly.

"That smells good," Charlie said. He watched as the raven reached out and pulled a loaf of bread out of a cloth. He raised an eyebrow as the raven lifted a knife up. "What is that made out of?" he asked.

"Dragonbone," Harry said. "It is sharp and tough enough to cut straight through the entire counter. But I'm not going to do that." He cut two slices of bread. "Do you want blueberry jam?" he asked.

"Sure," Charlie said.

Harry took the pan of the heat and split the omelet in two. He gave the oranget one of the plates. "Here you go," he said.

"Thank you," Charlie said. He sat down by the table. Harry placed a goblet down in front of him. It was filled with milk.

Harry packed everything away so it would keep. He wasn't sure how the grocery bag worked but it kept his food fresh. Winky had gotten it for him. Then he joined Charlie by the table.

"What's the time?" the oranget asked.

Harry looked down at his watch. "We have about forty-five minutes before we need to be there," he said. "We're fine." He went back to his food. He still needed a shower so he had to get in there. He washed his plate off. He kissed Charlie on his way to the bathroom. He grabbed his soap from his bag before he went to clean up.

As Charlie entered the bedroom, Harry walked back out of the bathroom. They packed up quickly. The raven cleaned up the dishes and packed the cutlery away together with the grocery bag. He wanted to make sure he was prepared for as many situations as possible. They walked out of the building, and Charlie reached out and grabbed Harry's hand.

They walked over to the tent. Bill was standing in there by a table. He had a map in front of him. Harry looked down at the map as they reached him. He lifted his arm to look down at his watch. He moved his other hand away from Charlie's so he could change the number dial to a compass. He had never used a compass before coming back to Earth. In Skyrim he had used the mountains and the sun to keep track of where he was. The compass was good though. His hand slipped back in Charlie's hand. He was studying what the map had to tell him. "So, it is a bit of a walk then," he said. "It shouldn't be that tough."

"You won't think that once we are out there," a dark-skinned woman said as she walked up to them.

"This is Laurina Elovyn," Bill said. "She is one of our guards. She had her husband are pretty experienced with the African terrain."

Harry nodded. "That's good," he said. "It's always better to have someone around that has experience. Going in blind always creates problems." He doubted they would find anything that would actually give him problems though. He was used to pretty dangerous terrain after all.

"It's good to hear that someone thinks so," Laurina said. "Some people think we are expendable." She glanced over her shoulder at the researcher and the historian. Her husband came up to them as well. "Are we ready to leave?" he asked.

"Yes Ralis. I'll get the port-key," Bill said. "Everyone is here so we might as well leave a bit early." He walked over to a box and pulled an orb out. "Everyone gather to me," he called. "We're leaving." He held the orb out. Harry and Charlie walked up to his right and Laurina and Ralis walked up to his left. Both couples were standing together. Charlie was standing with an arm around Harry and the other hand on the orb. Ralis and Laurina were basically doing the same. Rose and Prower joined them, and Bill activated the port-key.

The interior of the tent disappeared. They landed in a rather open house. It seemed to be made for arrivals specifically. There was no one there. The rest of them followed Laurina and Ralis out of the house. "Do we have anything obviously magical showing?" Laurina asked. She looked over at Rose. "You will have to hide those," she told the pink-haired girl.

Rose rolled her eyes and packed down her colour changing bracelets.

Laurina looked the group over. They looked a bit strange. Slightly mismatched and none of them looked like they had enough equipment with them. But they didn't look obviously magical anymore.

"Free to go now?" Bill asked. "Do we pass inspection?"

Laurina raised a dark eyebrow at him. "This looks alright," she said.

"Well then," Bill said. "Everyone stay close this is not a field trip. We need to get to the cave. We have to pass over a road so you better keep your eyes open." He led them out from the magical street of Tsumeb and down on Momosa street. It was early so most people were still sleeping or at least inside still. The air was chill.

They passed through the silent streets quickly. The faster they made it out of the city the better.

The landscape beyond the houses was dry. The low shrubs were brown because of the draught. They had travelled from the scourging heat of Egypt's summer to Namibia in mid winter. It wasn't all that cold though all things considered – especially if you were used to Skyrim in winter. They passed over a road. The open plain that spread out before them showed just how far they had to go. Everything was so flat.

"This is so different," Harry said softly. "I'm used to mountains and valleys. Never have I looked out over the land before and had it just be flat." He turned around. His hand reached for Charlie. He grabbed the warm hand that touched his. He felt a bit uncomfortable he guessed.

"Are you alright?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "This is just different that is all." He smiled at the oranget. They picked up their pace so they would catch up to the others.

"Those are springbucks," Ralis said. "We'll have to keep or eyes open. There might be hyenas around." He was pointing off in the distance. The others looked out over the plain. They could see little long legged bucks were grazing what grass they could find. "Hyenas will only be a problem if you stray from the group. They won't attack us if we stay together."

"I really hope you mean that," Prower said. "Those are hyenas right."

"They are," Laurina said. "Just stay with the group. They won't attack this big a group of humans. They might come closer since they are fairly curios creatures." She walked up in front of the group. Her husband fell back. He looked at Harry and Charlie. "You two should get up closer to the others," he said.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at the man. "We're used to dragons sir. I'm pretty sure we can handle some hyenas," he said. Harry tackled the oranget lightly. "We can go give Bill some moral support. Can you hear that pink-haired blab-mouth hitting on him?" he said. Charlie looked over to his brother. Harry was right Rose was doing her very best to catch Bill's attention. "I guess you're right," he said.

Harry walked over to the taller redhead and looked down at the pink-haired woman. "He's taken," he said. "Why don't you move along." He did a shooing motion.

"He seems pretty happy with my company runt. Why don't you piss off with the dung-shoveller over there," Rose said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I don't see how insulting his little brother will get you closer to him. You know the only reason he hasn't asked you to leave him alone is because he's such a nice guy," he said. "It doesn't change the fact that he has a girlfriend."

Bill turned to Charlie. "I guess letting Kato deal with that is the best way to go," he said.

Charlie nodded. "Sounds that way," he said. "I don't have the patience to deal with that stuff. Kato seems to know how to deal with her."

"You're just a little idiotic kid. You shouldn't even be here," Rose said.

"Shut up," Laurina hissed. "The both of you. If you have that much energy we might as well move faster."

Harry hummed. He hadn't actually raised his voice at all. He hadn't started insulting her either. She had done her best to try to insult him. It hadn't worked.

"How do you not get angry?" Charlie asked. He and Bill were walking on either side of the 'brunet' now.

"I don't see a reason to get angry," Harry said. "I know me. I don't care what she thinks."

On the plain before them the springbucks raised their heads. Their ears moved and then they were running away. Something must have scared them. Laurina scanned the area. The hyenas they had seen earlier had moved down south. It might have been them. She looked back at the group. They were slow. She wished they could move faster. Why she and Ralis couldn't just have gone down and set up an apparition point by themselves she didn't understand. That's how they usually did it. She focused back front. At least it wasn't that far. They should be there by lunchtime.

"Are those rhinos?" Rose asked an hour or so later.

Laurina turned around. She narrowed her eyes. "That is a heard of erumpents," she said. "We better stay clear of those." She looked back at the group. "Where is Prower?" she asked.

Harry and the Weasleys looked around. Laurina was right the blond guy was gone. The 'brunet' sighed. " _ **Laas yah jul nir,"**_ he whispered. "Oh, Kyne what are you doing all the way over there?" he could see the guy almost half way to the rhino like creatures. "I'll go get him," he told Laurina.

"So we can have another idiot out there I don't think so," Laurina said.

"Well can you see him?" Harry asked as he gave her a pointed look. "I can so I will go. Don't worry about me." He took off before anyone could say anything else. He was running now.

Bill turned to Charlie. "Is he crazy?" he asked his brother. The younger oranget shrugged. "No," he said. Then again he had heard of Harry doing way more dangerous things than this. "He'll be fine."

Harry reached the invisible blond and grabbed him. "I'm pretty sure Laurina and Ralis told us to stick together," he said.

Miles looked up at the brunet. How had he found him? His new invisibility construction should be undetectable. No spells should be able to find him. "How did you find me?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "It's not that hard," he said. "What are you doing way over here? The erumpents are dangerous, right?"

"That is none of your business," Prower said and Harry rolled his eyes. "You don't need to be here. I can handle myself just fine."

"What is he doing?" Laurina asked.

Charlie looked back at Harry. The 'brunet' was standing with his arms crossed over his chest looking at a spot in front of him. "Does it matter?" he asked. "He knows what he's doing." He really hoped Harry knew what he was doing. He turned back to Bill so he could continue telling his brother how Kato's visit to Romania had messed the whole reserve up.

"Shit," Laurina swore. She was moving towards the young brunet. He would get himself killed. Erumpent horns held a liquid that exploded when it was injected into something.

Harry pulled Prower in behind him despite the fact that the blond was still invisible. Something the other man had done had really pissed the erumpents off. He tilted his head to the side. " _ **Kaan drem ov,"**_ he whispered. The big thick hided creatures slowed down before they reached him. Harry smiled softly. "There, there," he said. He reached out and petted the nearest beast. He pulled Prower back as the researcher tried to move up to the beast again. "Let's go back to the others now," he said. "You have put yourself in danger enough for one day." He started walking not really caring how the blond dealt with how he was being dragged. He could have just gone back freely the first time around, but he hadn't.

They reached Laurina. "You are something different aren't you?" she said as she looked the brunet up and down. "You calmed down an entire heard of erumpents without drawing your wand." She had gained just a sliver of respect for the young man. "So you have Prower with you?" she asked.

Harry nodded slowly. He pulled a device off the blonde's arm. "He was using this to make himself invisible," he said. He handed the device over to her. "You might want to hold on to that so he doesn't disappear again."

Laurina nodded. "You're lucky Kato here could be there to save your ass," she said told Prower. "Stay with the group. You can have your toy back when we get to the cave." She walked back up ahead of the group, and they started walking again.

"I'm thirsty," Rose whined.

Ralis moved up next to her. "Don't you know how to refill your water bottle?" he asked.

"What do you mean waterbottle?" Amaryllis asked. "What is a waterbottle?"

Ralis closed his eyes. ' _Great,'_ he thought. This one had lived just a tad to guarded a life.

"Here," Harry said. He held a goblet out to the pink-haired woman. It was filled with water. She sneered at him. He snorted and handed the goblet to Bill instead. The redhead drank the goblet down. "Thank you," he said. "No problem," Harry said.

They continued past Rose. They didn't want to dump her on Ralis, but there wasn't much more they could do. Eventually Ralis must have come up with some kind of solution since they caught back up with the rest of them. He gave his wife a look that told anyone who saw it that he wasn't enjoying himself.

"That's where we're going," Bill said. "The gathering of trees up ahead. The entrance is somewhere around those trees. It isn't that much further."

The sun was standing high in the sky as they walked up to the trees. They walked around the trees searching until they found a deep narrow passage. "We will settle down here. We'll need to eat before we continue. The people that were here don't seem to be anymore," Bill said.

Harry walked up to the passage and looked own into the darkness. " _ **Laas yah jul nir,"**_ he whispered. He couldn't see any lights down there. Not even the hint of a light. He added more power to the shout and redid it. He wanted to make sure that there were no humans down there. "I can detect any humans around except for us," he said. "We could probably seal the place off from non-magicals right now."

"We need to eat," Bill said.

"Well you guys set up whatever-ma-thingy is needed to keep non-magicals out, and I'll settle down and cook for us then. Don't worry I'm used to cooking over an open fire," Harry said. He found a good spot in the dirt and sat down. "I also have no experience whatsoever with the magic you need to use." He took his shoulder bag off and opened it up. He rummaged around in it and pulled his grocery bag out together with some sharp metal spits. He unpacked them from the protective packaging they were in. He removed a pack of mutton from his bag.

"I don't want meat," Rose said. Harry could tell that it was the annoying pinkette. He didn't mind making a vegetarian spit. He placed the meat to the side so he could start with the vegetables. He smiled as he started working. He could hear the others moving around. They would set up some kind of wards to keep people and animals away he guessed. He placed his knife down and placed a hand on the ground. He needed to get a fire going. He froze mid motion. There was a canine standing only a few feet again. "Hello little one," he said softly. "What are you doing here?" he looked over to the others. They were all gathered over by something some way away. His eyes trailed back to the little hyena. Another one came walking out off the dry underbrush.

Harry used a detect life spell. There were plenty more hyenas out there. He tilted his head to the side. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with them. He guessed feeding them would be a bad idea. They would be better off afraid of humans. "I'm sorry little ones," he said. He cast a fear spell at them. As they ran off, he went back to dealing with the food.

Charlie walked over to the 'brunet'. "Hey love," he said as he sat down behind him. "How are things going?" he asked. The food smelled really good.

Harry leaned back and kissed Charlie. "I'm almost done. Are they getting anywhere?" he asked.

"They'll get it up soon enough," Charlie said. He leaned against Harry. "I'm not of much help with that though. I would rather be right here then over with them if I can't help them." He watched Harry lift a spit off the fire. "Here you can have this," the 'brunet' said. He moved the meat and vegetables off the spit down on one of the plates stacked next to him. He placed a fork on the plate and handed it to Charlie.


	62. Dragon's Breath Cave - End 4

**Dragon's Breath Cave**

Lucius sat down by the table that the Minister had reserved in Rosemary's Thyme. The restaurant ensured privacy something that both he and the Minister valued. He checked his pocket watch. The Minister was running late. A waitress came by, and he ordered a glass of lemon water. He would have wine with the meal, but he didn't need to drink more than that. He had received a notice form his accountant earlier that day. Kato Peverell had left the book he had wanted with Morgriff. The young man had left for Namibia for some reason. He had left a shipment for Severus with the goblin as well. He lifted the glass of water and took a sip. He looked out over the restaurant.

The aristocratic blond stood up slowly. The Minister had arrived. "Good day Cornelius," he said. He shook the man's hand before they sat down together.

"My apologies for being late Lucius," Cornelius said. "Harold Aylmer caught me just before I was about to leave. He wouldn't stop blabbering about Amelia and some kind of cure. He made no sense whatsoever." He took his bowler hat off. "Hopefully Amelia can make sense of the situation."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she could," Lucius said. He lifted his menu up and looked through it. He marked what he wanted and then he placed it back down. The menu disappeared. Once the Minister had ordered, Lucius sat there with a pleasant smile just listening to the man ramble on. A part of him wished that they could get a smarter Minister. It wouldn't be as easy to control a smart Minister though.

"Then we have Hogwarts. How come there still isn't a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Cornelius asked.

Lucius placed his wine glass down. "Why don't you send someone in yourself Cornelius? Maybe it is time to check the school over properly. There have been a lot of strange things going on there lately. If Dumbledore can't even find someone to fill the position there should be something you can do about it," he said calmly.

Cornelius nodded slowly. "Yes, yes of course. You are right Lucius. I will have to look into that," he said. "There has to be something the Ministry can do about that. I'll have to talk to the Department of Magical Education."

Lucius hid a smirk. It really was too simple to steer this man. His thoughts trailed to the book he had waiting for him. He hoped it would hold the information he needed.

…

While Lucius Malfoy was playing the Minister for Magic in Britain, Harry was washing the dishes. They had finished eating. They would need to start making their way down into the cave soon. Harry and Charlie would go first.

"Can't we just fly brooms down?" Harry asked. He had been listening to the others argue about how to best get down. "I know we need something more long term set up, but if we fly it will be easier to set it up."

Bill closed his eyes and groaned. "Yes brooms would have made this easier," he said. "I doubt anyone thought to bring that though. It wasn't something I considered before we left."

Harry smiled softly. He opened his bag up and pulled out a box. He placed it down next to him and enlargened it. Out of the box he lifted his Firebolt. "There, broom," he said.

"That's a Firebolt," Ralis said. "That's not just any broom."

"Does it matter what the brand is?" Harry asked. He stood up. "It's a broom." He turned to Charlie. "Come one let's go down and take a look," he said.

"Is that really a good idea?" Laurina asked. "Shouldn't Ralis or I go down first we are here to protect you?"

"We'll be fine," Harry said. "We're going to check on the dragon rumour. We're better of just the two of us." He walked over to the narrow passage. It was small, but they would be able to go down if they were careful. He sat down on the broom, and then he held his hand out to Charlie. The oranget sat down behind him. "O.K. let's get down there," Harry said. He manoeuvred the broom over to the darkness of the cave opening. He lowered them down slowly. It went dark all around them as they moved deeper down. Charlie pulled his wand out. "Lumos," he said. His wand lit the area around them up. "Duck," Harry said. He moved forward so he wouldn't hit his head on the low ceiling. They continued down a slope for a bit until they reached a drop. They moved down slowly until they could land on a ledge.

Harry walked forward until he was standing on the edge of that ledge. He held a hand out and placed the other on his gem belt. He could use the magic stored in the gems to perform spells when he needed to. It required that he wasn't low on magicka in the first place though since it would still take some from his magicka reserves. He sent a huge ball of light down deeper into the cave. It his something down there and stopped.

"That's quite bright," Charlie said. "It might create problems later on."

"It won't hold forever," Harry said. "Though, it will provide us with light for now." It was quite some time since he'd last been down in a cave. He was really enjoying himself. He loved exploring. They mounted the broom again and continued down. The closer to the glowing light the got the more obvious it got that the orb was sitting on the water surface of a lake. Harry moved off the broom and placed his feet on the water. "Let's see if there is anybody home," he said calmly. " _ **Laas yah dovah nir,"**_ he whispered. A smirk spread over his lips as twenty or so individual shapes lit up. " _ **Drem yol lok dovahhe, zu'u los Dovahkiin - greetings dragons, I am Dragonborn. Will you, tinvaak, speak with me?"**_ he said in dovahzul. He thought it best to be direct with the winged beings. He looked up at Charlie still sitting on his broom. "Don't do anything unless you have to alright?" he said.

"I won't," Charlie said. He'd seen what the raven could do. He wasn't about to get in the way. He reached out and placed a hand on the raven's shoulder as he made sure to keep the broom steady. He could hear wings beating. After as long as he'd been with the dragons in the reserve, he could recognise a dragon anywhere. He pulled in a deep breath. A beautiful dragon flew into the light. It was small no more than twelve feet long. Its scales glowed with a mesmerizing red sheen.

" _ **You speak to us human?"**_ the ruby dragon said. He wasn't sure about the human. It didn't smell like a human.

" _ **Yes,"**_ Harry said. He bowed low. " _ **Humans will travel down into this cave nonvul dovah, noble dragon. I hope that we can all be down here without fighting each other,"**_ he said. " _ **We do not wish to harm you or yours. We and our companions simply want to research the cave."**_ He was watching the dragon. He was pretty sure that it was a Crystalback. Unlike other dragons the Crystalbacks could not greet other members of the dov by shouting.

The dragon flew up closer to the human and shrank in size. He landed on the human's outstretched arm and looked up at him. He was the leader of the pack. He could tell that this human was of the dov. His head snapped to the side. He could smell one of his own. He looked up at the human. " _ **Hi brud gein do dii meyar – you carry one of my own,"**_ he said.

Harry nodded. " _ **Zu'u dreh – I do,"**_ he said. " _ **Will you come out Malqo?"**_ He looked down at his neck. The little blue dragon moved slowly as he crawled out from his monah's collar. He looked down at the red dragon. This one was older than him. He looked up at his monah. " _ **Monah fos dreh rok laan – what does he want?"**_ he asked. " _ **Who is he?"**_

The red dragon moved back. The hatchling called the human mother. " _ **Zu'u Sologaal,"**_ he said. " _ **I am the leader of my tah, my pack. Will you come with me little one?"**_ he asked.

Malqo looked up at his monah. " _ **What about monah?"**_ he asked.

Sologaal looked from the little dragon to the human. " _ **Rok los ahk saak – he is too big. He can't get in to our nest,"**_ he said.

" _ **If you want to go you can Malqo,"**_ Harry said. He looked down at the little red dragon. " _ **Will you refrain from harm the humans?"**_ he asked.

Sologaal nodded slowly. " _ **If they do not harm us,"**_ he said.

" _ **Nox hi,"**_ Harry said. " _ **Go on Malqo be with your own kind. I will not disappear."**_ He reached up and ran his hand down the little dragon's back. " _ **Go have fun."**_

Malqo moved down his arm, and he took off with Sologaal.

" _ **You better take care of my little one,"**_ Harry said.

" _ **I will dovahkiin,"**_ Sologaal said. He flew out of the light with Malqo.

Once the dragon's had disappeared from sight, Harry turned back to Charlie. "The leader of the pack Sologaal promises that the dragons won't attack us. He will show Malqo around. We have to make sure that everyone else keeps off the dragons. If they harm the dragons, they will attack them," he said. "Come on get off that broom. You won't fall into the water." He held a hand out as a smirk spreading over his lips.

Charlie took the offered hand. He wasn't so sure about the water, but he knew that Harry wouldn't lie to him. The 'brunet' hated lies. He placed his feet on the water and walked up close to Harry so he could kiss the other.

"You know we'll be alone down here until we call the others down," Harry said. "We could always have some fun before going back up there." He ran his fingers in under Charlie's shirt.

"We won't be fooling anyone up there," Charlie said.

Harry laughed cheerfully. "Like I care," he said. "Do you care?" he asked. He was walking back over the water. The smirk on his lips was playful. He wanted to have some fun. His bright green eyes were glittering in the light from the magelight. He had switched back to his true colours. He knew Charlie preferred that. "Let's just have some fun," he said.

Charlie chuckled. Like he could say no to that look. He followed the raven. ' _I'm going to get you,'_ he thought. He was glad that the raven was so carefree.

…

An hour or so later the two men made their way back up to the surface. Harry made sure that his hair and eyes were the right colour. He didn't want to have to explain himself to anyone right then and there. He could feel Charlie's arms wrapping around his waist tightly. Butterflies were fluttering around in his stomach. He'd never felt like this before. Hogwarts wasn't going to be anywhere near as much fun that year. Not now that he'd met Charlie. He'd pull through though. It had to be done. He was just happy that the oranget understood.

"What have the two of you been up to?" Rose whined once they landed back on the ground outside.

"None of your business," Harry said. He turned to Bill. "The dragons have promised to not attack us as long as we don't harm them," he said.

The blue eyes of the older redhead caught on a number of red marks trailing down the brunet's neck. He raised an eyebrow and looked over at his brother. "I thought the two of you were supposed to be working down there," he said.

Charlie shrugged. "Better down there then up here no," he said with a lazy smirk. "Less people down there." He winked. "Don't tell me you wouldn't have taken the opportunity if your little blonde had been here."

Harry walked up to Charlie and kissed him. He chuckled at the look on Bill's face. "We did what we were supposed to do," he said. "The dragons won't attack us. The cave down there is big. It will take a long time to find everything that may be hidden down there. It's your turn now though. I have got no clue how to get everyone down there." He gave Charlie a peck on the cheek before he wandered off. There was a wind billowing over the plain. It came from the dessert pulling sand and dust with it. His hair fanned out around his face. Sun kissed fingers reached up and ran over the bite marks Charlie had left along his throat.

"Hey balaur why did you disappear over here?" Charlie asked as he wrapped his arms around the raven in disguise.

"I didn't disappear," Harry said. "What does balaur mean?" he asked.

"It means dragon in Rumanian," Charlie answered. "You are my dragon, balaur meu."

Harry chuckled and closed his eyes as he leaned back against the muscular chest behind him. Charlie was shorter than him – not by much – but the oranget's shoulders were way broader than his so he still felt small. Not that he cared really. "And you are my mate, _**dii onliin**_." His eye moved over the barren landscape. "We'll do the most of the time we have right?" he said.

Charlie nodded his cheek rubbing against the dark-brown hair. "Definitely," he said. "We can help them until they figure out how to get down with everyone now. We're here for the dragons after all. Do you think you can help me to get in good with the dragons before you have to leave?"

"Sure that shouldn't be all that difficult," Harry said. He moved away from the oranget. "Will you come with me? I want to explore a bit." Charlie took his hand. "Sure, we should tell Bill before we head out so he knows were out and about."

The two lovers talked to the leader of the group before they went exploring. They didn't return until that evening after supper. They settled down with the others. They would be going down into the cave en mass the next day.

Harry curled up next to Charlie as they settled down to sleep that night. He was smiling softly. He'd always slept better with someone else there. He hated being alone. It reminded him of his time back in the cupboard under the stairs.

Bill walked over to his bed. They had taken a proper wizarding tent with them. While Charlie and Harry had been down in the cave, the rest of them had put it up. His eyes moved over to Harry and Charlie. They were cuddling. There weren't enough rooms to give both couples their own room so Harry and Charlie had let the Elovyns get the separate room. They didn't mind as long as they could be together.

Bill was happy for his brother. Kato was a nice guy. The fact that the brunet was Fleur's friend was nice as well since it meant they might get a chance to be closer. He had missed his closest brother. They had spent so much time together when they were younger. He missed that.

…

The following day they started building a path down to the lake. They had to make platforms for people to stand on down there. The path led straight down to the dark water after all. Everyone had to help get things in order. They worked hard to get done as soon as possible.

Harry and Charlie noticed dragons moving just out of the light from the orbs Prower had set up. They seemed curious. Harry had to stop Rose from sending of a spell at a hatchling. "He won't harm you," he said. "If you attack him his mother will respond. We are standing over a lake. They can shoot lightning from their wings. They are very dangerous down here."

"You are supposed to be keeping them away," Rose said.

"I'm supposed to keep them from harming anyone," Harry said. "Don't attack them and they won't harm you."

* * *

 _19th of August, 1995. Saturday_

Three days after they first arrived, Harry was wandering around along the edge of the lake. Charlie was sitting with a gathering of dragons. The raven had spoken to them to let them know what Charlie wanted to do, and then he'd left the oranget. He wanted to explore the cave. It was dark but the little light over his shoulder kept him from stumbling around. He found a tunnel. The map in his hands was added to. He was using the same rules as back when he and Rhavaniel had explored Blackreach. Ven was flying around as well. She really helped with the creation of the map.

He turned into the tunnel. The rock beneath his fingers was wet. The air down there was humid and warm. It smelled strange. He had considered using his modified waterbreathing spell but hadn't done it yet. The tunnel seemed too smooth to be natural. Could it really be man made though? He kept checking his compass as he drew the map. The others had told him that they would use magic to make a map later, but he wanted a handmade one. There was something special with making a map yourself.

His eyes widened and he lowered the map as he entered a small room. He reached up and grabbed his Candlelight. He increased the power of the small ball and threw it towards the ceiling. "Kyne blessed be," he whispered. Row upon row of old dovahkuld covered the walls. He looked around. Certain words popped out at him. Dinok - death, frein - melting, lomos - steam.

" _ **Ko daar oblaan do tiid mu lif ol pogaas frahzogin do un joriin ol mu vis**_ – in this the end of time we leave as much information about our people as we can," he read. " _ **Faal gol los faadus faal lotlom diipahhe voth frin**_ – The earth is warming the lake bubbles with heat. _**Nii los gejahrii voth nakooriiz**_ – It is filled with sulphur."

' _Faal lomos fen ofaal wah mii. Gein do fin kiirre thral ko_

 _ok kopraan soqat ahrk sahqo ol fin lom frein ok karaka._

 _Til los nid sav mii. Faal lot viingaal geinne lost vahlut ont un_

 _sahvot. Nust fen ni daal.'_

 _The steam will get to us. One of the children jumped in;_

 _his body pink and red as the water melted his skin. There_

 _is no saving us. The great winged ones have left us to our_

 _faith. They will not return._

Harry swallowed thickly. He had to get back to the others. He needed to translate the rest of the text as well. He would have to prioritise. The lake wasn't acting up right now so he was probably better off translating the rest of the text. He sat down. This was going to take time.

' _Faal sonaak lost vahlut mii. Rok unt ok pruzaan wah_

 _dein mii tahriik. Mu dreh ni lost lingrah vahlut.'_

"The priest has left us. He tried his best to keep us safe. We don't have long left," Harry mumbled as he wrote. He was reaching the end of the script in the room. There was a sealed door though.

"Kato? Are you in here?"

The 'brunet' turned around. "Bill?" he said. He stood up. The tall redhead walked into the small cave. He studied the walls. "That's quite the something. I have never seen this much of these particular runes in one place before," he said.

"But you have seen them before?" Harry said. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised. Dragon runes should be everywhere there have ever been dragons. At least if dragons got involved with beings who liked writing things down. He wasn't sure how the runes looked the same on both Earth and Nirn. ' _Probably has something to do with Kyne,'_ he thought.

"Yes, I have seen them down in the pyramids in Egypt," Bill said. "We have never managed to figure out what they mean though."

Harry handed over his notebook. "Take a look," he said. He walked up to the strange door and placed a hand against it. He knew he should be able to get past it. He wasn't sure how though.

"You have translated all of this?" Bill asked. He was looking down at the notes. He was reading slowly.

"Yes I have it is _**dovahkuld**_ or dragon script," Harry said. "I can both speak to dragons and read the written language created by those who once lived with or prayed to the dragons. It is hard to tell from this which these people did. I am working on a lexicon. The goblins want it. There is a long way to go though."

"That would be real nice," Bill said. "What are you up to now?" he asked. He watched the brunet run his fingers down the wall. He pulled his wand out and sent a couple of detection spells at the wall. ' _Whoa,'_ he thought as the stone lit up like the night sky of the New Year. There where loads of different protections on that wall. His eyes moved over the different spells as he tried to figure out just what they had to deal with. His wand started moving as he found a curse he knew. He was slowly working his way through the spell.

Amber eyes turned to the older man. Blue eyes were closed in concentration. His flame-orange hair had broken out of his hair-tie and was floating serenely around his face. His wand moved in an intricate pattern as words not quite audible passed his lips. Harry could feel the magic building up around him. Stepping back slowly, he made sure to stay out of the redhead's way. He figured that the magic blocking his path was wizarding magic. He couldn't do much about that. He would have to wait. An auburn streak of magic shot from Bill's wand and hit the wall. Blue eyes widened as the walls around them started glowing. "Shit," he breathed out. He stumbled back. A blue shield appeared around him. A hiss reached his ears. He looked down. Kato was standing in front of him holding that shield up. Pain registered on the brunet's face as the magic in the room attacked them. " _ **Jaaril spaan warden,"**_ he hissed out strengthening his ward. ' _How long is this going to go on?'_ he wondered. He wasn't sure how long he could hold the ward.

Bill watched the brunet. He wasn't sure what to do. He could feel the magic protecting them, but he couldn't tell what it was. It was different from anything else he'd ever seen. The room stopped blasting them with magic. Kato dropped his ward. He was breathing heavily.

"We should get back to the others," Bill said softly. "Do you need help?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "I'll be fine," he said. "You're right though. We should go back. We'll have to come back here later. We should probably bring Laurina or Ralis next time." He turned around so he could follow the redhead out of the small room. He was a bit unsteady on his feet. He was careful though. Bill made sure that he made it to Charlie. "Stay with your boyfriend now," he said. "We don't need one of our dragons experts fainted somewhere."

Charlie looked up. He noticed the tired look on Harry's face. "What happened?" he asked. He reached out for the 'brunet'.

"I messed up," Bill said. "Kato found a tunnel and a small room. There were wards and curses woven into the walls. I tried to remove a curse, and I didn't analyze it enough. There was a security system. If Kato hadn't been there I would have been fried." He grimaced as he ran a hand through his hair. "My Master and the goblins who taught me would not be happy with me right now. After all the time they spent teaching me to take it easy." He sighed. "Just make sure he doesn't do anything strenuous," he told Charlie.

Harry sat down next to his boyfriend and leaned over so he could place his head on Charlie's shoulder. Charlie chuckled. He wrapped an arm around the raven in disguise and pulled him down so he was lying with his head in his lap. "Thank you for saving my brother," he said.

Harry smiled tiredly. "Like I would just let him die when I was right there," he said. He reached up and ran his fingers along Charlie's jaw line.

" _ **Monah los laagus - mommy is tired. What happened?"**_ Malqo asked. He moved up to his monah and placed his head on the Dragonborn's chest. He studied his monah and then he looked up at monah onliin. He should take better care off monah.

" _ **Volzah lu iidah Sahqoam - bad magic attacked Red-lion. I had to protect him. He could have died otherwise,"**_ Harry said tiredly. " _ **Don't you worry I just need some rest."**_ He sighed softly and cuddled closer to Charlie.

"Is the little one worried?" the oranget asked. He rand his fingers through the 'brunet's' hair slowly. He had felt the magic earlier. It had worried the dragons. He hadn't done anything since there was no chance he could actually help. It had been one of those things he had to learn. Stay away when you can't contribute. Being a Gryffindor he had the slight tendency to run in head first. He'd learned the hard way that it was a very dumb idea. Dragon's were dangerous.

"He is," Harry said. "I'll be fine with some rest and food though." He pulled himself up so he was sitting against Charlie's chest. He wrapped an arm around the oranget. "Can you keep working with me here?" he asked. He rubbed his cheek against the other's shirt as he moved closer.

"I'll make it work do you worry," Charlie said. He hugged the 'brunet' closer his eyes trailing over the dragons playing. These were so different from other dragons. He guessed it had something to do with their size. They needed to stick together to stay safe. Malqo was mixing in with the other Crystalbacks just fine. It was the first type of dragon he'd met that didn't have a specific colour scheme. He had green and red, blue and pink dragons jumping around happily before him. Their scales looked like crystals though so their name was well deserved. He shifted and looked down at the now sleeping man in his arms. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. His eyes trailed out over the rest of the cave.

Laurina had her wand out and was securing more rafts for them to walk on. Her long brown hair was falling out of the knot at the back of her head slowly. Her husband was cooking for the group. They had been put on a rotating schedule for that. Charlie remembered the first time he had been in charge of food. He had no clue what he was doing. Luckily for him Harry had walked up to him and saved the food before he had ruined it. The raven was patient though. He had learned much just helping the other man finish the food. His mother had always thought that it was a woman's job to take care of the kitchen. She had never taught him, and he had gone straight from Hogwarts to the Dragon Reserve in Romania. He had never needed to cook for himself. He figured he could learn form Harry though.

Rose was sitting next to some kind of strange artifact she had found. She wasn't as irritating now that they had arrived. Prower was helping Bill and Laurina get their rafts and set up lights so they could see. He had made the lights they wee using.

…

Harry spent the next day with Charlie helping his boyfriend get closer to the dragons. He wanted to make sure that Charlie wouldn't have any problems with the dragons once he left. He spoke with Sologaal as well. He wanted to learn as much as he could about the dragons and their time there as possible.

The dragon pack had arrived long after the humans that had once lived there were gone. It was hard to tell how long it had been since humans had lived down there. The information he had gathered didn't give much when it came to time. He hopped he could find more information.

* * *

 _21st of August, 1995. Monday_

Laurina studied the walls of the small cave she was standing in. She was there with William and Kato. The young brunet was convinced that he could open a door in the room. Her dark eyes moved over the script. "Do we know what this says?" she asked.

"It is the last recording of the people who lived down here. It tells of how they died," Harry said. "The water in the lake killed them. They would have been better off without magic their deaths would have been quicker. I have a full translation of it back at camp." He reached out and placed his hand against the door. "Is there any wizarding magic left?" he asked Bill.

The redhead raised his wand and sent a detection spell at the wall. He got a reading back, but he couldn't tell what it was. "There is something there," he said. "I can't focus on it though."

Harry nodded. "It might be dragon magic," he said. He searched the immediate area with both Detect Life and Detect Dead. There was something dead walking around past the door. "At the ready there is something on the other side of this door," he said. He placed a hand against the door. " _ **Voqulek gaar bex,"**_ he whispered. Originally the door may have needed a password, but the magic was fading and old. He was stronger than the one who had cast the original magic as well. He could order the door open. It wasn't something he would try if the magic was stronger. He backed away as the door swung open. ' _Maybe I should have worn my armour,'_ he thought. He cast Dragonhide to protect himself. It would work almost as well as his armour. He threw a ball of light into the next room. It was a fairly big hall. He opened his bag as he stepped into the room. Red glows appeared along the floor.

"Kato get back here it is filled with inferi," Laurina shouted.

Amber eyes moved over the floor quickly. ' _Oh, shit,'_ he thought. Something was grabbing for his ankle. His eyes started glowing softly as he charged the spell he was about to send. It was a Master Restoration spell. Blue flames danced along his arms as orbs of white light filled his palms. He threw it to the floor and blue flames spread out around him. The undead bodies lying around him caught on fire. Their gurgling shrieks filled the air.

Harry pulled his sword in case there were any of them left. Of the undead he had hit there was only ash left.

"What did you just do?" Laurina asked as she came walking up to him. "You burned them all." She was a bit shaken though she wasn't showing it. He could seriously harm people with that.

"It is a spell connected to the school of Healing," Harry said. "Bane of the Undead. It only works against undead. If you and Bill had been down here with me you would have been unaffected by it. I have learnt magic different from what is normal. I'm a mage – a Battle-Mage – not a wizard." He checked around for more red glows. He would make sure that no undead crept out to the others. He didn't want them to end up in danger.

He found several undead. His dark blade cut through their necks before he set the bodies on fire. He moved methodically from body to body taking them all out. The Hall could use some cleaning but it was relatively intact. "The text outside spoke of the High Priest. It said that the High Priest would not let them in. She wouldn't save them. Theses people look like they could be the High Priest's court. We might have a Dragon Priest to deal with in here."

"What is a Dragon Priest?" Bill asked.

"The closest worshiper of the dragons. The Dragon Priest can speak to the dragons and speak as a dragon. I can use dragon magic but so can they. The power a Dragon Priest holds can keep them alive through the centuries. Their souls bound to the masks they wear. I'm not going deeper than this without preparing properly first," Harry said. He was studying a highchair at the head of the room.

"I have never heard of Dragon Priests before," Laurina said. "You sound like you have experience though. Where have you met them?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "Nordic tombs," he said truthfully. "If there is a priest in here we'll want to deal with her as soon as possible. Opening that door might let her powers reach further. Some Dragon Priests are capable of messing with peoples' magic and minds. She could turn our people against each other." He placed his bag down on the ground. "I'm going to change and then I'm going. He looked up at Bill and Laurina. "We need food and if you are coming with me you better be prepared to fight. Ralis should stay in case something passes us by, but he needs to know what's going on."

Laurina nodded. "We'll be right back," she said. She walked out, Bill not far behind her. The redhead stopped by the door and looked back. "What do you want me to tell Charlie?" he asked.

Harry pulled his shirt off and tilted his head to the side. He hadn't thought about that. He'd gotten so set in old ways that he had just not thought about Charlie. "Just let him know what's going on," he said before kneeling down. He needed to get his armour on.

Bill shook his head in puzzlement by the brunet's response. He wasn't sure what his brother's reaction would be. ' _Charlie's pretty laid back though. He might not have much of a reaction,_ ' he thought. He found his brother surrounded by dragons. He told the younger oranget what was going on and what action they were planning on taking.

Charlie nodded. "Make sure you all come back relatively unharmed," he said. He couldn't do much to help down there. He knew about dragons – old tombs not so much. That was Harry's grove. He'd leave the raven to it. He was more worried about his brother than he was about his boyfriend.

Bill walked up to Laurina so he could take one of the bags she was preparing. Ralis didn't look all that happy. Bill guessed it was because he wasn't coming with them. The couple was used to working together. Now they were taking Laurina with them and leaving her husband. Bill didn't hang around in case they wanted to speak in private. He made his way around the lake. As he entered the Hall they had opened up, his eyes fell on a warrior dressed in black dragon scales. A sword hung by the man's side and a bow and quiver was fastened to his back. The bag that the brunet carried with him had been attached to his lower back so it would be out of his way. A silver mask hung by his belt and the string of gems glowed softly. A blue hair clip was fastened in the brown locks keeping the messy hair up and out of the man's face. Harry turned around. Bill almost took a step back. The look on the man's face was bone chilling.

Then the amber eyes blinked and they filled with warmth at the sight of him. "Good you're back," he said. "The faster we deal with this the better." His eyes trailed over to Laurina as she entered. "Well that is quite something," she said. She walked up to him and then she checked the straps holding the armour together. "This is a beautiful piece of work," she said. "Who made it?"

"My mother," Harry said. "She made my sword and bow too." He checked them over. "You look ready enough," he said. "Let's go." He walked past the highchair at the head of the hall. The remains of an old wooden door filled a doorway back there. The rotting wood was soft and falling apart. Harry raised his modified waterbreathing spell so he wouldn't have to smell what else was down there. The main cave was bad enough. He raised a hand as he summoned a small ball of light to hang above his shoulder.

There were old carvings covering the walls. They could see dragons and people. They were all facing the same direction. "This is definitely not right," Harry said. The dragons looked like they were worshiping the Priest. "Dragons don't worship humans." He placed his hand on the carving of a woman. She was centred in the décor. Both humans and dragons were bowing to her. "The dragon's in the Romanian Reserve respect me," he said. "They would never do that."

The carving was beautiful though.

They didn't stop for long. They needed to find the centre of the cave system.

" _ **Laas yah paal nir,"**_ Harry whispered. He could see shapes ahead. "There is something moving up ahead," he said calmly. He summoned Ven. "Go on and check what we're up against sweetie," he told her.

"What is that?" Laurina asked.

"She's my familiar," Harry said. He reached back and pulled a scroll from his bag. He held it out to Bill. "Why don't you try," he said.

The redhead took the scroll. He opened it up. "What do I do with it?" he asked.

"Focus your magic on it and activate it," Harry said. "I don't actually know how you have to do it. I'm not a wizard. You might be able to figure it out. If you don't feel up to it now then pack it away somewhere." He moved up ahead of the other two. Ven had found something to tear into. He started heading up a set of stairs following the sound of dying undead. He found himself in a corridor. "There are undead in both ends of this corridor," he said. He'd turned around to look down at the other two. "You know how to deal with them?" he asked.

"Course we know kiddo," Laurina said.

"Good then we're splitting here. You take left. I'm taking right," Harry said. He pulled his sword and headed down the corridor. He found a dried up door. Katla would have kicked it in. He wasn't going to risk the door being stuck. He could hurt himself pretty bad if he did that. Fire spread over his fingers. He reached out and the flames spread to the wood. The flames cracked and sparked as they consumed the wood of the door. He realised that Ven must have gone the other way. He hadn't seen anything to show that she had been through his way. The remains of the door fell to the ground. He cut an undead's head off as he stepped through the doorway. He threw a magelight orb to the ceiling of the room. He moved through the room quickly. The undead fell to the ground as he cut their heads off. He dragged the bodies together before setting them on fire.

As Harry beheaded animate corpses, Bill walked around and turn with his wand raised. The spectral form of Kato's familiar was standing over a corpse. Great wings spread out as the griffin screeched. Bill walked forward slowly. He reached out to the half-bird half-lion. It jumped over to him and rubbed against his outstretched hand. He smiled softly. His wand rose and he sent of a jet of flames at the rotting body of the inferius. He sent of a diffindo charm at another corpse. The rotting head feel to the floor with a wet thump. Empty eyes stared at him. He grimaced and sent fire at the head.

Laurina mauled her own inferius down before setting it aflame. "These things are disgusting," she said. She sent a darks spell off at another inferi. It exploded sending decomposing flesh out through the room.

Bill hurled but he didn't throw up. "Will you not do that," he said. He was glad he had managed to throw up a shield around himself, and that he was veering a bubble head charm. He wouldn't have enjoyed being covered in that stuff. He moved past her and blasted a door open. The griffin jumped past him and continued down the corridor beyond. He raised his wand a light spreading from its tip. Laurina moved up behind him, and they continued.

They found several more inferi as they moved on. Thankfully they never found many in a room. The spectral griffin cleared out several of the undead before they even entered the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" Laurina shouted suddenly.

Bill ran up ahead. His eyes widened as he saw the brunet rushing forward. A wave of fire spread to the young man. He rolled to the side quickly so he could continue onwards without being hit. A frozen cloud left him. Bill got down from the terrace he was standing on so he could see better. The brunet was heading towards a woman. She looked amazingly fresh for a corpse. Her hair fell down to her waist, golden blonde and curly. Aquamarine eyes locked onto his. He felt something press against his mindshields. He pushed back as best as he could. His vision swam. He could see Kato reaching the woman. He stumbled forward as the attacks to his mind seized.

Harry stood up slowly. He pushed the woman's body to the side. She actually looked alive still. She couldn't be though. As a matter of fact it was his undead detection skills that had showed her to him. He pointed the tip of his sword to her body and sent fire down the blade. He shook his head and sighed. His head lifted to look around. He wanted to make sure that there were no more corpses walking around. He had killed the source so they should be gone. He wasn't sure exactly how inferi worked though. He turned to Bill and Laurina. "Are you guys alright?" he asked.

"We're fine," Laurina said.

"Good."

Bill stood back up. He ran a hand though his fire-orange hair. ' _That was unpleasant,'_ he thought. He checked his wand before putting it away. "They should all be gone now," he said. "She must have been the source."

Laurina nodded. "Makes the most sense to me," she said.

"So inferi are made?" Harry asked.

"Yes they are. Inferi are corpses that have been reanimated by a witch or wizard. It is classed as Necromancy," Bill said.

Harry grimaced. He could do stuff like that. Not that he liked to do it, but he knew the spells. "At least that means that we don't have to worry about any more corpses wandering around," he said.

"True," Laurina said.

"We should eat something before we start heading back," Harry said. "This went faster than I thought it would. We'll be back before evening. Not that it maters much down in the cave." He removed his bag from his belt. His sword was cleaned off and placed back in its scabbard.

"Ralis will be glad. He didn't like this little venture," Laurina said. She started unpacking food items so they could cook.

…

It took them a couple of hours to get back to the underground lake.

Harry closed the door behind him. He didn't want anyone to walk in there without him right now. He would make sure that it was safe enough for people like Rose before he left. Thinking of Rose she was staring at him. He guessed it was the armour. He didn't care about what she thought though. "Hey Charlie," he said.

The oranget looked up at him. A smirk spread over his lips. "Hello gorgeous," he said. He stood up so he could pull the raven in disguise closer. He leaned in and kissed Harry deeply. "Did it go well balaur meu?" he asked. He ran his fingers through brown locks moving them away from bright amber eyes.

"We killed the inferi and I took the Dragon Priest out. I guess that translates to going well," Harry said. He wrapped his arms around Charlie's neck. "Can we head out of here?" he asked. "I want to breathe fresh air.

"We can do that," Charlie said. He wouldn't mind some time away from the others. He was awarded with a bright smile. He took Harry's hand, and they headed over to the ladders leading up. Harry's Firebolt had been packed away so it wouldn't get harmed. It was a pretty expensive broom after all.

* * *

The following couple of days Harry spent both with Charlie dealing with the dragons and over in the Priest's quarters. He was making sure that the dragons would listen to Charlie as well as making the quarters safe for Prower and Rose. He was working pretty hard, but it was so much fun.

…

 _25th of August, 1995. Friday_

The team had decided to take a day above surface. They needed the air and the light. It wasn't good to stay in deep caves for too long. They needed some time to recover between visits down there. The sun was shining brightly. Laurina was sitting by a cooking fire. The tent was still set up down in the cave, and she didn't mind cooking over an open fire. She eyes moved up to the plain around them.

"Something the matter?" Harry asked. He was helping her cook and had noticed the concerned look on her face.

"There is an elephant over there," Laurina said. "Elephants don't move around on their own unless that's a male." Then her eyes widened.

Harry turned around. He could see the elephant just fine. His head tilted to the side. ' _Is that a calf?'_ he wondered. He stood up slowly. "That can't be good," he said. "There is no water out there."

"The calf will die for sure," Laurina said. "I'm surprised it is still alive it has been dry for a while now."

"All they need is water?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but the cow won't let you get close to them. There really isn't much we can do," Laurina said. She sighed as the brunet started moving. He couldn't help them. He would be better off just accepting that.

Harry slowed down form his sprint so he wouldn't scare the elephant cow. " _ **Kaan drem ov,"**_ he whispered softly. He walked up to the huge gray skinned herbivore. " _ **Ahnok kon, vir los hi dreh -hey girl, how are you doing?"**_ he asked. He held his hands out so he could conjure water in his hands. " _ **Do you want some?"**_ he asked softly.

Her trunk moved up to his hands. The shout he had used made her comfortable around him per default. She started sucking water up slowly. Her calf walked up to him slowly. She looked miserable. He lowered his hands to her as the mother sprayed her water into her mouth.

" _ **There you go little one,"**_ Harry said as the little girl sucked water up. He stayed with the two so they could drink their fill. It was a bit straining on him, but he could manage. He repeated Kyne's Peace so the elephants wouldn't get too nervous around him. The elephants followed him as he walked back to the others.

"You can't be serious," Laurina said.

"Do you know have any idea where their herd might be?" Harry asked.

"They usually travel up to Etosha National Park," Laurina said. "These two won't make the trip though. Is about 78 miles there if you go straight."

"So about a fifteen hour walk then," Harry said. "If it is at least sort of flat. I could make it there and back again in two days." He sat down with her again. A small trunk slipped over his shoulder. He moved to the side slightly so he could look up at the little elephant. He rubbed her trunk softly.

"You will not go alone," Laurina said. "There are plenty of dangers out there."

Harry shrugged. "If someone else wants to join they better be able to keep up," he said. "I'll leave after we have eaten. Keeping them this calm isn't easy."

The others kept as far away from the elephants as they could. They did not feel comfortable around the five ton mom. Harry wasn't worried though. He knew that his thu'um would hold. It wouldn't mess with their natural instinct either. A lot of magic could do that, but the shouts didn't. He got up once he'd finished eating. His bag was packed. He felt arms wrap around his waist. "Hey Charlie," he said. He turned around and kissed the tangelo-haired man deeply. "I'll be back soon," he said. "Then I'm not going anywhere until I have to return to Britain."

Charlie nodded. "Sounds good," he said. "I would go with you if that wouldn't slow you down significantly. I got plenty of endurance, but I doubt I can keep up with you. Stay safe alright."

"I will," Harry said. "Take care of the little ones." He kissed the oranget goodbye before he started walking. The elephants followed him. He realised that it might take him a bit longer to get to the lake than he had first thought. While the cow could keep up with him just fine he wasn't as sure about the calf. Laurina caught up with him. She was persistent that he couldn't go on his own. Harry didn't mind really. Company was nice.

They passed over a road. There was a lodge in the distance. The sun was setting slowly. Harry was glad he had had the sunglasses Fred and George had given him for his birthday since they were walking towards the sun. They had stopped to water the elephants some way back. They really were thirsty. At least with the two of them it wasn't as straining to produce all the water the elephants needed. By the time they settled down for the night they had gotten almost halfway to Etosha Pan.

…

 _26th of August, 1995. Saturday_

Harry was glad that Laurina had come with him the next day when they walked into some locals. They had sounded rather angry and they didn't look too friendly either. He wasn't afraid of them, but he didn't want to end up in a fight – especially with the locals.

Laurina had stopped them. She had spoken with them in length effectively calming them down. It turned out that most African tribes had a very different view on witches and wizards then what Harry was used to. Laurina had actually told them exactly what they were. "They hope for your blessing," she told Harry as she returned to him.

"My blessing?" Harry asked.

"I told them that you could speak to the winged beasts of fire," she said. "They wish for your blessing."

"What type of blessing do they want?" Harry asked. "It is all in how you word things."

Laurina turned to the hunters. She asked them something. "They wish for luck in their hunt," she said.

Harry turned to the men. " _ **Kos nir gluus kos,"**_ he said calmly. The aura of power that left him was glowing sun yellow.

The hunters bowed. The younger men had amazed looks on their faces. They had never seen or felt anything like that before.

Harry bowed back. " _ **Tahriik wundun wah hi - safe travels to you,"**_ he said. He and Laurina got going again. She asked him about the blessing and the words he had spoken afterwards, and he explained them to her.

"You are teaching Charlie some aren't you?" Laurina asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I want him to know at least some things so he can deal with the dragons easier. It's just a language after all. I doubt I can teach him how to use the thu'um though. That is the magic I use. It is a completely different thing. You can learn it, but it takes a lot of time and patience. You need to start young to really have a chance with it," he explained.

"Kids don't have all that much patience," Laurina said with a smirk.

"I know," Harry said. "That is still how it works. If you don't want to learn, then it really doesn't matter. It's not going to happen." They passed over several smaller roads on their way to the reserve. The landscape was dry and barren in most places. They stopped several times during the day to water the elephants.

"Shit, cover your ears," Laurina said suddenly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what that was about. He tilted his head to the side as he heard birds' song. ' _Wow that's wired,'_ he thought as the sound vibrated against his mindshields. He could tell that the sound was supposed to mess with his mind, but as a Master of the Mind it didn't work on him. He saw colourful feathers on a strangely round body. It looked like a feather duster. He moved to the side as they reached a herd of elephants. A smile spread over his lips as the cow continued forward. If this had been the wrong herd, she wouldn't be approaching them.

Another elephant greeted the cow, and she and her calf walked in further amongst the elephants in the herd.

"There, now she's back home," Harry said softly. He hoped that the little calf would be alright.

Together he and Laurina started making their way back to Dragon's Breath Cave.

"What was that bird?" Harry asked. "The one that tried to mess with our minds."

"It was a Fwooper. Their song drives listeners insane. Some idiots think they make good pets and keep them at home with a silencing charm on them," Laurina said.

"Sounds extremely stupid," Harry said.

"Couldn't agree more."

They could travel a bit faster on the way back to the cave since they didn't have an elephant calf. They arrived back late the following day.

* * *

 _29th of August, 1995. Tuesday_

Charlie ran his finger through Harry's hair slowly. The 'brunet' was leaving later that day. He was going back to Britain. The oranget sighed softly. ' _Lovesick fool he hasn't even left yet and you're missing him already,'_ he thought. He shifted and kissed Harry. He heard shuffling of sheets and a pair of feet hitting the floor next to them as Bill got out of bed. His eyes trailed over to his older brother. It was nice working with Bill. He had missed his big brother the past couple of years.

"You awake?" Bill asked.

"I am," Charlie asked. "Kato isn't."

The 'brunet' moved his head so he could look at the redhead. "I'm awake. Is there something you wanted?" he asked. He sat up slowly and the covers fell down around his waist.

"No we'll be fine," Bill said. "When are you leaving?" he asked.

"After breakfast," Harry answered. "I have a bunch of things I need to do back in the British branch of Gringotts. The faster I get there the faster I can get it done. I will be delivering our initial report to Aldun as well." He smiled softly as Charlie sat up next to him. He cuddled up to him so he could bask in the warmth radiating off the older man.

Bill rolled his eyes amused. "I'll leave the two of you to it then," he said. "Don't take too long."

"We'll be right out," Charlie said. A smile spread over his lips as Harry turned to him. He leaned in and kissed the 'brunet'.

Bill left the room to the two love-birds he knew they would behave. Laurina and Ralis were sitting by the kitchen table. "Are the other two coming soon as well?" the dark-skinned woman asked.

"Once they are done snogging," Bill said. He sat down and reached out for the bread. He grabbed the knife and cut a slice. "Kato is leaving with our reports. He's needed elsewhere. He and Charlie are convinced Charlie can handle the dragons from now on."

"That's a shame. He's a good addition to the team," Laurina said.

Bill nodded in agreement. "He knows more about the ancient stuff around the cave than Rose does," he said. "We'll manage though. "He said that if we find another place like the Priest's quarters we should leave it be and make sure that Aldun learns about it. Kato will make sure to come by when he can."

"At least that is good," Laurina said. "Dealing with one of those places, if we can even get it open, without him won't be fun."

"What isn't fun?" Harry asked as he and Charlie came walking up to the table. They sat down so they could eat as well. The 'brunet' looked a right mess. His hair was standing every which way, and he had dark red marks travelling up his neck. Charlie didn't look any neater. He didn't have any visible hickeys – that didn't really mean anything though.

The five of them talked nonsense as they finished breakfast. Harry was laughing as he walked back to the room he shared with the Weasleys. He packed up his things. He grabbed one of his dragon claws. He placed it down on the bedside table. He wanted Charlie to have it. He met the oranget as he left the room. "You will come with me up?" he asked.

Charlie nodded. He took Harry's hand and they headed over to the ladders up. They reached the top and he pulled harry closer. He kissed the 'brunet'. "You better keep in touch," he said.

"I will I promise," Harry said. "I'll miss you. Take care. _**Fey tahriik lokaal -**_ stay safe love."

Charlie chuckled. "You make sure that Fred and George don't blow the school up, and take care of yourself," he said. "I'll see you soon, balaur meu."

"Of course," Harry said. He kissed the oranget before backing off so he could activate the port-key. He waved goodbye to Charlie. " _ **Guur,"**_ he said. The port-key activated and he was whisked away.

Charlie sighed. He would miss Harry.

 **~End of Book 4**


	63. Back to Hogwarts - Book 5

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks. I'm simply an author who loves playing around in fictional worlds. I do not make money from this nor do I want to. I write these stories for myself and for others to brighten their day.

Warnings: Male/male relationship with sex. Male/female relationship non-explicit. Killing, gore, and some torture.

* * *

 **Book 5**

 **Back to Hogwarts**

 _30th of August, 1995. Wednesday_

Things were strewn everywhere. It was everything from magic scrolls to arrows to a full set of dragonscale armour. Books joined the mess. It all had to be organised neatly so the owner could find everything easily at a later date. Said owner was going through everything he owned. He had packed his clothes already. That had been easy in comparison to all the other stuff he had. He didn't even know what else he needed to get. There was no Hogwarts letter. He was heading to the train in two days. The guys at Hogwarts needed to get there stuff together. Diagon Alley would be filled with people as soon as the letter arrived. He was glad he lived so close to the alley. He could hopefully get the things he would need before the place got cramped.

He had spent the previous day in different dealings with the goblins. Most of it had been pretty boring, but it was necessary. He missed Dragon's Breath Cave and Charlie. He had spent over a week just being him – even if he had gone by a fake name. Kato Peverell. He actually liked the name. He had felt the same satisfaction dealing with basically everything he'd done in Africa as he had down back in Skyrim on Nirn. He just loved exploring and seeing new stuff. There was a strange feeling connected to killing the undead and dealing with the Dragon Priest as well. He didn't like killing, but he enjoyed practicing his skills.

Harry James Potter was a twenty-year-old battle-mage who was going to do his best to appear as a fifteen-year-old wizard attending school for another school year. He was going to do that so he wouldn't have to deal with the British Ministry in connection to his age. He had gained five years in about an hour on Earth the past year. He'd really been on Nirn which was another planet. He didn't want to deal with what the Ministry would think of that. Time was one of the areas of magic that they kept under tight wrap up. They would think he had messed with time rather than travel to another world, and he wasn't even sure what that they would do. So he was going to make sure most people didn't find out. He didn't really care when it came people knowing about him. It had more to do with him not ending up in some kind of trouble than him not being willing to share what he'd been through. He just figured that most people didn't have any business knowing.

His basically bottomless shoulder strap bag was filled up with the items he always wanted to have with him. Bottomless wasn't really the right word. It was more like things shrunk down in it so he could carry a lot more things than you would think. He packed his armour down with his sword and bow. Then he made sure that his quiver wouldn't lose its arrows as he packed that down as well.

Then he packed the books he wanted with him. He would have to find some more. He needed something new to read. ' _Maybe I should get some muggle fiction,'_ he thought. ' _I should probably find some science books as well.'_ He could always find a book store that day. He didn't have much else to do. Without the Hogwarts letter it was pretty useless to go around and buy stuff in Diagon Alley. He finished packing before he grabbed his bag and headed out. He was going shopping.

…

 _31st of August, 1995. Thursday_

When the Hogwarts letter finally arrived the following day, Harry headed out as soon as he could to buy the books he needed. He basically hid the two titles in a pile of other books ranging from history to Alchemy. He even picked up a book on mind magic. He wanted to see what witches and wizards thought on the subject.

For school he bought _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_ and _Defensive Magical Theory_. All his books went into his bag. He would have to look into the school books so he would know what was going on.

' _This is bullshit,'_ he thought later that day as he sat with the defence book. It had to be the most boring book he had ever read, and that was saying something. His teachers back in Skyrim had given him some pretty boring books to read. He would make his way through it though. He would have to split it up 'cause he would just zone out otherwise. The goblins were finishing his house. He would have to go there once they were done. Winky was doing a great job taking care of everything. He wasn't sure what he would have done without her. She was amazing. He read the first five chapters of _Defensive Magical Theory_ before just giving up on it for that day. It was inane and stupid. He could tell that the teacher was going to be annoying. He'd survive. He didn't need to learn from whoever it was so he would be alright.

* * *

 _1st of September, 1995. Friday_

Amber eyes moved over the nearly empty platforms of King's Cross Station. It was early in the morning. He had decided to head to the train so he would be one of the first there. He would find a nice compartment and just settle down in there. He would read the boring defence book for another set of chapters, and then he would do something that was actually interesting. He was going to get through that book though just so he would know what it was about. He slipped in on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The large red steam train stood dormant for now.

Harry walked up to it and walked inside. His hair turned black and his eyes bright green as he pulled up his glamour necklace. He sat own in one of the empty compartments and pulled a mirror from his bag. He wanted to make some changes to the student glamour. He held the mirror up in front of him with his telekinesis ability. He wanted to make sure that he looked like he had aged appropriately. He made the glamour an inch and a half taller. His hair got a bit longer, and he let some of the tan he had gained over the summer shine through. He was going to let his body look like it had gained some of the weight and muscle that he actually had gained. He had been careful with that during the previous school year. He didn't want people to see too big of a difference, but he wanted to ease into what he really looked like. He was going to be himself. He hated hiding. He would play it smart though.

The platform started filling up eventually. Harry switched book to the one on mind magic as the train filled up with students. It was still an hour or so before the train would take off. His attention disappeared into the book in his hands. He didn't care about his surroundings.

.

Fred and George walked through the train. They were looking for their business partner. They had shrunken their trunks down so they didn't have to carry them. "Here he is," George said as he opened a door. "Hey Harry."

The raven didn't react.

Fred pulled his wand out and pointed it at the teen before sending a colourful spell.

A shield flew up around the raven blocking the spell. He looked up from his book with a raised eyebrow. "You better watch it or you'll walk around with pink hair for the first month of school," he said. He smiled at them as he stood up. "Hey guys how have you been doing?" he asked. He walked up to George to give him a hug and the redhead pulled him in. He ended up sandwiched between the twins. "This one is threatening us, dear brother," George said. "What should we do about that?"

Fred tilted his head to the side as a contemplative look spread over his face. He ran his hands over the raven's back. "I'm not so sure what we should do, dear brother. I do believe he needs to be punished." He lowered his head nuzzled Harry's temple.

"I wonder what Angelina would say if she saw you right now?" Harry said calmly. He trusted the twins not to hurt him. Though, he could easily deal with them if they tried.

"I would like to know," Angelina said from the compartment door.

"Eh," Fred said as he turned to his girlfriend.

"Not that I mind the scene but maybe you should give Captain some space before he throws you off the team," the dark-haired girl said as she sat down.

"You're Captain?" George asked the raven.

Harry smirked and backed off as he was let go. "Yeah, I am. Angelina did say she would recommend me," he said. He sat down and George joined him. The redhead reached out and moved his collar to the side. "Now what is that? You've got hickeys, Harry," he said. "Who has been snogging our Captain?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Now I thought you and Fred were just about to invite me to a threesome, and you get upset over some hickeys," he said teasingly. He moved so he was leaning against the window. He ran a finger down the bruises. Charlie had obviously done a good job since he still had them despite his increased healing rate.

Angelina laughed. "He's got you now guys," she said. She leaned back as the twins started bombarding Harry with questions about the guy – they were very set on it being a guy. "What if it is a girl?" she asked. The two redheads turned to look at her with incredulous eyes.

"Really Angelina," Fred said. "Do you really think it would be a girl?"

"You know, I don't care about gender," Harry said. "It is a guy though so they aren't wrong."

"See Angie we were right," Fred said.

"And I'm not going to tell you. It's none of your business," Harry said. "What have you guys been up too?" he asked.

"Inventing stuff mostly," George said. "We have finalized several jokes and some potions that we could use candy or cookies for. Mom almost went ballistic at us. Oh, and then Kato came by. Who the heck is that guy?"

"Cousin Kato you mean?" Harry said. "He's cool. Works for the goblins. I met him at the start of the summer, and we spent some time together. I mentioned you guys by accident and he said he might be able to get you some stuff."

"He did. He got us some really cool things. We could make so many cool new items with that stuff," Fred said.

The door opened and Alicia walked inside. "So this is where you guys went," she said. She sat down next to Angelina. "Hi Harry," she said. "You had a good summer?"

"Yeah, I did," Harry said. "Spent a lot of time studying and stuff. There isn't much to do at the Dursleys. I went over some game strategy too. I'm thinking we'll try to keep to how we did things last year. I want everyone to have fun. I think we should always invite the second team. They need the training. We'll set up for Keepers tryouts as early as possible."

"Sounds good Captain," Alicia said.

"You better help me keep these two guys from nagging my ears off about my boyfriend," Harry said.

Alicia giggled. "I might join in," she said winking at him.

"Oh, Mara no," Harry groaned. He was smiling though. He packed his mind magics book down. "Have you guys taken a look at the new defence book?" he asked.

"Oh, Merlin it is so boring," Angelina said. "Do you have any idea who the teacher is?"

Harry shook his head. "Nope, but I do know what the first ten chapters say. I can give you cheat notes for those if you want them. I can even make them semi interesting. I'm going to read it just because. I'm guessing Hermione will do it too, but I don't see any practical reason for anyone else to do that," he said.

"Yes, please can we get notes?" Alicia said. "I looked into it as well and it is just horrid."

"I'll fix that right up," Harry said. "I might as well it now. Don't worry though I can talk while doing it… or listen. Does anyone know how Wood is doing?" He rummaged around in his bad for the things he would need to write the cheat notes. Hermione wouldn't approve, but he didn't care. It would help people, and he was already set on reading the stupid thing. He listened to the others talk as he started writing.

Apparently Oliver Wood was driving his team up the wall. But they were also doing better than ever. He got just a tad bit too focused sometimes. He had made the main team though instead of just being the reserve. The previous Keeper had stepped down when his girlfriend got pregnant.

Angelina had gone abroad. She'd been to the U.S. and messed around in Florida somewhere with her family. She had some pretty interesting stories to tell. Some of which got Fred to wrap his arms around her possessively. Harry had seen the look in her eyes as that happened. She really had intended for that. It was exactly what she'd wanted.

Alicia had taken it easy for the most part, but she was the one who had spent time with Oliver. They had spent time together between his practices. She'd even played a bit against him. The other Chasers in Puddlemere United had been kind of impressed with her form.

The twins had obviously been inventing things, but they had also been driving their mother crazy as they continued using magic for any and everything they did. Their siblings had been hiding from them as well.

"You guys should maybe be more careful," Harry said.

There was a polite knock on the compartment door before it opened. Neville was standing on the other side. A golden and red prefect's badge adorned the left side of his chest. "Hi Harry," he said softly.

"Hey Neville," Harry said. "You made prefect that's awesome."

The brunet blushed. "Thanks," he said. "I'm just patrolling around right now, but I thought I'd say hi. It's good to know where you are. Can Hermione and I come by when we're done?"

"Sure we'll make the compartment larger," Angelina said.

"Great," Neville said. "I'll see you guys later." He walked back out of the compartment and closed the door behind him.

"I might as well make this place bigger right away," Angelina said. She pulled her wand out and tapped her seat with it. The compartment increased in size so it would seat at least four more people.

Harry went back to writing the defence notes for his friends. Hermione and Neville showed up some time later. George pulled Harry closer to him so the other two could sit down on the raven's other side. Harry leaned back against him he finished writing the notes. "So you can go ahead and copy those for everyone," he told Alicia as he handed the pages over to her.

"What are those?" Hermione asked.

"Cheat notes for the new defence book," Harry said. "It is so boring I don't see why people need to read the whole thing. I'm going to do it, but it is basically useless for these guys who are studying for their NEWTs. You should write Oliver and ask him which book they used. I have some Auror level books as well if you want to have a look. Moody gave those to me last year."

Angelina nodded. "Sounds like a good idea," she said. "There are probably some books in the library as well."

"I have red some of it as well," Hermione said. "It is very…" she couldn't quite put a finger on what she thought about it.

"It's useless," Harry said. "I mean it gives a viewpoint to argue against, but I've got the feeling that the teacher doesn't intend for that." He packed his quill and parchment back down. "So how did the prefects' meeting go?" he asked.

"It went well," Hermione said. "Diggory is the new Head Boy and the Head Girl is from Ravenclaw. She is really nice. Most of the new prefects are alright though Malfoy and Parkinson are the Slytherin prefects."

Harry nodded slowly. "We'll live I'm sure," he said. He winked at Fred. They would deal with it otherwise. He felt how George tightened his hold on him, and he shifted so he would be a bit more comfortable.

Hermione started talking about their summer homework. She was nervous for no reason again. It happened every year. She always felt like she hadn't done a good enough job.

Harry leaned back against George and closed his eyes. It was kind of nice to be back amongst friends. Though, he missed Charlie and the dragons. He knew that would only increase as time went by. He would have to figure out something that would eat up his time. Malqo had stayed behind. He was glad for it. He didn't want the little Crystalback to get hurt.

The compartment door opened again, and Harry's eyes fluttered open. He tilted his head to the side and looked up at Malfoy. "Good day Draco is there anything special you wanted?" he asked kindly.

The blond seemed to hesitate for a moment with the older students there. He didn't really want to get on the Weasley twins' bad side. "Tell me, how does it feel to be second-best to Longbottom, Potter?" he asked snidely.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know," he said calmly. "How does it feel to be out done by him in almost every subject apart from potions and even there he is threatening your position in the grades?" Neville had been doing so much better in his classes towards the end of the year.

"You better watch it Potter or I'll give you detention," Malfoy threatened.

Harry shrugged. "You better not misuse your powers or you'll be stripped of your privileges and what would daddy dearest say then," he responded. He could see that he had struck a nerve with the blond and his calm demeanour wasn't making things any easier on the teen. He knew he had acted kind of meek around the Slytherins the year before. He wasn't sure he'd keep that up. He would be polite and calm though.

Malfoy wisely decided not to linger after that. He backed out and took his two goons with him.

"Thanks Harry," Neville said.

The raven chuckled. "You're my friend Neville of course I'm going to stand up for you. Just keep an eye on his face when he realises that I'm the Quidditch Captain for Gryffindor. I may not have the power to boss people around, but I command a team. My players will deal with any idiocy he might try to fling my way," he said with confidence.

"Of course we will Captain," Alicia said.

Hermione smiled softly. She enjoyed the changes in her friend. He was much calmer now – more relaxed. He looked healthier as well. Then she noticed the trail of bruises going down his neck. She wondered if George was responsible for those. They seemed really comfortable around each other. She decided not to breach the subject then though. She would talk to him in private later. She looked out through the window. "We should probably get changed," she said as she studied the darkness outside.

There was some ruffling around as the boys left the compartment so the girls could change before they switched around.

…

The train slowed down eventually. They stood up and started making their way off the train slowly. As they stepped outside, they could hear the familiar voice of Hagrid the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor. He was calling the first years to him. Hermione and Neville had left a little ahead of the others so they could help the other prefects.

Most of he main Quidditch team made their way to a carriage and settled down inside. It started moving slowly bringing them closer and closer to the castle. Harry watched as they passed the gates. He was back at Hogwarts. Unlike all other years he didn't feel any particular joy in this knowledge. He knew there were a lot of things he wanted to learn, but there were so many other things he wanted to do as well that Hogwarts didn't seem like the best place to learn anymore. He would pull though. With Quidditch and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, he would be quite occupied.

They entered the Entrance Hall. I was ablaze with torches and warmed them up. There had been a wind pulling though from the north chilling the air outside so it was nice to get away from it. Harry walked with the other four through the Hall and into the Great Hall so they could sit down by the Gryffindor table. His eyes moved over the staff table at the head of the Hall out of habit. "Don't look but there's a fluffy pink toad at the staff table," he said quietly so only his companions could hear.

Fred turned his head immediately. His eyes moved over the usual crowd until he saw her. Dressed in a pink cardigan with a matching Alice band, a squat witch with short, curly, mouse-brown hair sat. She was currently engaged in a conversation with the Headmaster. The redhead placed a hand over his mouth to cover his laughter. Next to Harry his twin was doing his best to keep himself from laughing.

"I guess we know who the Defence teacher is now," Angelina said. "She doesn't look like the kind of person it will be fun learning from."

"Far from it," Harry said.

They waited as the Hall filled up with students. As the last stragglers sat down the doors to the Entrance Hall closed. Harry listened to the rise and fall of the students gathered voices. It was impossible to hear anything specific unless it was said really close by. His eyes caught Hagrid as the man walked in and sat down by the head table. The sorting would commence shortly.

The doors to the Entrance Hall opened again and Professor McGonagall came walking in with the Sorting hat resting on a three-legged stool. Behind her a line of first years strolled in. They looked nervous.

The older students fell silent as McGonagall placed the stool down. She moved to the side so everyone could see the old battered hat. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst out into song:

 _In times of old, when I was new,_

 _And Hogwarts barely started,_

 _The founders of our noble school_

 _Thought never to be parted:_

 _United by a common goal,_

 _They had the selfsame yearning,_

 _To make the world's best magic school_

 _And pass along their learning._

 _"Together we will build and teach!"_

 _The four good friends decided_

 _And never did they dream that they_

 _Might some day be divided,_

 _For were there such friends anywhere_

 _As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

 _Unless it was the second pair_

 _Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_

 _So how could it have gone so wrong?_

 _How could such friendships fail?_

 _Why, I was there, so I can tell_

 _The whole sad, sorry tale._

 _Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those_

 _Whose ancestry's purest."_

 _Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose_

 _Intelligence is surest."_

 _Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_

 _With brave deeds to their name."_

 _Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot_

 _And treat them just the same."_

 _These differences caused little strife_

 _When first they came to light,_

 _For each of the four founders had_

 _A house in which they might_

 _Take only those they wanted, so,_

 _For instance, Slytherin_

 _Took only pure-blood wizards_

 _Of great cunning, just like him,_

 _And only those of sharpest mind_

 _Were taught by Ravenclaw_

 _While the bravest and the boldest_

 _Went to daring Gryffindor._

 _Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,_

 _And taught them all she knew,_

 _Thus the houses and their founders_

 _Maintained friendships firm and true._

 _So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

 _For several happy years,_

 _But then discord crept among us_

 _Feeding on our faults and fears._

 _The houses that, like pillars four,_

 _Had once held up our school,_

 _Now turned upon each other and,_

 _Divided, sought to rule._

 _And for a while it seemed the school_

 _Must meet an early end,_

 _What with duelling and with fighting_

 _And the clash of friend on friend_

 _And at last there came a morning_

 _When Slytherin departed_

 _And though the fighting then died out_

 _He left us quite downhearted._

 _And never since the founders four_

 _Were whittled down to three_

 _Have the Houses been united_

 _As they once were meant to be._

 _And now the Sorting Hat is here_

 _And you all know the score:_

 _I sort you into Houses_

 _Because that is what I'm for,_

 _But this year I'll go further,_

 _Listen closely to my song:_

 _Though condemned I am to split you_

 _Still I worry that it's wrong,_

 _Though I must fulfil my duty_

 _And must quarter every year_

 _Still I wonder whether Sorting_

 _May not bring the end I fear._

 _Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

 _The warning history shows,_

 _For our Hogwarts is in danger_

 _From internal, wrecking foes_

 _So we must unite inside her_

 _Stand together hand in hand_

 _Drive out the poison_

 _From the Founders land_

 _Come now and see reason_

 _Or we'll crumble from within_

 _I have told you, I have warned you ..._

 _Let the Sorting now begin._

As the hat fell silent once more, the students started clapping. Harry's eyes narrowed and he looked back up at the staff table. The hat was warning them about the new teacher. He wondered how many had realised that was what it meant. He wondered briefly if the hat had ever given advice to the students before then. That was normally what it did after all. His attention was pulled back to the sorting as McGonagall started calling out names. Slowly the line of little first years thinned out as they joined the different tables.

As McGonagall took the Hat and stool away, Dumbledore stood up. His gentle twinkling eyes looked out over the sea of students. "To our newcomers welcome!" he said in a ringing voice, his arms stretched as if he tried to give the whole room a hug and a beaming smile on his face. "To our old hands – welcome back! There is a time for speechmaking, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

An appreciative laughter rolled over the student body as the serving platters on the table filled with food. Harry leaned over to George. "What do you think of sneaking out of here early and go over to the lab?" he asked. "The feast is nice and all, but I want to hear what you guys really have been doing. It's weekend after this and Kato got me some stuff so we can set up a sleeping area down there if we want to."

George smirked. "Now there is a good idea," he whispered back. "I'm all for it. How do we get out of here without anyone noticing though?"

"Leave that to me," Harry said with a wink. He went back to his food and finished it off. They could get desert once they had gotten to the lab. All they would have to do was call a house-elf. Harry closed his eyes slowly. He was going to throw one very interesting illusion. He didn't want people to realise that they had left after all. It would be easier to trick people like Dumbledore up at the staff table since there were so many students around. If the Hall had been empty he wasn't sure he could have tricked the man. He stood up slowly so Fred and George would notice what he was doing. Fred kissed Angelina before standing up with his brother, and the two of them followed Harry out of the Hall quickly.

The lab looked just like they had left it. They had cleaned it up before the end of the previous school year so they wouldn't have to return to a mess.

"So how is your Occlumency training going?" Harry asked. He was really interested in that. He wanted to tell them so much, but he needed to know that people couldn't just pick that information from their heads.

"Why don't you take a look?" George asked.

Harry grimaced. He knew that was the best way to see, but he hated rummaging around in other people's heads. "Sure," he said. As a Master of the Mind he was capable of entering another person's mind just fine. He wasn't sure if Occlumency would protect against him though. He guessed he'd rather find out from Fred and George than some other unknown player. They sat down and Harry slipped into Fred's mind mostly because he figured they thought he'd start with George. He found the younger twins shields pretty quickly and pressed against them to see how strong they were. He could sense places were they seemed weaker. He wasn't dumb enough to explore those though. He knew the twins too well. He moved through the shield. It was strong, but it had a couple of holes that he would have to point out later. He didn't stick around for long inside the shield. He didn't want to be there after all.

He repeated the process with George quickly before letting go on the redhead's hands. "O.K. so you have a couple of holes that you have to work on, but you've done a really good job so far," he said.

"Wait you're done already," Fred said.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, I am," he said. He shifted position before he went into exactly what the twins could do to strengthen their mind-shields. He wanted them to be as safe as possible before he said anything. Fred and George were two of the group of people he wanted to tell the full truth to. Hermione and Neville belonged to that group as well, but that would have to wait.

As it got late, Harry got a magical tent he'd purchased out of his bag so they could set it up. There were two bedrooms in there – one for Harry, and Charlie, and one for guests. Since it was only the three of them right then though, they all set up in the same room.

…

They spent the weekend before classes started deep in inventions of different kinds. Harry figured out how to make several more candy types, but he only really managed to fully make one of them.


	64. OWL Lectures

**O.W.L. Lectures**

 _4th of September, 1995. Monday_

Come Monday morning Fred, George and Harry showed their faces in the Great Hall again for the first time since the start of term feast. The tent had a perfectly workable washroom, and the twins had asked a house-elf to bring some clean clothes down. Harry just had most of his things packed in his bag at all times. He believed in being prepared after all. So they hadn't needed to leave their lab at all. The twins had started talking about selling some of their items to the students. They had a pretty good stock and it would be even better if people already knew about them before they opened their store up.

They settled down by the Gryffindor table and filled their plates with various breakfast items. They were some of the first people in there. "We must have gotten up early," Fred noted. He hadn't really looked at a watch. He'd just woken up when Harry had gotten dressed. The raven had looked like he'd been up for a while by then though.

Angelina and Alicia joined them and not long after they had arrived Hermione and Neville showed up as well. "Where have you been?" the bushy haired brunette asked Harry as she sat down next to him.

Harry finished drinking his apple juice before turning to her. "I've been doing this and that," he said. He handed some more defence notes to Alicia. "Read another ten chapters in _Defensive Magical Theory._ They guy who wrote it must be useless in Defence."

Hermione pursed her lips. She wasn't really happy with that answer.

"I was with Fred and George," Harry said. "You wouldn't approve so I'm not going to tell you what we were doing. It wasn't against school rules nor was it illegal so you don't have to worry."

"Just leave him be," Neville said. "He can have more friends than us if he wants to. I spend time with the Hufflepuffs. They are nice." That had happened towards the end of the previous school year as well and Harry was happy for his friend. As Neville had gotten more confident in himself he had reached out to other people he wanted to be friends with.

Hermione looked affronted. "Of course he can have more friends," she said.

"Well you don't see anyone else trying to pull information out of him," Neville said kindly.

Harry smiled. "I know you worry about me sis, but I can take care of myself I promise," he said. He could see how a blush spread over her cheeks slowly.

Eventually McGonagall came walking down the table with their new schedules. Harry looked down at his once he'd received it. "History, Potions, Divination and DADA," he read the classes that they had that day.

"We have Transfiguration, DADA and Herbology," Fred said. They might only have gotten three OWLs each, but Sprout didn't mind him hanging around in Herbology as long as he behaved. Next to him Angelina nodded. "I just have Care of Magical Creatures as well," she said.

"So it is basically a full day for everyone," Harry said. "And we all have the new teacher."

"Professor Umbridge you mean," Hermione said. "You were here weren't you? She spoke to the students like we were five-year-olds."

"We may or may not have left before the end of the feast Friday," Harry said. "So we did not hear what she had to say. It sounds like we didn't really miss much though."

Hermione looked down at her hands. She didn't like talking ill of her professors, but Umbridge sounded like a horrible person to her. She looked up as the owls came flying in with the morning mail.

Hedwig was amongst them and Harry reached out for her. He had written to Sirius some time back so he guessed that it could be from him. He noted the handwriting and let the envelope slip down in his bag. He would open it later. He reached out to pet Hedwig. She was a wise owl. She had made several really long flights that summer. ' _I have to remember to set up a proper owlery for her back home,'_ he thought. He feed her some bacon and a couple of grapes before she took off.

He stood up thinking that he might as well head over to the History classroom. "I'll see you guys in class he told Hermione and Neville before he headed out of the hall," he needed to go over what he was to be studying when it came to History. Their teacher wasn't really of any help. Hopefully he could get a hold of someone that could help him if he decided to continue past OWL level. There had to be some kind of plan for what he had to know for the NEWTs at the very least. He sat down at the back of the classroom and pulled his book up. He fished his notebook for the subject out and went through what he had already worked with. He may not have perfect recall, but being a Master of the Mind meant that he could store information and access it at a later date if he wanted to. So all he really had to do was access the part of his mind that he used for History. He would be perfectly well prepared for any test.

He opened the History book where he had left off and started reading. He barely noticed when Hermione sat down next to him, or when Binns started the class. He was deep in his work already. Hermione had to shake him to get him to look up from his book as class ended. He packed his things down and followed her out. He could see Ronald's red hair in the crowd walking in front of them. The ginger hadn't spoken to him for quite some time. Not that he cared they had very little to talk about. It was strange how he was getting closer and closer to the rest of his family though. Bill, Fred and George – and Charlie, he was getting really close to Charlie.

Ignoring anyone else, he, Hermione and Neville headed down to the potions classroom for their first lesson. Harry wondered briefly if Snape would have thrown off the shock he had been given the previous year when he'd almost run into the man looking like a spiting image of his mother. Either way Potions wasn't likely to be fun mostly since he highly disliked the subject.

The Slytherins were standing outside the door like usual. How they always managed to get down there faster than anyone else was a mystery. Harry kept his focus on Neville as the dungeon door to their classroom opened up. He had figured he would teach the brunet the basics of Alchemy that year. He knew how to do it after all the time he had spent with Ra'shall and Rhavaniel. He just chose not to use the knowledge. He figured that the love that Neville had for plants would make Nirn Alchemy easy for him. He had the table all ready for the teen so they really could start anytime. He would have to figure out a way to breach the subject though.

They settled own inside. Everyone fell quiet as they herd the door close.

"Settle down," Severus said coldly. It wasn't necessary, but he would make sure they knew not to speak. "Before we begin today's lesson I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions," he said as he swept over to his desk so he could stare down at his students. "Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your OWL, or suffer my … displeasure." His gaze lingered on Neville who, while uncomfortable, didn't lower his own gaze or showed any other reaction. He was actually pretty certain that he would get at least an Acceptable.

"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Severus continued. "I take on only the very best into my NEWT Potions class, which means that some of you will certainly be saying goodbye." His eyes moved over to Harry.

The raven raised an eyebrow. If he cared enough to spite the man he could probably score an Outstanding on his Potions exam, but he didn't care. ' _Maybe I should give him another lesson in just whose son I am,'_ he thought. He wouldn't mind walking around as a girl just for the hell of it. They could even make it into a marketing opportunity if they played their cards right. He'd have to speak to Fred and George about that.

"But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell," Severus said softly, "so whether or not you are intending to attempt NEWT, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high pass level I have come to expect from my OWL students." He looked around the room. "Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing."

Harry internally rolled his eyes. If he wanted to calm someone down there were so many easier ways to do it. He could calm the entire class right then and there without anyone being any the wiser. He was going to do an alright effort for Ra'shall's sake though. He looked upon the instructions on the blackboard. It seemed to be one very intricate potion. For his own sake and Neville's, he wrote the instructions down in one of his notebooks. It would make things much easier for them. He stood up with the others to pick what ingredients they needed from the store cupboard. He studied the recipe again and placed the ingredients in order of administration before he prepared every single step. He reached into his pack and took Fleur's hair clip out. He wanted to get his hair away from his face. After putting his hair up, he took a centring breath to clam down and then he heated the cauldron up. He sprinkled powdered moonstone into the water slowly before stirring.

Next to him Neville was doing his best. He had followed Harry's lead and prepared himself the same way the raven had. Unlike the raven he was just a bit too in a hurry with adding the syrup of hellebore so his potion went a bit off colour. It wasn't bad though.

They kept working until with the potions. Time flew by.

"A light silver vapour should now be rising from your potion," Severus said when they had ten minutes left to go.

Harry looked up from his potion. He could see the sparks flying from Seamus potion. Without anyone noticing he threw up a ward around the cauldron. He didn't want to be covered in its contents if it decided to explode.

Severus passed by Hermione without a word before moving on to Harry and Neville. He knew the girl was good. He wouldn't be surprised if she was in his class the following year. Looking down into the two boys' cauldrons he was shocked. He shouldn't be. They had improved a lot the previous year. Both potions were definitely acceptable even if Longbottom had been a bit quick handed. His potion would still do what it was supposed to.

Harry hid a smirk by pushing his glasses up as their Professor moved on without a word to either of them. Maybe he would get an O and quit just for the hell of it. Rhavaniel always thought you should do well or quit. He couldn't quit so maybe he should just do his best. He could almost taste the disappointment from the Slytherins. He refrained from looking smug mostly because he could at least pretend to be the better person.

"Everyone bottle your potions and bring them up front," Severus said. "Homework is twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making to be handed in on Thursday."

Harry waited until the line up to Snape's desk had dissipated before he walked up with his and Neville's vials. He placed them down and turned back around. As he headed up to the Great Hall for lunch with Hermione and Neville he wondered what Snape would say if he gave the man a list of what you could do with moonstones on Nirn? He knew how to make armour out of the darn thing after all. He would probably get a huge fail.

They ate lunch in their own quiet little bubble. Harry didn't particularly enjoy speaking while he ate. Hermione was nose deep in a book. Neville didn't mind the calm atmosphere especially after Potions.

The two boys said goodbye to Hermione as they stood up so they could head up to Divination. Harry pulled his Defence book as he settled down in the incense filled tower. Just like every lesson he had attended the previous year after his return from Skyrim, Harry sat down and did something completely non-class related for the entire period. Of course reading the Defence book was just about as boring as listening to Trelawney going on about dream diaries. He noticed Neville sitting with the book half way through the lesson or so looking utterly confused. "It's not worth it," he said softly. "Do something else instead she won't notice. If I could I wouldn't even go up here, but she would notice if her favourite prediction was gone."

Neville nodded slowly. He guessed Harry was right. He didn't really like the idea of ignoring a Professor, but there was so much else he could do with his time that was more worthwhile.

"Look at it like this," Harry said. "Are you going to bother sitting the exam for Divination? Do you have any skills in the subject? If you don't then why waste time on it when you don't have to?"

Neville looked down at the Divination book in his hands. He considered Harry's words – rolled them around in his mind. ' _Grandmother won't care if I don't take this,'_ he thought finally. She really wouldn't. There were other subjects that he needed the extra time for. Hermione and Harry could only do so much to help him.

…

Harry slipped into the Lab some time after Defence. He found Fred and George in there together with Angelina and Lee. He raised an eyebrow at the extra additions. This was the first time he had seen anyone else in the Lab. He guessed he could understand why they were there though. Lee was their best friend and Angelina was Fred's girlfriend. "Hey guys," he said as he walked up to the table. "Anything special happening?" he asked.

George looked up at him and smirked. "We want to," "prank Umbridge with something," Fred finished. "She can't find out," "who it is from though, and," "we don't quite know what to do yet."

Harry nodded. "You had her too," he said.

Fred nodded. "She's horrid," he said.

"Yeah, I know I just came from her class," Harry said. "She managed to get most of the class riled up."

"Your cheat notes are heaven sent though," Angelina said. "They are actually manageable. I tried reading the book in class, but I just couldn't. Then I compared your notes to the text and you have somehow turned the dull moron's drivels into something that could be used to argue against or something."

"You wrote the cheats?" Lee asked. He was surprised. Not that he'd considered where they were from. But a fifth year wasn't what he'd expected. He had like many in their year past his OWL in the subject in big part in thanks to the fact that Remus Lupin had been teaching them for their OWL year. He sort of regretted taking the subject now though. He probably would never need it.

"I did yes," Harry said. "If I can give you guys some advice, I'd say get a proper book in defence and charm the cover to look like the one she wants you to use. Then you can use my notes for her lessons and learn from a proper book all other times. And for practical spell work I would say get the beds out of the way in one of the boy dorms and practice there. She can see what you are up to in there. What she doesn't know won't hurt us."

"We're going to need a target that will hold if we are going to do that," Angelina said. She liked the idea though. They might actually be able to get good in the subject that way.

"I can fix that for you," Harry said. He leaned back. "Winky," he called.

*Pop! "Master called for his Winky," the little brown eyed elf said happily. She had been a little worried that he wouldn't need her help as much. He had spent most of the summer without her after all.

"Is there any spare wood from the goblins lying around that you could bring?" Harry asked.

"Winky can be asking mast goblin," Winky said.

"Please do that, dear and I do believe that we would all like some supper in an hour or so. If you could please surprise us that would be great," Harry said. He knew that she liked work and would make sure she always had something to do. He had considered sending her to Charlie, but he wasn't sure about that. If he needed her, he didn't want her to have to travel from Namibia to help him.

"You have a personal house-elf," Lee exclaimed.

"Yes, I do," Harry said slowly as if talking to a small child. He looked over the plans on the table. "You are going to have to rethink some of these," he said. "The idea of the Fever Fudge is good, and the Nosebleed Nougat, but you can eat a sweet when you are unconscious or when you're puking. We're going to have to figure something else out to wake people up and stop the puking." He looked through the papers slowly. "Promise me you won't eat any of this without me around," he said. "You could really hurt yourselves."

"Oui mon Capitaine," Fred said as he saluted. "We have been trying to figure something out, but it isn't easy."

Harry nodded slowly. "Well you could have something that you would need to smell for the puking ones I guess or you could make it time restricted," he said.

"Merlin that is almost impossible to do," Lee said.

George nodded. "Lee is right," he said. Sometimes you can water a potion down like we did with the gender switching one, but in this case you can't the result isn't as good if we do that. It is the same f we add less potion. We want the full result, but time restricted and it doesn't work."

"Well," Harry said. He opened his bag up so he could get a hold of his Arcane Enchanter. He placed it down on the table and resized before opening it up. "We should try this with something we know exactly how it works."

"I know perfectly well how the puking potion works," Fred said. "We just haven't been able to get it to do what we need it to," George added.

"O.K. if you say so then hand it over," Harry said. "How long do you want it to last?" he asked. He knew that he was doing this in front of Angelina and Lee as well as the twins, but he didn't really care. They wouldn't talk and people weren't as likely to look into them for information about him. He wasn't close enough to them in the public eye. He was pretty sure that Fred and George were teaching them how to protect their minds too. They were important people to the twins after all.

"Say two minutes for that one," Fred said. "I don't really want to puke longer than that."

Harry nodded. He grabbed the sapphire form his belt and placed it down above the vial. He wasn't entirely sure how to do this, but he should be able to… he closed his eyes as he started. The stone glowed and then the light transferred to the contents of the vial. Harry opened his eyes once more and took the vial from the enchanting table. "Here try it out," he said. He wasn't sure it would work. He looked down at his watch as Fred took some of the potion. He had a bucket placed next to him that he threw up into. Two minutes came and went. Harry reached out and cleared the potion from the redhead's system. He pulled a goblet out of his bag and filled it with water. "Here wash your mouth out," he said.

"Thank you," Fred said.

"So that didn't work," Harry said. "I have one more idea that I can try right now. It is completely insane, but I guess it might work." He changed the sapphire out with an amethyst. He was handed a second vial. He closed his eyes and focused. What would happen lay a lot in what he wanted. The little lights along his left hand and wrist started glowing again. He opened his eyes and the others could see how his eyes glowed with power. He released the enchantment into the vial and handed it over to George this time.

"Cheers," George said before he drank from the vial. He threw up almost immediately.

Harry kept an eye on the time again. It went past two minutes, but then as he stood up to help the redhead, George stopped puking. He still looked really sick for another couple of minutes. Then he smirked and breathed in. "Wow that's something else," he said.

"We should sell some kind of breath freshener with these," Harry said. "Something that cleans your mouth out."

Fred nodded. "That's probably a good idea," he said. "So you have miraculously made our potion work like we want it to with the help of magic unknown." "What have you been up to Harry," George asked.

"Oh, that is for me to know and you to wonder," Harry said as he packed the Arcane Enchanter back together. "I can handle big batches at a time so that won't be a problem." As he packed the box away Winky showed back up. She placed tow rather long pieces of wood down on the ground.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said.

"Winky be right back with food," the little elf said before popping away.

Harry looked back to the others. They were still staring at him. He let his eyes cross and then his hair turned bright orange. "I'm still not going to say anything about that," he said. "It is perfectly safe though."

"And you can change your hair colour how?" Lee asked.

"Oh, that is my Metamorphmagus ability," Harry said. "I can't do much more than change my hair and eye colour, but it's kinda' fun." He ran a hand through the orange locks. "It heredity from my Black side."

Fred blinked. "You're a Black?" he asked.

"My Grandmother was," Harry said. "Dorea Potter nee Black." He moved to the side so Winky could place a food dish down on the table as she appeared. It smelled wonderful. "Thank you Winky," Harry said.

Conversation fell to minimum as they served themselves. Harry had brought out cutlery. He needed to buy things like that for the house. He'd found some things for Winky as he'd wandered around at times, but now he really had to think of stocking up on things they actually needed.

After dinner they spent some time going over the twins' ideas before Angelina noted the time. If they wanted to be back in the tower before curfew they should get going.

"Whoa, watch what you're doing," Harry told Fred as he stumbled into the common room. He walked up to the message board and placed a Quidditch tryouts note on it. He had gotten the pitch for that very Friday. They wanted to get going as soon as they could after all. They were only after a Keeper. The rest of the team was complete.

Harry settled down with Hermione so he could do his Potions homework. It wouldn't take him that long to finish.

* * *

 _5th of September, 1995. Tuesday_

The next day Harry was up early like always. He left for his run long before anyone else had even started stirring. When he came back he showered and walked over to Neville. Shaking the brunet's shoulder lightly to wake the teen, he waited until blue eyes looked up at him before he walked over to the dorm door. He was going to deal with his History homework that morning. He and Neville didn't have anything until Charms in second period.

Flitwick stared his class by saying, "What you must remember is that these examinations may influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. And in the meantime, I'm afraid, we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!"

Harry parried up with Neville as they started revising the summoning charm. The brunet had not been good at this spell the previous year. With his added confidence and the training they had gone though with other spells, he managed on his second try this time around.

Harry lifted his fake wand and made it look like he used the summoning charm as he simply pulled the object to himself with his telekinesis ability. He pulled the orb they had been given to practice with back and forth for almost an hour before the class settled down again.

As they left many of their classmates were looking down at their homework in despair. Harry was glad he was done with both the history and the Potions work. He had a feeling that McGonagall would give them quite a lot to do as well.

He started going over what he could write about as they ate lunch. He would have to do some serious planning to pull though the year to come.

In Transfiguration after lunch McGonagall started of by giving them a lecture as well. "You cannot pass an OWL without serious application, practice and study," she said. "I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an OWL in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work."

Harry closed his eyes. Transfiguration was the subject he had the most trouble with theses days. He could probably do conjuration in the Earth sense not that he'd tried, but he couldn't really change one thing into another. Alteration was as close as he got to that and you really only altered reality you didn't change it completely. He didn't expect to do all that well on his practical in the subject.

Next to him Neville sat up straighter he really wanted to do well in Transfiguration. He had a look of determination in his eyes. He was going to do it even if he had to spend every Divination class they had deep in Transfiguration books. He was going to take Harry's advice.

"Today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until NEWT level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your OWL," Professor McGonagall said.

Harry leaned back. He couldn't vanish things with the magic he had learned on Nirn, but he could use his thu'um. He watched Hermione. He needed to build up the right illusion for the spell and she was usually one of the first to manage. Neville was looking down at his snail with a determined look on his face. He was going to do this.

Harry was right Hermione was the first to vanish her snail earning a nice ten points for Gryffindor, and giving him the information he needed to make his illusion work. He made it look like he attempted the spell several times before he decided to actually do it. " _ **Vognun,"**_ he breathed softly as he made it look like he was using his wand. The snail on his desk disappeared. At least that was easier than turning a bird into a goblet or whatever. If that was what he needed to do at this point, he would be fine.

By the end of the class Neville had made the snails home disappear leaving only the slimy body behind. He had done a better job than most others though. Everyone that hadn't managed with the spells, which meant everyone bar Harry and Hermione, was told to practice it until their next lesson. "I bet you, you could pull of some practice during Care," Harry told Neville.

The brunet nodded slowly. "As long as we aren't stuck with something too dangerous to deal with," he said.

The class turned out not be the best spot to practice. Hagrid had brought Crups and while not deadly could be dangerous just like any dog if you didn't pay attention. They looked an awful lot like Jack Russell Terriers if you didn't take in the extra tail. Just like any other creature in the class Harry had no problems keeping them calm. Though, in this case he didn't even need spells to do so. His calm and determined demeanour was enough to keep the Crup he'd been handed from doing anything he didn't approve of.

After class he and Neville stayed outside so that the brunet could practice the Vanishing Charm on various little critters they found around. Hagrid had given them homework too though so they had several things they needed to do as soon as possible.

…

 _6th of September, 1995. Wednesday_

The next day held Divination and Herbology as well as more Care of Magical Creatures. In Divination Harry finished off his work for Care while Neville freshened up on his Transfiguration. They hadn't even bothered with the dream diaries. Harry did his best to make sure that Trelawney didn't so much as look their way.

Herbology was fun though. Paring up with Neville for that class had been one of the best decisions Harry had ever made. Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff joined them as well. And they all spoke animatedly as they took care of some self-fertilizing shrubs.

Professor Sprout had started the lesson just like the other ore class teachers with a lecture on OWLs, but it somehow didn't sound as bad coming from her.

Harry figured out pretty fast that the ideal ways to deal with homework so you didn't get swamped with it was right away and as soon as possible. Somehow he Neville and even Hermione when they managed to get her to not over work things had more free time than any other Gryffindor fifth-year.

That evening they had Astrology as well. It was one of those classes Harry wasn't sure he wanted to continue. Though it didn't require a wand, he wasn't really all that interested. Since the subject it affected the most was Potions, he didn't feel like he had that much use for it. He might pick it just to flesh out his schedule though.

…

The week passed by rather quickly. And before anyone really caught up it was Friday.

 _8th of September, 1995. Friday_

The last lesson of the day was Defence for Harry. He sat through it reading the course book, but he was way ahead of everyone else including Hermione. She was catching up though. After he was done reading the highly unamusing book for the day, he headed down to the Quidditch pitch. They were going to hold tryouts for the Keeper position. He walked in to the change room and dressed in something a bit more practical for playing Quidditch. He sat cross-legged on the pitch with his broom hovering behind him as he waited for the others. His eyes were closed in meditation. He knew there might be a lot of people coming.

He could tell when the original team showed up and when their reserve team joined them. He felt hands land on his shoulders. "Hello Tanya," he said calmly. "How has your summer been?"

"It's been alright," Tanya said. "Dad took me to Kenya. Grandmother is from there. We had loads of fun. And I saw lions and zebras and hyenas and elephants."

"Sounds good sweetheart," Harry said.

"Someone should take a photo of this," Angelina said. "You should see the way it looks."

Harry chuckled softly. "They are coming," he said. He stood up and looked out over the pitch. He wrapped an arm around Tanya's shoulders. "Dad bought me a Nimbus," she said. "I told him I wouldn't play unless you got hurt, but he was so happy I had made the team."

"Just you remember that you will be playing for several years after I leave," Harry told her. "You are really skilled Tanya." He looked at the people walking out on the pitch. He could see Ronald among the people out there. "O.K. we have an advantage in having basically two teams," he said. He turned to Chace the keeper of the secondary team. "Remember that we will pick you in to the team if these people are worse than you are. We won't pick someone over you unless there is an older student that is better than you are. We picked you for the secondary team because you are damn good."

Chace nodded. He knew. They had made that clear the year before. It was good to know nothing had changed though.

Harry walked forward. "O.K." he said loud enough for people to hear him. "We are doing Keepers tryouts for fifth year and up. If you are younger than that you had your chance last term. If you are not interested in the position or are too young then please leave the pitch now." He watched as several kids walked off the pitch. He was left with a hand full of students. "First up I want to see how you handle yourselves on your brooms," he said. "Up in the air with you. Our Beaters are going to be shooting the bludgers around up there. Don't get hit." He walked over to the chest filled with the Quidditch balls and opened it up. "Fred, George, Jimmy and Ritchie you ready to go up there?" he asked. He got four broad smirks in answer. The he turned to Chace. "If you want to you can go up as well. If you out do them you have the position no questions asked," he said.

Chace smirked and sat up on his broom before taking off. He knew how to do this. It was one of those things they had trained with the previous year.

The beaters took off after him, and Harry released the bludgers. "O.K. girls over that side and keep your eyes on them. Kyle and Tanya you are with me," he said. They spread out on the ground so they could keep track of what was going on. Harry followed Ronald with his gaze for a moment. The he shook his head. Ronald would make a good player if he wasn't so nervous. He was not going to jump Chace for the redhead. Not when the calm blond was a really good player as well as a nice guy.

He let the beaters go on for half-an-hour or so before he called them back down. Fred and George got the bludgers back under control and returned them to the chest. One of the potential Keepers had to be sent to the Hospital Wing. He had been hit with one bludger to many. That left Harry with four potentials including Chace. "Well then," he said. He threw a quaffle over to Angelina and one to Ginny. "You take two Keepers each and do your best to score on them," he said. He knew that the girl could handle this better than he could.

Fred and George came up to him. "Ron is not doing so well," George said. "We got together all of us and bought him a new broom." "Bill and Charlie too." "We thought that maybe he could be good." "You know the rest of us are." "Except for Percy." "We don't want him to turn out like Percy though," Fred said.

"He's too nervous," Harry said. "I'd give him a chance if Chace wasn't just all and all a better player."

"We don't fault you," Fred said.

"I think we should keep to Chace, Captain," Ritchie said. He looked up at the hoops where the blond was catching yet another ball thrown at him.

"I think you are right," Harry said. "Let's ask the Chasers what they think before we decide though. The girls and Kyle landed and walked over to the rest of the team. "If we don't pick Chace up I'm quitting," Angelina said as soon as she reached them. "Hooper is whiny and Weasley is just not cutting it. Frobisher won't put Quidditch first which gives her a no go in my book."

Harry nodded. "We were just saying that," he said. "I guess it is my job to give them the news." He walked away from his teams and over to the four Keepers. He turned to Chace. "You're in," he said. Then he looked at the other three. "I'm sorry you didn't cut it. You all have potential, but you have different flaws that mean we would prefer not having you on the team." He met Ronald's eyes. He could tell that the redhead was disappointed. He wasn't going to push Chace down though. Especially not when the guy had improved as much as he had. He led the blond back to the teams. "Come on let's celebrate yeah," he said.

The team could be found in the common room later that evening. Tanya sitting in Harry's lap and the others strewn out around them.

"Remember that we have practice tomorrow at four," Harry said. He could hear the groan from the teams. "And I expect all of you to be there."


	65. Hogwarts' Toad Queen

**Hogwarts' Toad Queen**

 _10th of September, 1995. Sunday_

The Sunday after the first week of lessons Harry was sitting in the Lab with his Arcane Enchanter. He had suddenly remembered that he'd promised the people who took care of Arniel back in Egypt that he would give them blocks for the man's abilities.

He had forgotten all about that as he'd started exploring Dragon's Breath Cave. Next to him lay a letter to Charlie. He had started it up earlier. He'd never been much for writing letters. Then again he doubted that Charlie was much for writing either so anything was probably enough as far as he was concerned. He added another line to the letter before he ran his fingers along the metal bands he had picked up for the enchantments he needed to do. He would probably need several layers of magic. First he needed to make sure that he could actually perform Conjuration himself.

Green eyes closed and a dark purple swirl of magic covered his hands. As his eyes opened once more, a burning lady stood before him. He stood up and bowed. "I'm glad you can still reach me," he said softly. "I'm sorry for calling you as I have." He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please take this offering in return for your help," he whispered as he infused her with his own magic. He had figured out that he could do that, and as he understood it, it really helped her. He had noticed over the years that she had been changing slowly from the general look of the flame atronach to a more individual look. He had often wondered if that was because of him.

She disappeared and he sat back down. He wanted to see if he could conjure something a bit closer to home. It would have to be something that wasn't dangerous. Magic on Nirn was very spell bound. He had modified spells, but conjuring something else would mean that he had to remove the part of the spell that made up the summoning part and then figure out a way to use that. A smile spread over his lips. He had a new project to work on. Oh, how he loved to have something to work on that really made him think. He had considered doing it before, but now he really wanted to do it.

He looked back down at the Arcane Enchanter. He would have to fix the bands up first though. Normally you wanted good things from enchantments so he would use those to make sure that he didn't hurt the man. Just because Arniel was crazy now didn't mean that he wanted to hurt him. He was doing this so Arniel wouldn't hurt anyone else. He had closed his own room of the tent they had set up in the Lab off so no one could interrupt him. He focused the making from his diamond into the bands lying on the table. They glowed faintly and he lifted them up. Then came the hard part. _Strin Ilos Belend Vosmaarre Strin Ilos,_ he carved into the bands. Seal conceal Conjuration abilities. He picked the bands up one by one and whispered the words softly as he focused his powers. He probably wouldn't leave the room before the next morning. He didn't have to use that much power, but it was really fiddly.

He put the bands on. He was going to have to make sure that Arniel couldn't take them off if he could get them to work. He tried to focus his magic. He couldn't, nothing happened. If he didn't know it was the bracelets that did it, he would be panicking right now. He took them off. He would have to make sure that Arniel couldn't take them off. ' _But how should I do that?'_ he wondered. He could probably use more dovahlu, but he wasn't sure if that wouldn't mess with what he'd done already. He sank back down by the Arcane Enchanter. He could enchant them to be invisible. If he put a bit more into it he could make them not only invisible, but also undetectable by anyone. He would have to make sure that it didn't activate before they were both put on though.

If he hadn't been a Master Enchanter, he would never have attempted this. It was tricky and time consuming. One mistake could drain him badly. He placed the bands in a wooden box once he was finished with them. "Winky," he said softly.

A pop signalled her arrival. "Master Harry sir," she said. "What does Master Harry want?"

"Could you make me something to eat, dear?" Harry asked. "And would you give this to Gogil?" He handed her the box and a letter he had written to go with it.

"Winky can do Master Harry," the little elf said before disappearing.

Harry sighed and sat down on the bed. He pulled his letter to Charlie to him so he could finish writing it. He was giving the oranget a day by day of what he'd been up to so far. He figured he'd write things he thought he might be interested in hearing himself. Winky returned with food, and he ate. Another five chapters of _Defensive Magical Theory_ were read, and he made more notes for the other students. Last thing he had heard was that the notes were making their way into other houses. He didn't mind. He hoped they weren't connecting his name to it. It would be really bad for him if Umbridge found out.

He was exhausted as he actually decided to go to bed that evening. Tomorrow was Monday. He was not looking forward to DADA.

…

 _11th of September, 1995. Monday_

The sun was shining for once. The rain clouds that had hung over their heads throughout the previous week were gone. Harry finished his morning run in the Owlery. He walked up to Hedwig. "Are you up for a long flight honey?" he asked her. A smile spread over his lips as she hooted at him, saying that of course she was. "Take this to Charlie," he said as he fastened the letter to her leg. "You can stay with him until he is up to sending a letter back." He petted her slowly as he walked over to one of the big open windows. She took off from his arm and spread her wings wide. Green eyes watched her disappear in the distance.

Once she was gone, Harry made his way back down the stairs. He needed to get back to the tower to clean up. He smiled at Tanya as he passed through the common room. She tended to be an early riser. He showered and got dressed quickly before making his way back down. Tanya was still sitting in front of the fireplace. She stood up when he came back down. "Can I go with you?" she asked. "My friends are still in bed."

"Sure you can," Harry said. He placed an arm over her shoulders protectively and they headed down to the Great Hall together. "So how do you like this year so far?" Harry asked.

Tanya gave him a dark look. "Let's see I have History and Defence today," she said. "How do you think I like it?"

Harry laughed richly. "I can give you a brush up on History and well Defence. I can't really do much about that. I had Gilderoy Lockhart in my second year. Trust me Umbridge is better. He couldn't talk about anything other than his fame. If you want to know what a second year really should know then ask Ginny. She had Remus Lupin. He was a really good teacher."

"I heard he was a werewolf," Tanya said.

Harry nodded. "He was, but that doesn't make him a bad person," he said. "Besides cousin Kato told me that there is a cure for Lycanthropy. The goblins have it and will give it out for free to anyone who wants it."

Tanya's eyes shone. "That's awesome," she said. "That it is given for free is so nice." She filled her plate with fruits and put some yogurt in a bowl. "So how about that History brush up we are working on the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards right now."

Harry nodded slowly. He thought about it for a moment. He had gone outside of their school text to fully understand what the Assembly did. As he started explaining it to Tanya, who had retrieved a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag, the Hall slowly started filling up. Other students settled down around them some of the listening in to his explanation. He would stop at times as one person or another asked a question so he could answer it before continuing.

He stopped entirely as the mail owls arrived. Tanya opened the Daily Prophet and scanned through it. "This is insane," she whispered. "Have you seen this?" she asked Harry.

"No Tanya I don't get the paper. Though I have considered getting it for a while now," he said. "I'll have to look into that."

"Oh, well. To cap Umbridge has been made something called the High Inquisitor and she has like powers that are similar to the Headmasters. She is going to evaluate the teachers. It is full of jabs towards Dumbledore as well," Tanya said.

Harry nodded. That sounded like the Minister was trying to take control over Hogwarts to him. Someone had to be fuelling him on to make him think he could do that. He wouldn't put it past Lucius to be the one. "Just keep calm and don't do anything stupid. If we are lucky she'll get rid of Binns for us," he said.

"I wish she would evaluate herself," Tanya muttered. "She wouldn't pass."

Harry chuckled. "Don't you say that so the Toad Queen can hear you," he said.

Brown eyes widened and then everyone that had heard started laughing.

"Don't tell anyone I said that," Harry hissed. "I'll end up in trouble." While his name wasn't connected to the nickname, it spread like wildfire through the school. By the end of the day everyone knew it. Fred and George had even started working on something in connection to the name.

Harry didn't know this would happen as he walked into History of Magic. Like always he sat down and pulled the book up completely ignoring their teacher. As class ended he made his way down to the dungeon. Hermione and Neville caught up to him. "Have you seen what's in the paper?" Hermione asked him. "Yeah, I have," Harry said. "I wouldn't be too worried about most of the teachers. I would like to see her try to mess with Snape or McGonagall."

Hermione nodded slowly. "I guess you are right," she said. They trailed into the classroom and sat down. Everyone was given back their homework on moonstones as Snape said, "I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work on your OWL. This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in the examination." He reached the front of the class and turned around to face them.

Harry looked down at his parchment. He wondered if the 'E' had hurt to place down. He knew for a fact from that summer that there was way more to Snape than his grim demeanour during class. There was a Potions Master there somewhere, and Harry had a lot of experience with those – even if they had been Alchemy Masters. Nirn Alchemy was more like potions than Alchemy anyway.

"The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get a 'D'," Severus said. Unlike most times he was speaking to the entire class this time around. He didn't centre on the Gryffindor's. Both Potter and Longbottom had passed. It they improved he might even see bloody Potter in his NEWT class next year. He would prefer if the boy wouldn't take it though. He ignored Draco's snide comment and gave out the instructions for that day's potion.

He watched the students as they started working. He had a potion brewing in his private lab that he really wanted to get back to. The scales he had received that summer were filled with magical properties and every dragon seemed to hold different ones. He'd never gotten a hold of a batch that good before.

The class finished off and the students bottled their creations and brought them forward.

The first time that Harry saw Umbridge that day was in Divination after lunch. He had Neville sat back like they had taken to doing so they could work on the things they really wanted to learn. The Toad Queen sat with a clipboard and a quill in a corner taking notes. She interrupted Trelawney several time as the eccentric teacher tried to speak to her class. All of this was vastly ignored by both Harry and Neville.

It wasn't until Umbridge came walking up to them that Harry lowered his book. "Good day Professor," he said.

"I can see that you are not partaking in the class work," Umbridge said.

"No," Harry said. "I gave up on Divination a long time ago, but as far as I know there is no way of simply leaving the subject. I don't have the sight. I would have liked a better explanation of the subjects before we had to choose. I doubt I would have picked this one if I had been given proper information on all the electives. I just try to make the best of what I have now." He was speaking in a low clear voice so there would be no misunderstanding him.

"And your opinion on Professor Trelawney?" Umbridge asked.

"She tends to predict my death willy nilly. It seems to be her favourite pastime," Harry said. "Though she did tell me a real Prophesy once. Or at least that's what I thought it was. I was just thirteen at the time so it is possible that I was mistaken."

"Do you remember what she said?" Umbridge asked.

Harry's brows furrowed. "It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight before midnight the servant will set out to rejoin his master," he said slowly. He looked up at the ceiling of the room. "It happened at the end of my third year so June 1994. It obviously hasn't come to pass though. I mean we would have known if the Dark Lord was back if that is even possible," he said. He was making sure that he wouldn't end up in trouble with the Ministry. He might not like Umbridge, but he wanted her to stay out of his business.

"Thank you Mister Potter," Umbridge said sweetly before she stood up to walk around the room.

"Do you really think that was a good idea?" Neville asked quietly.

Harry shrugged. "I told the truth as I know it," he said. "I definitely didn't harm Trelawney. I actually heard a true Prophesy from her lips."

"And the servant of the Dark Lord?" Neville asked.

"He escaped later that night, but I won't tell her that because she won't believe me. I don't need her to be sniffing around what I'm up to," Harry said. He was very distrustful of the Ministry. "I could really get Fred and George in trouble among others."

Neville nodded in understanding. He was starting to get the feeling that there was more to it, but he wasn't one to pry.

They left the incense filled classroom and joined up with Hermione for their Defence class. Harry sat down between her and Neville. He opened his book up. He only had a few pages to go before he was done. Next to him Hermione was sitting with her hand in the air. He noticed Umbridge as the woman came walking up to them. She bent down so her eyes were level with Hermione's. "What is it this time, Miss Granger?" she asked softly. Harry could hear her, but he doubted that Neville could.

"I've already read Chapter Two," Hermione said.

"Well the, proceed to Chapter Three," Umbridge said impatiently.

"I've read that too. I've read the entire book."

Umbridge blinked in surprise, but you had to be very attentive to notice it. She looked to the side where she could see that Potter was almost done with the book as well. She had not counted on that. She looked back at Hermione and said, "Well, then you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counter-jinxes in Chapter Fifteen."

' _Oh, no,'_ Harry thought as Hermione went into lecture mode. He says that counter-jinxes are improperly named," the bushy-haired brunette said promptly. "He says 'counter-jinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make their jinxes sound more acceptable."

Umbridge raised an eyebrow clearly impressed.

"But I disagree," Hermione continued.

"You disagree?" Umbridge said coldly.

"Yes, I do," Hermione said. She had raised her voice to a normal speaking tone and was very clear. She had the attention of nearly every student in the class room. "Mr Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."

"Oh, do you, do you?" Umbridge said. She straightened up and forewent whispering as she said, "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom."

"But…"

"That is enough Miss Granger," Umbridge said. "I am going to take five points from Gryffindor House."

Harry, who was the only one who hadn't looked up from his book, sighed softly. He knew Hermione couldn't stop herself. At least it hadn't been worse. He finished the book and pulled out a sheet of paper so he could paraphrase the text. He doubted that Professor Umbridge would have anything against that since he kept to the facts they had been given.

He wondered briefly what he should do next lesson since he was done now. He packed the book back down as the bell rang. He headed with Hermione to the library so they could start on their Potions homework after class. They settled down in a dark corner of the library with a stack of book.

Hermione looked up at Harry. She still hadn't asked him about the hickeys he had spotted back on the train. They had faded now, but she still wondered. "Harry," she said softly. "Are you dating George?"

Green eyes widened humorously, and Harry had to catch himself so he wouldn't burst out laughing. He took a calming breath before saying, "No, 'Mione I'm not dating George." He looked up at her. "My boyfriend doesn't attend Hogwarts."

Hermione blushed lightly. "I just thought… You were very cosy with each other on the train," she said.

Harry nodded slowly. "I enjoy physical contact with people I like," he said. "I know that hasn't really come across before, but I sort of sat down this summer and realised that I really like that. The Dursleys never gave me positive contact so it was weird for me to get hugs and so on when I came to Hogwarts. I guess you can remember me tensing up more than once."

Hermione smiled softly. Oh, she could remember that just fine.

"But last year after I met Fleur I guess, she convinced me to relax," he said. "I did and I kinda liked it when she hugged me. I guess I figured that it was stupid to be hung up on something that wasn't important really. I like it so I didn't want to be hung up on the things that the Dursleys did to me." He opened a book up. "I hug Tanya and she likes sitting in my lap. It isn't just George. It's just that I know the twins pretty well and they don't really mean anything by it. Besides George is a cuddler. If you watch them and know which twin is which then you would notice that it is George that initiates any physical contact with his twin. Fred is more the compliments and spending time together kind if guy."

A brown eyebrow had risen as Harry spoke. Hermione wondered when her friend had become so attentive to his surroundings. Harry used to be so clueless. She was happy for her friend though. "So your boyfriend," she said with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Who is he?"

"Oh, Mara not you too," Harry said with a sigh. "I'm not telling you. He's a wizard. He is strong, independent and caring. Please let that be enough for you or I'll start hounding you about Viktor. I've seen you writing to him."

Hermione blushed again. So, yes she was still in contact with Viktor. He was a really nice guy. She guessed she could give Harry some lenience if they guy was nice. She looked down in her books so she could start working on her homework.

* * *

 _12th of September, 1995. Tuesday_

The following day Harry had Charms as his first lesson. He and Neville met Hermione there before heading into the classroom. Flitwick led the class on the same rout as the previous time. He was taking them though spells they had already done to make sure that they knew them.

After lunch they headed to Transfiguration where Umbridge sat in a corner of the room. It was interesting to see their stern Head of House deal with the toad-like woman. She was not amused by being interrupted as she taught and had a very short tone with the High Inquisitor.

"You'd think she'd know better," Harry told Hermione and Neville as they left the classroom.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.  
"Umbridge should know better than to interrupt McGonagall," Harry said. "You heard McGonagall she's been teaching here for the past thirty-nine years. Umbridge must have been a student of hers. I somehow doubt that McGonagall has changed much."

Neville chuckled. "I guess you are right," he said. "I wonder which house she was in." He looked contemplative for a moment.

"Slytherin," Harry said. "You can tell that she favours them just a bit and they would have gotten better warnings from their parents about her than anyone else."

"Show favouritism to, Harry," Hermione corrected him.

The raven shrugged. "You know what I mean," he said. They were heading outside to Hagrid's class. "Oh, that's not good," Harry breathed. Umbridge was there with her clipboard. Hagrid was not going to make it. He had too many previous strikes against him.

The half-giant in question came walking out from behind his hut with half a dead cattle hanging over his shoulder. "We're workin' in her today," he called happily to the students before he turned to walk into the Forbidden Forest. "They prefer the dark!"

"What prefers the dark?" Draco said to Harry's right. "What did he says prefers the dark… did you hear?" he sounded slightly panicked. Then again last time he had entered the forest he had run into the shade of Voldemort drinking unicorn blood.

"I hope he isn't going to show us the Acromantulas," Harry said. "That is so not a good idea." He followed their Professor into the forest though. In the long run he wasn't afraid of anything in there. To his relief and other students' horror, they stopped in a glade filled with black winged horse-like creatures. It was the same ones that pulled the carriages. Harry smiled. He had wanted to know what they were for a while now. They were strangely beautiful with their skeletal bodies and milk white eyes. He walked forward slowly and reached out for one of them. It was a foal. The little one walked up to him and sniffed his fingers.

Harry kneeled down. "What are you doing?" Hermione hissed.

"He's petting the horse thing," Neville said quietly. He had been able to see them since he started Hogwarts, but he'd never spoken about it.

"There is nothing there," Hermione said.

Then Hagrid threw the cattle in among the horse-like creatures and the foal Harry had been petting left to get something to eat. "Still nothing there?" the raven asked as chunks of meat disappeared into thin air for Hermione.

Harry focused back on what Hagrid was saying. The horse-like creatures were Thestrals. Hermione seemed to catch on at that point. She looked out over the little glade despite her not being able to see them. He tuned out the argument that followed. Apparently you would only see Thestrals if you had seen death. Considering that he'd killed plenty of people himself, he guessed he qualified. He tried his best not to listen to Umbridge. He couldn't do anything to help Hagrid. He could hear Hermione muttering about the Toad Queen throughout the lesson though. He hoped that Hagrid wouldn't be too crushed when he was ousted from his teaching position.

He stayed with the Thestals as the others headed back to the castle. "Will you take me on a flight?" he asked one of the mares. She threw her head about and neighed. Harry smiled as he sat up on her back. "I know how to ride don't worry," he said. She started moving under him and he made sure not to fall off. Her wings spread and she took flight. The raven laughed. He conjured Ven so she could fly with them. He missed riding. He had to fin horses somewhere. His grounds were big enough for that. He'd have to get another elf if he acquired horses though. Winky couldn't handle both the house and horses. Maybe he should ask Dobby. He wasn't sure about the little elf though.

Hermione and Neville were sitting with heads together when he entered the common room. They looked up at him as he walked up to them. "What's up?" he asked.

"Well," Hermione said. "Neville and I have been talking. We think that something needs to be done about Umbridge."

"O.K. what do you have in mind?" Harry asked carefully.

"We were thinking that maybe we should start a Defence Club or something so that people can learn for real," Hermione said. "But we need a teacher – a proper one."

"Sounds good," Harry said.

"So you will do it?" Hermione asked.

Harry blinked in surprise. "Me," he said. "No, Hermione I won't. You should have a discussion with Cedric I think. If you can get the Head Boy in on this you'll have a leg up."

"But you know so much," Hermione said.

' _Sure I do,'_ Harry thought. ' _But what I know I can't teach you, and it wouldn't be Defence.'_ He shook his head. "I have enough on my plate without trying to figure out a course plan for all the students at Hogwarts Hermione," he said. "The sixth yearers would be the best to go to. They aren't as crammed with things as we or the seventh yearers are. I have already told the second yearers to talk to the fourth yearers. Ginny is doing an amazing job helping them. Fred and George have set up a training area in their dorm since there are so few of them up there. It is open to any student in the house until eight in the evening." A part of him wished he could help her, but he couldn't. He didn't know the magic she wanted to learn anymore. It was time to start dealing with Umbridge though. She was messing with the school and he wasn't going to stand for it.

…

The next DADA lesson Harry focused his magic. What he was after was something that Umbridge wouldn't realise what it was at first. He disliked messing with other people's minds, but what he found in hers made it clear to him that she had to be dealt with. She held a fear for creatures that made her do anything she could to make life difficult for them. She also looked down on non-magicals.

' _Lovely woman,'_ Harry thought sarcastically. He smirked as his magic took rout. From that day onwards it would appear to her as if every single suit of armour in the castle bowed to her as she passed. 'Your majesty' they would call her. It was only the first step, but he was patient. The Toad Queen. He would get there eventually.


	66. Dark Mark Burning

**Dark Mark Burning**

Weeks passed by with nothing much happening. Hermione approached Cedric and they did work out a few ways for the students to learn practical Defence. Most of them involved older students helping the younger ones within their lessons within the safely of their common rooms.

He had received two letters from Charlie. Apparently Malqo was doing alright. He spent a lot of time with Charlie though. 'I think he misses you.' Charlie had written. 'He isn't the only one. This place is amazing, but it was better with you here.' Smiles had spread over his lips as he read over the letter. Just like him Charlie had written about pretty much anything and everything. He loved reading the letters from his boyfriend. It was a taste of true life instead of school. It was getting warmer down there. Since Charlie was south of the hemisphere he was going to have summer as Harry moved into winter.

…

 _30th of October, 1995. Monday_

The Gryffindor Quidditch teams were training like crazy. Even after Snape had made sure to book the pitch in advance for his Slytherins so they couldn't use it. Harry had worked out several little games they could play together for fun and to improve on skills and team spirit. Monday after classes, they were outside again. Harry had led them over to the area were the dragons had been kept before the first task the year before. It was protected from prying eyes so they would be left to their own ideas.

The games he had worked out involved all players and both teams. He threw a ball over to Angelina. "What do you think?" he asked.

She nodded. "I like it," she said. "You should have said something earlier. This is a perfectly viable way of learning the positions. The beaters though. They don't get any bat practice," she said.

"Oh, yes they do," Harry said. He grabbed a rope and pulled several logs up. "Balls will randomly appear at the top of these. It is the only way to get another ball in play. You can't pick them they have to be hit with a bat to be in play."

Angelina smirked. "Let's get up there," she said.

Harry took of after her. He had designed this game to be completely independent of broom speed. It worked off skills not speed. They split into two teams and started playing. The Seekers jobs were to initially catch the balls as the Beaters sent them flying and pass them to the Chasers. The Chasers tried their best to make as many goals on the Keepers as possible. They didn't have three hoops like in Quidditch. Instead they had a marked area on the ground that the Keeper had to defend. If a ball hit the ground it was out of play. They had set it up so Chace wasn't on any team he just had to try to catch all the balls. Originally the plan had been for two Keepers so Harry had needed to quickly modify it to work for them. He had spent hours enchanting everything so it would do what he wanted it to.

In time for dinner the teams packed back up and headed over to the school. They walked in to the Great Hall in a troop. Harry was surrounded by his team-mates. Everyone was laughing at a joke Fred had pulled just before they stepped into the Hall.

Green eyes moved over to the Slytherin table. Harry could see the looks on the Slytherin teams' faces. They didn't look happy. "Listen everyone," he said. "No one travels alone anywhere until after the match. The Slytherins are known for playing dirty and they might try to take you out before the game. That goes for all of you even if you are on the second team." He was rewarded with a resounding, "Yes Captain," immediately.

They sat down by the Gryffindor table and filled their plates. They didn't split up until they reached the common room. Harry went up to his dorm and cleaned up before making his way back down so he could study with Hermione and Neville. They had received another impossible task from Snape earlier that day.

"Hey Potter."

Harry turned to a sizable boy with wiry hair and green eyes. He knew vaguely that the guy was in Katie's year. He didn't really know anything else about him though. "Yes?" he said.

"You are one very elusive fish to catch, Potter. I have been trying to get a hold of you for weeks now. I want a chance to be on the team. I play Keeper and I assure you that I'm better than the little shrimp you have on the position now," the teen said.

Harry smiled politely. "Chace is an excellent player," he said. "I set a date for tryouts you weren't there. If you want something you better be there when the chance is given to get it. We are sticking with Chace now." He could see his team rising from their seats as the boy moved up closer to him. "Back off," he said.

"What? Are you scared of me?" the boy asked.

"Stop being stupid Cormac," Katie said from behind him.

"Please step out of my personal space," Harry said. His eyes narrowed as the blond moved. He was standing above the guy within seconds with his wand in his hand. He hadn't even thought about it. He'd just reacted to the guy moving. Cormac was staring up at him with wide eyes. Harry threw the guy's wand over to one of the seventh year prefects and walked over to Neville and Hermione. "And that is how you disarm someone without magic," he said before he sat down.

He wasn't going to explain himself. He wasn't going to hide, and he wasn't going to regret what he'd done. He had reacted to defend himself. He might have over reacted, but he hadn't hurt the guy any. He could tell that both Hermione and Neville wanted to ask what just happened. "Did you really think that I would spend the entire summer just sitting around?" he asked with a smirk. "I had some fun learning stuff."

He pulled several books out of his bag so he could do his homework.

* * *

 _31st of October, 1995. Tuesday_

Harry blinked slowly. Fred and George were sitting by the single table in the Lab. They were construction some kind of joke. His classes that day had been uneventful. He had some homework to do, but it was Halloween. He snorted. A stupid tradition. He could certainly do without it. He had prayed to magic itself on the Autumnal Equinox, a date that actually mattered with magic. Gifting magic to the earth on the Solicits and Equinoxes would ensure a prosperous year. So many had forgotten the old rituals though, and he didn't know them either. All he could do was hope that magic would take his offering.

He focused back on what was going on. His mind slipped in to test Fred's mental shields. A small smile spread over his lips as he found them strong and tall. He checked George as well. Then he stood up slowly. He reached up and pulled his glamour necklace out from under his shirt. Fred's eyes met his and he smirked as he pulled the necklace off.

Blue eyes widened and Fred elbowed his twin. George looked up at Harry and his jaw fell. "What the… what just…?" he said. "He took the necklace off," Fred said. "Harry?"

The raven chuckled softly. "Oh, my I have made the infamous Weasley twins speechless," he said. "You wanted to know what I had been through. It involves five years in another world." He held his hands out. "Let me show you what my life has been like," he said.

Fred stood up slowly and walked up to the raven. Harry had grown about five inches. He had to be about five-foot nine inches tall now. He took one of the raven's hands, and waited for his brother to do the same. Harry smiled and closed his eyes. "You have to allow me past your shields so that I can invite you on this journey," he said. "I will not enter your minds." He could feel the two of them allowing a portion of their shield to fall for him. "Open your eyes," he whispered.

Fred and George did as they were told. They were standing in the midst of a dragon pen. Four giant reptiles surrounded them. "These are the dragons that you guys faced in the Tournament," George said. He turned to Harry. The raven nodded slowly.

There was a strange vibration in the air and they were transported from Hogwarts to Karthspire. Harry breathed in deeply before he started his story. The events unfolded around him as he spoke. The twins were amazed by Ra'shall and intimidated by Katla.

Harry could hear their anger when they saw the scars littering his back. "Don't worry about that. I have long since decided to ignore them. They feared me, and I have no wish to fuel that fear," he said. He showed the twins all over Skyrim. He didn't stop for every little thing, but he gave them a pretty good overview. He let go of their hands eventually and they ended up back in the Lab.

"That's pretty insane," Fred said. "No really," George responded sarcastically. He looked up at Harry. "You're older than we are," he said. "And here we've thought of you as little brother," Fred said. "We were pretty wrong about that." "That's why you are always the voice of reason." "You don't spend time with Ron anymore," "cause of this right?" "He is too immature." Then George really looked him in the eyes. "Why are you still at Hogwarts?" he asked.

Harry smiled softly. He gave the same reason he head told their older brother. He was safer from the Ministry this way, and he knew Voldemort was coming back. He was playing it safe. "I work with the goblins though," he said. "So I don't really have to care about grades. I'm still here because there are things I want to learn."

"But your magic," "is all different which is why," "you can't teach us Defence," the twins said going back and forth. "And you downed McLaggen," "out of instinct didn't you." "The feline guy," "Ra'shall taught you how to do that." "Could you teach us," "how to fight with swords?" they asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What are the two going to use that for?" he asked. "I learned it because it was a life saving skill for me. You guys don't really need it."

"Well," "why do we," "need to have," "use for everything," "we know?" the twins asked.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "I'll consider it," he said. "Not now though you might not realise it, but I have so much on my plate right now."

They nodded slowly. Then George looked contemplative. "You didn't spend the summer with the Dursleys did you?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "No I didn't," he said. "I travelled to Sweden and Namibia. The goblins had some things they wanted help with." He smirked. "I went to Romania, France and Egypt too. Met both Bill and Charlie."

"You can't have walked around like that though," Fred said.

Harry raised an eyebrow and then his hair turned brown and his eyes amber. "No I walked around like this," he said. He couldn't help but laugh at the two redheads. It was so much fun to mess with them.

"You are Kato Peverell?" Fred said.

"Yes, Peverell is the name of a distant ancestor of mine," Harry said. He let his hair and eyes fade back to their original colour. "Kato was a name that Katla liked. I took it to honour her. I needed something to stay out of sight. The goblins set up some kind of security system for me. We will probably make Kato disappear at some point so I can step in in his stead."

George shook his head. "You really have been busy, haven't you?" he said.

"That I have," Harry said.

…

While Harry answered questions and explained things something else was going on. Something that would change the world as they knew it. Severus had looked down at his left forearm as a burning pain had flared over the mark hidden beneath his robes. There had been no warning. Suddenly he had simply been called. He stood up slowly and walked out of his office glad that the foolish feast was long over. He headed up to Dumbledore's office and told the password to the statue guarding the stairs. It moved to the side so he could head up the winding staircase. A rapt knock was given to the wooden door.

"Come in my boy," Dumbledore said from the other side.

Severus opened the door and headed in to the office. "He is calling Headmaster," he said. He noticed a fleeting look of surprise filtering across the old wizard's face.

"Will you take up your old position?" Dumbledore asked.

"I will," Severus said determined.

"Then go to him… and be careful Severus," Dumbledore said.

Severus nodded and turned around. He couldn't take too long it wouldn't end well for him. He returned to his quarters to get his cloak and mask before he made his way off the grounds. He donned the cloak and mask before apparating. He ended up in a dark hallway. He followed the corridor until he reached a set of large double doors. He opened them and stepped inside.

"Ah, a straggler I see!"

Severus turned to the man that had spoken. He knelled down. "I had to make sure that the old fool knew not of my disappearance my Lord," he said. He raised his head and made sure that the fabricated memory he had created to fool the Dark Lord was easy enough to access but not so obvious that it would seem strange. He could feel how the man entered his mind. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"I see," Voldemort said. "And how come you did not come to find me Severus?" he said. "Why did you not aid your Lord? Perhaps you have grown comfortable with your position at Hogwarts."

Severus stood up slowly. "I have no excuse for my lack of faith in you my Lord," he said knowing fully well that the Dark Lord would not accept apologies. "I can only hope that my current position will benefit your cause."

A dry smirk spread over pale almost white lips. "Yesss," Voldemort hissed. "A Death Eater close to the old fool. That is very useful indeed. It makes me wonder what you did to gain such a position."

"Dumbledore is weak-hearted my Lord," Severus said. "I made him believe that I truly cared more about the mudblood Potter than your cause. I figured that I would be of more use in the end if I stayed out of Azkaban. I now have a full report of what Dumbledore has been up to the past fourteen years."

Voldemort met Severus eyes for a long silent moment. The Potions Master had always been harder to read than most of his other followers. He would simply have to be careful with the man. He knew how to do that. "As I was saying before our dear Severus showed up, I have returned and I am disappointed in you," he said. "I expect better from you from now on. You will have to work hard to regain my favour."

"But how did you return my Lord?" one of the masked Death Eaters asked.

"Ah, that is quite the story," Voldemort said. "It would seem that my ancestors had some very interesting ideas. They didn't know how to utilise them however. I perfected their work and with the help of a most loyal follower I was returned to my body. Barty Crouch show yourself. This is a loyal Death Eater. He chose to go to Azkaban rather than pretend innocence, and despite his imprisonment he still found a way to show me that he was loyal."

Barty let his hood fall his unruly straw-blond acted like a halo around his head. He sneered at the others. He had hoped that their Lord would have been stricter with them. He wouldn't question the Dark Lord's decisions however. He knew that he was favoured.

"Once you leave here tonight I expect you to gather proper reports in your chosen area. You better not have spent these past fourteen years growing lazy," Voldemort said. "I may change my mind and punish you if you have nothing to come with."

A shudder moved through the gathered men.

"I expect they very best from you," Voldemort said. "You may leave I will call you individually when I next wish to see you. You better be prepared to come immediately."

Severus left with the others. He apparated back to Hogsmeade. At least he hadn't been cursed. While that was nice the Dark Lord being that sane would be very dangerous to them. The saner the man was the more dangerous he was in the long run. He headed up to the school slowly. He had to report to Dumbledore.

…

Albus leaned back in his chair after Severus left. Voldemort was back finally. He would have to gather the Order again. They needed a place to meet. His first stop would be Sirius. Hopefully the man had access to his family home. "Dark times are ahead old friend," he told Fawkes.

' _I wonder when I should let young Mr Potter know,'_ he thought. He wished he could allow the boy some more childhood. He would have to be told about his destiny though. He was the only one who could defeat Voldemort.

* * *

 _4th of November, 1995. Saturday_

That Saturday it was finally time for the first Quidditch game of the year. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Harry met the rest of the team down in the common room that morning. Both teams were there. He walked up to Chace and placed a hand on the boy's back. "It will be alright," he said. "We're all a bit rusty the Slytherins included."

The blond swallowed thickly and Harry smiled. This would be Chace's first game. "O.K. everyone," he said calmly. "Close your eyes and breath in slowly… one… two breath out… one… two feel the nerves roll off you." He kept them breathing until everyone had calmed down. "There we go hold that feeling and let's go," he said.

A smirk spread over the raven's lips as they reached the Great Hall. He handed his broom to George and then he ran forward as they entered the Hall. Ra'shall had taught him a lot of things, but cartwheeling was something he'd learned on his own. It didn't have a practical use so Ra'shall would never have done it. Now though he'd run up to the Gryffindor table and somersaulted up on the table before cartwheeling several times. "Come on Gryffindor," he called. The response he got was ear deafening. Everyone cheered. He moved off the table and sat down. The rest of the team joined him on his side of the table while the second team sat down opposite them.

"Show off," Fred muttered as he sat down next to him.

Harry laughed. "This is supposed to be fun for everyone," he said. "We can give them a little show. I didn't even upset the food." He looked at the team. "You better eat properly." He narrowed his eyes. "That means all of you," he said.

"Yes Captain!" they called in unison.

From the staff table kind blue eyes looked down at the Gryffindor table. It was nice to see them being so happy. Albus looked over at the other side of the Hall. It was a shame that the Slytherins weren't doing the same. He wished that the fighting between the houses would stop. It was a lot to wish for though. He hadn't been able to do it himself as a student.

The Gryffindor Quidditch teams stood from their table and headed out of the Hall in unison. Harry gauged the wind and weather as they walked over to the changing rooms. The secondary team headed up to the stands while everyone else switched into their red and gold Quidditch robes before then the raven walked up in front of the others. "Well," he said. "Anyone who has sat through one of Oliver Wood's pep talks knows what he would say. I'm not Oliver so I won't even try to sound like him. I believe in this team. I believe that we can win. Fred. George. The beaters are useless trounce them. They are no better than the previous ones probably worse. Ladies," he turned to Angelina, Alicia and Katie, "we all know you are better than the Slytherin Chasers. You can fly laps around those guys." Then he turned to Chace. "You're good kid don't think any different. Just catch every ball you can. We will do the rest," he said. "Come on team. Can we win this?" he asked them.

"Yes we can!" they answered.

Harry listened as hundreds of feet moved over the grounds outside and up to the stands. "Our turn," he said. He walked out in front of the rest of the team. The Slytherin Captain Montague was big and burly. Harry walked up to him and stopped his team close behind him. He winked at Draco as the blond met his eyes.

"Captains shake hands," Madam Hooch the referee ordered.

Harry reached his hand out to the brown-haired boy. Montague took his hand and started squeezing as they shook hands. It continued until Harry decided that he'd had enough. He didn't have to do much to add just a tad to much heat into his palm. Montague pulled away from him and Harry backed off.

"Mount your brooms," Madam Hooch called.

Harry sat up on his Firebolt.

The whistle sounded and the balls took to the air.

Harry was high above everyone else in seconds. Up there he closed his eyes for a spit second as he did his best to ignore everything else. His eyes moved over the pitch searching for a small golden ball. He could use his clairvoyance spell but that would take the fun out of the game. He actually enjoyed Quidditch. He could see Draco moving around. A smirk played over his lips and then he dived. He could hear the excitement from the stands as people thought he'd see n the snitch already. He hadn't though. He was just taking Draco on a bit of a ride. The blond was following him as closely as he could. Harry took back up and then he acted as if he'd lost track of the snitch. He started circling slowly.

Angelina struck as goal and then Alicia. Chace caught the quaffle several times.

About twenty minutes and six goals for Gryffindor into the game, Harry saw the snitch. He had flown down closer to the ground. He guessed he was about twenty feet or so up in the air.

"… and what is Potter doing he has dropped down from his broom," Lee shouted into the magical mike.

Harry caught himself as he hit the ground. He stood up and held the snitch up in the air.

"And Potter has caught the snitch. In a completely unexpected move he leaves his broom twenty feet in the air and catches the snitch on his way to the ground," Lee called out.

Harry was sure you could hear the cheers from the stands all the way to Hogsmeade. He made sure he was fine before he started moving. He pulled his fake wand out so he could pretend to summon his broom. He was surrounded by the Gryffindor team moments later. A bludger came heading towards them and Harry pointed his wand at it. " _ **Vognun,"**_ he hissed softly. The rouge ball disappeared.

"You were amazing Harry," Tanya called as she leaped at him. Harry caught her as he looked around for the one responsible for the bludger. It seemed like madam Hooch had the situation under control though. "Oh, I'm thinking Chace deserves some props for this. Did he let a single ball in?" he asked as he turned to the rest of the team.

"Not a single one," Angelina said with a smirk.

"There is the hero of the day then," Harry said. He lifted Tanya up on his shoulders. "We need to get changed," he said before he started heading back to the changing room.

"Have to ensnare your second years to get some Potter?" a snide voice asked.

Harry stopped and turned to Draco. "Get some what?" he said. "Sense? I think I have that anyway, though you might need to ask your second years for some." He could tell that he'd struck a nerve.

"I can't fault you for picking her; she's cute I guess," Draco said.

Now Harry's eyes narrowed. He was pretty sure that Lord Malfoy would not approve of his son talking that way especially not about a twelve-year-old. "If you ever touch one of my Gryffindors against their will Malfoy," he said as a matter-of-factly. "I will personally make your life a living hell. You'll wish for Oblivion." He tilted his head to the side. "Just because my partner isn't in school anymore... I happen to be dating someone that has quite the respectable job Draco. I doubt you can say the same." He left the blond to think his words over. When he entered the change room, he let Tanya down. "You will tell me if any boy does something to you you don't like," he said. Concern was shining in his eyes. "I don't care what bullshit they might spew. You have to come tell me."

Tanya nodded. "O.K." she said. She wasn't dumb she had understood what the mean blond had said. She sat down to wait for Harry as he walked over so he could go into the shower.

"What is wrong?" George asked. He could tell that the raven was tense. Harry told him what had happened and the redhead's eyes narrowed. "We'll keep an eye on all the younger students," he said.

"I wish I could let his father know what he said," Harry said quietly so only George could hear. "Kato is on pretty good terms with Lord Malfoy. I doubt Draco's father would approve of him wanting to rape little girls." He knew that Draco hadn't gone that far, but the blond had implied it. What was more he had implied that Harry would hurt her like that.

George stepped away from the water spray. The water was boiling hot. He looked down at Harry. "Hey Captain," he said. "Harry calm down."

Harry moved away from the wall breathing deeply to calm himself down. He cleaned up and left the showers. He got dressed quickly and picked Tanya up before he headed up towards the school. He had become really attached to the little girl he guessed. Especially if he got that upset from someone threatening her. He grabbed a piece of parchment. He was going to let Lord Malfoy know. He had gone out with the knowledge that Kato was his cousin he might as well play it properly.

…

Lord Malfoy sat in his private study going over his report to the Dark Lord when he heard an owl pecking on his window. He walked over to it and opened it up wondering who would be sending letter to him right then. Normally he could tell by the owl who it was from, but the beautiful snowy white owl that flew in and landed on his desk was not like any owl he knew. He reached out and removed the letter she was carrying before he called a house-elf. He told the little being that he wanted something for the snowy bird before he picked his letter knife up. In a precise motion he opened the letter up. His eyes narrowed as he read the lines upon the page. It was from Kato Peverell. The young man was related distantly to Potter that was interesting. Maybe he could use that to his benefit. He would have to have a talk with his son that much was clear. If there even was an ounce of truth in Potter's claims, and Kato must have thought there were, then Draco needed to be set straight. He was not allowed to act in such a way.

He had actually considered getting in touch with Kato again and this was the perfect opportunity. He didn't have time for a proper meeting until Yuletide though. Not with the extra work he needed to do for the Dark Lord.

He sat down by his desk and started writing.

 _Dear Mr Peverell,_

 _Thank you for informing me of my son's actions. I can assure_

 _you that his discrepancy will be deal with. I must take this_

 _time to request a meeting with you. I'm hoping the 22_ _nd_ _of_

 _December is to your liking. I wish to invite you to the Manor._

 _Please return a letter specifying a time that would suit you._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the House of Malfoy Family_

He stood up and sealed the letter in an envelope. "If you would take this back to your Master," he told the snowy owl.

She hooted softly as he fastened the letter to her leg. He opened the window for her. Lucius looked over at his desk. He truly hoped that eh was right about the young man. He wouldn't normally put this much trust into someone else. He walked back to his desk and looked down at the report he had put together for the Dark Lord.


	67. Lucius Malfoy

**Lucius Malfoy**

 _21st of November, 1995. Tuesday_

Minister Fudge looked up from the papers on his desk as a knock on his door vibrated through his office. His assistant poked her head in and announced that Lord Malfoy was there. "Well send him in," he said almost irritably. It wouldn't do to keep Lord Malfoy waiting at the door. He stood up so he could greet the blond aristocrat properly. "It is good of you to come in Lucius," he said as they shook hands.

"You wished to see me Minister," Lucius said as he took a seat.

"Yes, right," Fudge said. "Dumbledore came in here a couple of days ago and tried to convince me that You-Know-Who is back. I told him that it was ridiculous, but he wouldn't stop with his allegations." He fell silent in hopes that Lucius would respond.

Lucius knew what the Dark Lord wanted. He wanted to stay under the radar. At this point the only person who could have alerted Dumbledore was Severus though so he didn't really want to let their Lord know that Dumbledore knew. Not until they had some younger followers to use as scapegoats. "It may be that the esteemed Headmaster is getting a bit old," he said. "He has led Hogwarts for nearly thirty-nine years and taught for quite some time before then. Maybe it is time for him to retire. It is possible he had started seeing ghosts were there is nothing."

Fudge nodded slowly. "Yes, yes that must be it," he said. "I'm glad you suggested that I send one of my own in to keep an eye on the school. We wouldn't want the precious students to get involved in these ghost stories."

Lucius bowed his head in response. "It is probably best if as few people as possible know about this..." he said.

Fudge nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course we wouldn't want uncalled for panic to ensue," he said. "I will have a talk with Dolores. She can keep an eye on things."

"Whatever you see fit Minister," Lucius said. He left the office some time later. Fudge was so easily played it was ridiculous. It tended to work in his favour however so he didn't mind.

…

A few days later Lucius was walking through the Dark Lord's Manor. He had been called, most likely to deal with something. He knocked on a dark wood door. A hiss invited him inside. He entered and bowed. "What do you wish of me my Lord?" he asked.

"Ah, Lucius," Voldemort said. "We have someone to deal with. Igor Karkaroff placed many of my followers in Azkaban. I do believe that some of them deserve to have their… revenge on him. You will work with Barty to find this man for me."

Lucius bowed. "Of course my Lord," he said.

Voldemort stood up and turned to a shelf. Lucius eyes followed his movement. Silver-gray eyes widened for a millisecond. _Antioch Peverell_ , he read of the back of a book. ' _Peverell,'_ he thought. Was the Dark Lord's ancestor a Peverell? Was he related to Kato in some form? He would have to look in to that if he could.

"You will place these upon Igor when you find him," Voldemort said as he handed the blond a box with a set of shackles in it. "They will prevent him from leaving us."

"Of course, my Lord," Lucius said with a bow.

"You are dismissed, Lucius do not return until you have Igor," Voldemort said.

The blond backed a few steps and then he turned around so he could head out the door. He met up with Barty on his way out. At least the younger man was somewhat sane. There were worse people to work with.

* * *

While Lucius Malfoy was hunting Igor Karkaroff, Harry had been invited to stay with his godfather for the "Christmas holidays". It was Yuletide, and he wouldn't call it anything else. Sirius had seemed really exited to have him over though so he had accepted on the terms that it would be a family only occasion – and yes of course Remus was family. Hermione was worried about him. He couldn't see why. If Sirius was finally in a place that was safe enough for him to go there, then it couldn't be that bad. Dumbledore had after all graciously allowed him to go. Like he actually cared what the Headmaster had to say.

He had asked if they could invite Fred and George for New Years though, and when he got a positive response, he had gone ahead and done just that. They were adults now so they could go wherever, which was nice. So now they would have the Weasley twins over from the twenty-ninth until school started up again. His biggest problem at that point was to make it to the meeting with Lucius without anyone realising that he was gone. He would have to work something over with Winky. He was sure that the little elf could figure something out. She was very resourceful.

…

 _20th of December, 1995. Wednesday_

Fred and George were moving around the table in the Lab. They had worked out another invention and were doing their best to finalise it before they were headed home. It was a part of the Toad Queen collection. Harry had burst out laughing when he'd first heard of it. It was ridiculous. They had made pink Alice bands that would make you look very toad-like if you put them on. There was a chewy pastille that made you croak at random for an hour. Right now they were trying to make something that would turn your skin fluorescent pink and make your arms and back all fluffy like one of Umbridge's cardigans.

Harry wasn't sure it was fair to make an entire collection of products based on a woman when they didn't have her permission. He had quick checked with Gogil and the goblin had told him that as long as the woman's name wasn't in use anywhere it was just fine. Harry was working on the shop sign. He couldn't draw for shit, but he could create a three-dimensional mental image that he later could make appear before him. It should be good enough for the goblins. The twins had given him some guidelines to follow, but then it was all up to him. He wanted to have his Back Dragon there since he was going to be pretty involved. He didn't want it to be too obvious. He wondered briefly if the goblins could make the dragon move around so it could hide behind the letters of the store name.

"I've heard that she had plates with little kittens on them in her office," Harry said offhandedly.

Fred looked up at him. "We have to use that for something," he said. "Don't know what yet though."

Harry chuckled. This was how their sessions often went. He would say something and the twins would think about it for a while and then all of a sudden there was a product. Most of the time he had no idea what he had said to create the product.

…

 _21st of December, 1995. Thursday_

The following day the students who were heading home for the Yule holidays were all packed up and ready to leave. Harry was walking next to Tanya as they headed to the carriages. Behind them Hermione and Neville were taking about some defensive spell or another that they had learned from Katie the previous day. Harry was very glad that the ideas he had presented earlier in the year had been taken up by others and become something without further input from him. he didn't mind helping out, but he couldn't carry the whole school.

They climbed up in a carriage and Tanya moved closer to Harry. "What are those?" she asked. "The things pulling the carriage what is it?"

"They are Thestrals," Harry answered. "They are a bread of winged horses. They are carnivores, but they won't attack a human unless you really make them angry. You can only see them if you have seen and accepted death. You can see someone die but be too young to accept it. You won't see them then," he said.

Hermione's brows furrowed. "Then who did you see Harry?" she asked.

Harry looked up at her. "Quirrell in my first year," he said. "I just never mentioned the horses. There was always so much going on."

Hermione nodded slowly even though she wasn't sure she believed him.

"What happened in your first year?" Tanya asked.

Harry smiled down at her. "Why don't we find some of your friends on the train and I'll tell the lot of you?" he asked.

"O.K." Tanya said.

Harry looked up at Hermione. "Are you up for telling them your part of the story? Don't worry I'll set the tone," he said.

Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know," she said.

"Come on Hermione," Harry said. "It will be fun."

Hermione sighed. "O.K. sure I'll come with you, but I don't know if I'll be able to contribute much," she said.

They headed out in the snow. The train platform had been swiped clean. Harry led them into the train and through it until they found several of Tanya's friends. "Hey Demelza," Harry said as he saw the Chaser.

"Hi Captain," she responded.

Harry sat down and pulled Tanya into his lap. "Alright so Tanya has asked me to tell her about the adventures I have gone though while at Hogwarts. Are you up to hearing about it as well?" he asked. He could tell that the kids were interested by the way the straightened. He wished he could use illusions to show them things, but it would be way to revealing. Hermione would jump on that.

As mountains and fields passed by outside the window, Harry told they young girls and boys about how he, Hermione and Ronald had found out about the Philosopher's Stone. He had them spellbound as he took them past the three headed dog and down the trapdoor.

Hermione listened almost as intently as the younger students. She could tell that he censored some things and took some artistic freedom with other things. He was keeping pretty close to original events though. It was almost mesmerizing to listen to him. She had never noticed how nice his voice was before. She could just keep listening forever. Little did she know that it was his magic that was holding her spellbound. He didn't do it intentionally, but his magic reached out to the people around him.

The sky darkened outside.

"I do believe we'll stop there," Harry said. He had basically told them everything up through his third year. He chuckled as they complained. "You were there last year," he said. "You saw it."

"And we are pulling into the station," Hermione said. "Come on we can't leave your parents waiting."

The train slowed down until it came to a halt. Harry, Hermione and Neville made sure that the younger students got out of the compartment before them. Well all except for Tanya who wouldn't let go of Harry. He took her trunk and followed her out on the platform. It was filled with people. "Wait a second and I'll find him," he bent down and said. He focused his magic and a blue streak appeared before his mind's eye. He led the girl through the crowd of people. Hi back straightened as they reached her father.

Tanya squealed in happiness and rushed up to him. He pulled her up in his arms happily. He said something to her that Harry didn't understand, and she laughed. "Daddy, daddy this is Harry he is our Quidditch Captain. He is teaching me to be a better Seeker," she said enthusiastically.

Harry bowed. "It's an honour to meet you sir," he said as he held his hand out.

"Honour is all mine," the man said in a smooth bass. "I have you to thank for looking after my daughter I have heard."

"She is a part of the team we look after our own," Harry said. "While keeping an eye on everyone else just to be sure."

"I told daddy about the blond," Tanya said.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry said. He met her father's eyes. "My cousin deals with his father. I mentioned it to him. He wrote back some time ago saying that Lord Malfoy would deal with it. We're keeping an eye on the younger students just to be sure though. We don't want anyone to get hurt. It is possible he only said that to upset me we don't have the best relationship."

"Harry there you are."

Harry looked to his left. A smile grazed his lips. "Mr Lupin," he said. "I was wondering how godfather had figured things out." He bent down. "You take care now and have fun," he told Tanya. He gave her a hug before looking to her father again. "Don't worry sir we'll look after your daughter when she returns to school," he said.

The man bowed and took his daughter's hand. They disappeared in the thinning crowd.

Harry turned back to Remus. "Shall we go before Sirius claws his way through his own skin?" he asked.

The sandy-haired man laughed softly. "That would be just like him. The house drives him mad," he said. He held his arm out and Harry took it. Moments later they were standing on a shady street. The houses looked ready to fall apart. A note was handed over to the raven. "Read that and concentrate on it," Remus said.

Harry looked down at the note. ' _The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London'_ , it said. He looked back up at the houses. He could see number eleven and number thirteen. He tilted his head to the side. Out of nowhere another house seemed to appear right between the other two. He followed Remus into the house.

"Don't go too far in and be careful not to touch anything," Remus said.

Harry nodded slowly as he headed into the dark hallway. Light spread from Remus wand and lit the hallway up. It was dusty and grimy. "Winky," Harry breathed.

The little elf showed up with a pop. She looked around and her face scrunched in disgust.

"I'm staying here over the holidays," Harry informed her.

Winky's face took on a determined expression. "Winky will make this place liveable Master Harry," she said. "Winky will start with the kitchen."

"Thank you Winky. Please let me know if there is anything you need help with. There could be dark creatures around," Harry said. He turned to Remus who looked at him with a surprised expression on his face.

"Sirius knows her," Harry said. "She is the reason he hasn't starved to death yet."

"There is a house-elf living here," Remus said.

"Oh, I'm sure Winky can deal with him or her," Harry said. He looked up at the stairs leading up to the second floor as steps could be heard from above. Sirius looked much better than last time Harry had seen him. He was clean shaved and his hair had been cared for. Winky had let Harry know when the older wizard had disappeared from the cave he had been living in and Harry had told her not to worry at the time. It would seem that Sirius had moved to this house back then. It had been right after Halloween.

"Harry," Sirius said excitedly. He enveloped the young man in a hug. He looked over at Remus. "Everything went well?" he asked. He seemed to get the response he wanted because he grabbed harry and held him out at arms length to study him. "You have grown," he said. "You're letting your hair grow."

Harry nodded. "I like it," he said. He reached up and removed his fake glasses. He wasn't going to wear them. He put them away. "There that's better," he said before smiling at Sirius.

"No glasses huh?" the animagus said.

"No I got my vision fixed. I just keep these around so people won't realise. You know advantage in battle and all," he said. His smiled died as he noticed the look in Sirius gray eyes. "Don't you worry about me no matter what is going on Sirius," he said. "I can take care of myself just fine." His head turned to the end of the long dark hallway as a raised voice was heard coming from that way.

"You leave Mistress' house alone. You be bad elf that ruins Mistress home!"

"Winky be good elf to make this pigsty liveable for Master Harry. If Kreacher's Mistress saw what has happened to her home, she would be very angry with Kreacher. Winky will clean she will not care what Kreacher has to say."

Harry placed a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't make noise. He had been told to stay quiet after all. Next to him Sirius showed no such restrictions. He burst out laughing. A set of moth eaten curtains flew apart and a blood curdling scream sounded though the hall.

Harry moved forward and tilted his head to the side. It was a painting. A painting of a woman dress wholly in black. She started screaming, "Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks…" her lips kept moving but nothing could be heard from her.

"What did you do?" Sirius asked Harry. "We have been trying to get her off that wall or just shut her up several times no one has managed to do anything to it."

Harry turned to his godfather. What was he going to say to the man? "I don't know," he said softly. "I just wanted her to be quiet."

Sirius smirked. "Well you aren't alone," he said. "Maybe I should introduce you. This is my lovely mother Walburga."

Harry shook his head. "Amazing woman," he said sarcastically.

"Isn't she," Sirius said. "Come let me take you to a room so you can leave your things." He guided his godson up the stairs he'd come down. Harry raised an eyebrow at the house-elf heads hanging along the wall. "Can we remove those?" he asked.

Sirius turned his head to look at the heads. "Yes, yes of course we haven't quite gotten there yet," he said. "I don't want to spend all of Christmas cleaning though. I'm glad you asked for family only. Molly Weasley has been here trying to help clean and frankly she is getting on my nerves." They headed up a second set of stairs. "She'd a wonderful woman, but our views on certain things do not agree with each other."

"Oh, don't you worry about cleaning," Harry said. "Winky will have this place clean in no time. If you want I don't doubt that she would enjoy staying. She can't do that much for me while I'm at Hogwarts and she will like having something to do. You should have let me know you needed help getting the place in order I would have sent her ahead. I doubt that whatever magic you have hiding this place takes house-elves into consideration."

"Here you are trying to take care of me again," Sirius said. "I'm supposed to take care of you not the other way around. I'm the grown up remember."

' _I'm an adult too thank you very much,'_ Harry thought. His godfather didn't know that though. "I hadn't noticed Sirius," he said teasingly. "One wouldn't think so with the way you act most of the time."

Sirius pouted. "Remy make him stop," he whined.

"I think you will have to prove yourself for this one," Remus said.

Harry smirked. "Or just accept that Remus is the only grown-up here," he said.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him childishly before he opened a door. "Here this is for you," he said. "Remus has the room right across from here and my room is one floor up."

Harry stepped inside. It wasn't much, but it was a room with a bed. He didn't really need more than that. He took his bag of and dropped it on the bed. "Looks alright," he said.

"Oh yeah, there is a bathroom with a working shower down that way," Sirius said and pointed. "We spend most of our time in the kitchen since that is the only room that is moderately clean." He started leading them back down to the room in question. "So how has school been?" he asked. "Your letters aren't very informative."

"I'm being careful. Umbridge the Defence teacher is a Ministry crony. I don't want her to have any reason to look into me. And Hedwig is busy delivering love letters to Africa. I don't trust the other owls as much as I trust her," Harry said. They stepped into the kitchen. Now, Harry didn't know what the room had looked like, but now it was sparkling clean. "This is lovely Winky," he told the elf as he walked past his godfather.

"Master Harry thinks so," Winky said happily. "Winky be fixing it. There be witch here before doing Winky's job easier."

"Oh, this is wonderful, right?" Harry said as he turned around. Sirius was staring at him. "What is wrong?" he asked.

Remus was trying his best not to laugh. "Love letters Harry?" he said knowing fully well why his friend had stopped.

"Yes," Harry said. "Love letters. What's wrong with those?"

"Afirca!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yes my boyfriend is in Africa, Namibia to be more exact," Harry said.

"Boyfriend!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Sirius my boyfriend and I have contact via letters. Hedwig delivers them," he said speaking slowly to make sure that the escaped convict would understand.

"What does master Harry want for dinner?" Winky asked.

"Oh, I was thinking I would cook tonight," Harry said. "There is so much that needs to be cleaned. That I thought I could do the cooking so I at least do something. I can't help you clean very well after all."

Winky thought about it for a moment. She knew Master was right. Master could cook quite well for himself, and the house was in a horrid state. "Alright but Winky will cook once house is clean," she said.

"Of course Winky," Harry said.

"The kitchen is well stocked," Winky said. "Winky will take care of bedrooms now." She disappeared.

Harry walked up to the kitchen cabinets so he could look through them. He started pulling items out as he went. He was half way through making a cheese pie when Sirius finally seemed to have pulled himself out of his stupor. "I think we need to talk Harry," the man said.

"Just a moment let me get this into the oven," Harry said. He had to figure out how to use the magical oven as he made the pie. He was pretty sure he had a grip on it now. He would just have to keep an eye on it. He opened it up and placed the pie inside before closing it again. Then he turned around and walked op to the table standing in the middle of the room. "What is it Sirius?" he asked.

"Will you sit down please," Sirius said. He waited until the raven was seated. "Your boyfriend and you how far have you taken your relationship?" he asked.

"You are not giving me the talk," Harry said determined. "You'll embarrass yourself more than you will embarrass me. I know how to have sex with another guy thank you very much. I know how to have it with a girl too if that makes you feel any better. I'm not a virgin and yes we used protection." He knew he was very unclear who he had actually had sex with. He and Charlie had played around a lot, but they hadn't had actual sex as such yet. He kept his gaze even. He wasn't the least bit embarrassed with the subject.

"When?" Sirius asked.

"Did I lose my virginity?" Harry asked and the dark-haired man nodded. "Last year," he answered which was true if you only counted Earth time. "With a girl," he said. Also true she'd been a nice enough girl, but she'd had some really strange ideas. At least he had managed to feed her one of Ra'shall's potions before they did anything so she wouldn't get pregnant. Mara he would have hated himself if he had left children behind on Nirn. He stood up so he could fetch some vegetables and a knife.

"Why didn't you talk to me?" Sirius asked.

Harry froze. He knew that he could really hurt his godfather right now. "You weren't there," he said keeping to the truth. "It happened before you showed up in the cave, or at least before I knew you were there. I didn't want to write about it and then there was so much else going on that I just pushed it to the back of my mind."

"He's a good guy… your boyfriend?" Sirius asked. He hadn't counted on this. Somewhere in his mind he had hoped that he could tease Harry about love interests and dates. He had hoped that Harry would come to him all nervous because he wanted to ask this girl out. He hadn't counted on Harry preferring guys or being as blaze about the whole thing as he was.

A smile spread over Harry's lips. "He's amazing. Down to earth and understanding. He makes me feel safe, wanted. We're just comfortable around each other. But he has an adventurous streak so we can have loads of fun," he said. He looked down at Sirius before sitting down so he could cut the vegetables. A shadow had moved over the man's face. He thought over what he'd said and his eyes widen momentarily. "I mean that he enjoys travelling and finding new places, Sirius," he said. He could tell that his words had calmed the man some. "He's a couple of years older than me and he works in Namibia right now. He's British and a wizard. I'm not sure I'll tell you more than that. I don't need you to try to track him down." He started cutting a cucumber in sizable pieces.

For a long while the only sound that could be heard was Harry's knife against the cutting board. He stood up and took the pie out of the oven before placing it down on the table. It needed to sit for a few minutes. He walked around the table and hugged Sirius from behind. "I'm alright," he told the man. "Things would have been different if you raised me I'm sure. But now this is how it is. If it makes you feel any better you are the first grown up around us who knows," he said. "His parents down know."

Sirius let out a choked laughter. "I'm being pathetic, aren't I?" he said.

"You are trying to be a parent Sirius and that's fine as long as you realise that I grew up without my mom and dad. In a lot of ways I had to deal with things that kids shouldn't need to deal with. In a lot of ways I'm older than my peers," Harry said. He let go of his godfather so he could walk over to the cupboards to fetch cutlery. He placed a plate down in front of Sirius and the man reached out for the spatula that rested against the pie form. He cut a piece of the golden yellow pie. "This smells lovely," he said.

"Thank you," Harry said. He sat down in his spot again once everything they needed was on the table.

"This is good. We can keep Sirius away from the kitchen," Remus said.

"He's bad?" Harry asked.

"I swear he can burn water," Remus said.

"Cannot," Sirius objected. "I can cook."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Making sandwiches isn't cooking Sirius," he said.

"We'll just do our best so he doesn't ruin anything then," Harry said. "I'm sure Winky will make food for Yule."

"Now you sound like mother," Sirius said.

"Just because I won't call it Christmas after the Christian religion," Harry said. "Tell me Sirius do you believe in God?"

"Eh."

"I didn't think so," Harry said calmly. "It is called Yule and I will pray to magic at the Winter Solstice tomorrow. Just because your parents made that really bad for you it doesn't mean that it doesn't do good. Gifting magic back helps the wards of the house it is done in. The reason this place still holds firm is because of those prayers. A place like Hogwarts needs the magic form the prayers to stand strong. Right now most students don't even know about this and the importance of it. Instead we celebrate Halloween rather than All Hallows Eve and completely forget the Autumnal Equinox. The wards at Hogwarts are weakening because of this."

Remus nodded slowly. He knew about this. "Lily found out about it," he said softly. "She told me. Back in Hogwarts we used to do it. I never figured out if there was a specific way to do it though."

Harry hummed in agreement. He didn't know either. Silence fell over the room as they finished eating. Harry brought the dishes over to the sink, but Remus pushed him away. "You cooked let me do this," he said.

Harry smiled at him before he went to sit down next to Sirius. He started telling the man about his year so far. He knew Sirius wanted to know. He was aware of the fact that he'd managed to upset the man several times that evening. He had made the decision to be himself though. If Sirius couldn't accept that, then he just wasn't worth it. He wasn't telling his godfather the truth mostly because he didn't trust the man not to go to Dumbledore with the information. He wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore would ask him to stop using his powers because they were dangerous.

He might be completely wrong about the old man of course in which case he still didn't feel like telling him. Had he been younger then maybe, but he was an adult; and he both could and would make his own decisions.

He went to bed pretty early that night. He had things to do the next day.

…

"He's got a bloody boyfriend," Sirius whined for the umpht time. Harry had gone to bed several hour earlier and the animagus was venting.

"Yes Sirius we have been over this," Remus said. "He is a bit young sure, but you can't just stop him. Especially you Sirius. You made it your life goal to be with as many girls as you could in Hogwarts." He swirled the Firewhisky in his glass around before raising it to take a sip. "He could have chosen to not tell us anything you know, and if you make too big a deal out of this, he won't tell us anything else."

"He got mother to shut up too," Sirius said. "Do you have any idea how he did that?"

"No more than you old friend," Remus said.

"What if his boyfriend works for Voldemort?" Sirius asked. He downed another glass of Firewhisky.

"We will just have to assume that the young man doesn't work for Voldemort," Remus said. "We have to trust that Harry can read people well enough to stay away from someone who would be dangerous for him." he was starting to get the feeling that Sirius paranoia was fuelled by the alcohol in his system. He would have to make sure that the dog animagus didn't storm in on Harry in the middle of the night.

* * *

 _22nd of December, 1995. Friday_

The next morning Harry woke up bright and early. He called Winky and told her that he needed an alibi until three or so in the evening because he had a meeting as Kato to take care off. He asked her if there was anything he needed to buy for her while he was out. She had responded in the negative. She could do with what they had for now.

Harry picked up his bag and headed down the stairs. He turned invisible as he reached the moth-eaten curtain in the hallway. He could shut the witch in the frame up forever without anyone the wiser. He pulled a quill out of his bag and moved in behind the curtain. Nahlon, he wrote on the black of the background of the painting before he whispered the word and infused his writing with magic. He moved back from the curtain and over to the front door. He walked outside still invisible. His glamour amulet came off and he changed to Kato's colours. He dropped the invisibility in a dark alleyway before he gutboed, it sounded ridiculous he knew, to Ennerdale Manor. He might not need to buy Winky things for Grimmauld Place, but he needed to buy a lot of things for his own home. He wanted to at least have some things like bedding for example when he came there that summer.

He walked through the house slowly. It was beautiful. It was home. He walked into the library. It looked ridiculously empty. He knew that it would fill up though. He wasn't a mage for nothing. He would be writing his own books too. Hopefully those who came after him would be able to use them. He hadn't spoken to Charlie about kids. He hoped that the oranget wanted them. He knew he did. It was a discussion that would have to come up pretty soon.

He would have to write a lot of books he realised. Every branch of magic he knew would need at least one book. There was no information pertaining what he knew on Earth. "Well, at least you know what you are doing after Hogwarts," he mumbled to himself. He added some more things to his mental checklist as he walked though the rest of the house and then he left for Diagon Alley. Finding the right stores for the things he needed was harder than he'd thought. He managed well enough though.

Beddings and cutlery and one set of curtains, he would do must of the shopping with Fleur hopefully. He had his own ideas and would go with those for now. At least he knew which colour scheme he wanted. He had made sure that Ennerdale Manor unlike Lakeview Manor would have big windows. He wanted light – loads of light. Mostly he got the shops to deliver his purchases home. He didn't actually want to carry all those things with him. Mattresses were pretty heavy after all. The goblins had per his instructions made several pieces of furniture as well as built the house. He was a member of a goblin clan; he would go to them before some human.

As the clock reached ten o'clock, he gutboed to Malfoy Manor. He reached out to the front gates carefully. He wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to do. A face appeared where the gates met. "State your business here," it said.

"I am Kato Peverell hear to see Lucius Malfoy the Master of this house. I have an appointment," Harry said. Some kind of message seemed to be sent from the gate up to the manor.

"You may enter," the face said before it disappeared. Harry walked through the now translucent gates. They moved like smoke over his shoulders as he passed. The grounds beyond were just as beautiful as he remembered them. He walked over the grounds unhurriedly. The deep snow on either side of the path leading up to the house was undisturbed. Harry wondered if it snowed by some kind of magic since Wiltshire lay quite far south.

The front door opened up on its own accord as he approached it. He made sure he wouldn't drag nature inside with him before stepping inside. Now he was unsure what to do again. He could find Lucius all on his own, but he didn't really want to intrude. His time in Skyrim had changed how he looked upon the world a lot. Things were seldom black and white, good and evil. Lucius was a person that he had hated when he was younger, yet now he could see that the blond aristocrat had reasons for the things he did. Often quite valid reasons at that.

"Kato dear."

Harry turned towards the voice and bowed. "Lady Narcissa," he said. "How are you?" he asked.

Narcissa smiled softly. "I am well thank you for asking," she said. "How about yourself. You said you would be travelling this summer how did it go?"

"Very well," Harry responded. "If you ignore the ill-mannered people I met along the way. They had some not so intelligent ideas regarding me." He held his arm out to her so she could guide him where they were supposed to go. "Apparently my youth means I have no experience by default," he said.

"Quite the foolish idea I must say," Narcissa said. "If conversing with you is anything to go by, I would say that you hold more experience than some wizards more than twice your age." She led him into the drawing room. "Lucius unfortunately received a last minute call he could not ignore. He shall be back shortly. Would you like some tea while you are waiting?"

"Yes please madam," Harry said. His eyes moved over to purple walls. He could see several portraits hanging on the walls. Narcissa had led him to a sofa group in front of a fireplace with an ornate marble mantelpiece that had a gilded mirror with an intricately scrolled frame above it. The Lady of the house had called one of her house-elves and asked for refreshments.

The door opened quietly. "Mother I am heading out to the Quidditch pitch," Draco said from the door. His eyes moved over the form of their guest. It was a business associate of his father's. As far as he knew the man was of little importance.

"Of course dear make sure that you dress warm," Narcissa said calmly. She was pouring tea into a cup for their guest. "Sugar?" she asked.

"No thank you," Harry said politely. He held his hands out to accept the saucer and cup. "Thank you." He spent almost an hour simply talking with Narcissa before the re was a shift in the wards as her husband returned home. "Come I will take you to him," she said as she stood up.

Harry took her arm once more and let himself be guided up to Lucius private study. She knocked on the ornate door politely. The response she received seemed strained. She opened the door and stepped inside. "Dear what happened?" she asked distressed as she saw him. His hair was in disarray, and he seemed to be in pain as he moved. He looked over her shoulder and saw Kato. ' _Damn it all,'_ he thought. This was not the impression he wanted to leave on the young man.

"Will you allow me to heal you?" Harry asked surprising both blonds.

"Oh, please Kato," Narcissa said. She highly disliked seeing her husband in such a state.

Harry walked into the study as there was no objection from Lucius. He reached out and placed his hands: one on the man's shoulder and the other resting over his heart. Unlike most times these days when he tried to make sure that people couldn't see his magic, he allowed the golden glow to surround his hands. There was nerve damage. He could feel how Lucius started breathing easier as he let his magic travel through the blond. He didn't remove his hands until he knew that the man was fully healed.

The room was strangely quiet for a moment as Lucius drew his wand to fix his hair. He placed it back in his staff. "You have many hidden abilities it would seem Kato," he said.

Harry averted his eyes as Narcissa walked up to her husband. He didn't look back to Lucius until after she had left the room. "I hold six Masteries in Magic, sir," he said. "None of them would make much sense in the British system. "One of them is a Mastery in Restoration Magic which includes healing as well as several ways of banishing the undead from this world."

Lucius nodded slowly. He could tell that the young man was skilled. Very few Healers would have been able to remove or heal the effects of the Cruciatus Curse so completely in so short a time. "And your other Masteries?" he asked.

"You are truly interested Lucius. You may not like what you hear," Harry said.

"I do believe I can handle it," Lucius said. He hesitated for a moment. "Are you familiar with the curse you just healed?" he asked.

"The Cruciatus Curse you mean?" Harry said. He had been taught the after-effects by Moody the year before. "I know what it does yes. I also know that it was one of the favourite curses of the so called Dark Lord."

Lucius nodded slowly. He was going to take a giant leap of faith here. He had only met Kato a few times. He didn't normally do something so risky, but his instincts were telling him that this was the right decision. "The Dark Lord has returned," he said.

Harry froze. He had not expected Lucius to divulge that kind of information to him. "You are certain of this sir?" he asked.

Lucius smiled wryly. "I just met with him," he said. He expected the young man to react. Most people would get defensive. Kato didn't move. He actually seemed to relax. Lucius moved the sleeve of his robes up to reveal the Dark Mark on his arm. "The book I asked you to find this summer was so that I could find a way to remove this," he said. "I was young and foolish when I joined the Death Eaters. I have a family now, and I don't want them harmed." He was really hoping that he was using the right approach with Kato.

Harry stood up and walked up to him. "May I?" he asked as he held his hands out. Lucius offered him his arm slowly. The raven tilted his head to the side as he studied the magic of the mark. "Wait a moment," he said so he could pull a notebook out. He needed to start writing things down. He went over the mark several times adding information to his notebook. "So, I don't know if I can remove this, but there are several properties to this mark that could kill you. It is bound to the creator and to your magical core," he said. "You could die from this. Technically he could suck you dry. I could probably work something out to prevent that, but removing it, I don't know." He let got of Lucius arm and walked back to his chair.

Lucius was quiet for a long time. The damnable mark could steel his magic. The book hadn't helped him. The mark had to be darker than that.

"He would have to know that death was coming for him to take your magic from you though. If it is delivered in a way that he couldn't possibly expect then he wouldn't be able to use it," Harry said calmly. "That is why he didn't do it when his spell rebounded as he tried to kill young Harry."

The blond nodded slowly. "You are very unaffected by all of this," he said once he had gotten over the initial shock of what the mark could do to him. "Most people wouldn't be this calm around a Death Eater especially not with the Dark Lord active."

"It takes a lot to scare me Lucius," Harry said. "I'll be clear and say that one of the persons that raised me was a thief and a murder. He killed people for money." He looked over to the window. "He loved my mother and I, though, and he would have done anything for us. Your love for your family convinces me that you are a good person at heart even if you have made some bad decisions. No one is perfect. And I'm not worried about being in the same room as you since I know what I'm capable off, and you do not."

"You care about your cousin?" Lucius asked.

"Harry?" Harry asked. "Or the Dark Lord?"

"So you are related?" the blond said. He had assumed that might be a possibility, but without confirmation he hadn't wanted to put too much stock on it.

"Yes, through the Peverells," Harry said. He paused before saying, "I care about Harry. Someone has to."

"And you are against the Dark Lord?"

"I would kill the man if I got the chance," Harry said as a matter-of-factly. He could tell that Lucius relaxed somewhat. "You want to work against him?" he asked.

"I want to be free of this. I want to keep my family away from him," Lucius said.

"You are going to have to give something back if you want me to help you Lucius," Harry said. "I know what your views on those born to non-magical parents are. I want you to consider what would happen if the Wizarding World taught them about our world – taught them about the Equinoxes and Solstices and their importance." He met the blonde's gray eyes. "Can we truly fault them for not knowing something that they have never been taught?" he asked. "I want you to consider this before we speak again."

There was a light knock on the door.

"Please enter Narcissa," Lucius said.

The door opened and Narcissa looked from her husband to the young brunet he was talking to. "The strike of the Solstice is coming upon us dear," she said. "Will you join us?"

"Of course," Lucius said. He turned to Kato. "Will you join us?" he asked. "As a sign of good faith."

"You will have to come by my home and return the honour once it is finished Lord Malfoy," Harry said as he rose from his chair. "I will join you."

They headed down to the drawing room slowly. Draco was sitting on the floor, not a position you would normally find a Malfoy in. He raised an eyebrow as the brunet moved down to sit next to him.

"Have you ever been a part of a Solstice Circle before," Lucius asked Kato.

"No sir, I have not," Harry responded. "Let's just say that the people who raised me had vastly different beliefs than what you would find in most of the known world."

"Many old families have worked out complicated rituals for these occasions," Lucius said. "The Malfoys have done their best to keep it simple, keep it pure. Magic does not care for words only intent. Normally an outsider would not be asked to take part in a Circle. I invite you because I hope that we will have a good working relationship for many years to come. Should you invite our family to your home so we can partake in a circle with you the two Circles would indicate a bond between family lines."

Harry nodded slowly. "I understand sir," he said.

"The more magic you gift the greater the reward," Lucius said. He watched as the brunet closed his eyes. He could feel the build up of power. Ancient and foreign. Kato opened his eyes again. They were swirling with light. He held a hand out to the young man. Kato took it in his before reaching out to Draco.

The young blond was watching the brunet with awe. He had never felt power like that before. He had thought this man unimportant. He had been wrong. The only person he had ever met before that could possibly hold that much power was Dumbledore and his magic felt noting like the man he was sitting next to. Maybe because he had never felt the old man gather his magic like the brunet was doing now. He had reached out to his mother and Narcissa had taken her husbands hand completing the circle.

When Lucius spoke it was in Latin. It was no log ridden speech just a few words. As he said the last, Harry could feel him letting go of his own magic so he followed suit.

Lucius swallowed thickly. He had never felt that much power join the Manor wards before. There was more to it though. He could feel almost like a protective touch to the magic that had just joined the old wards. He turned to Kato. Amber eyes looked up at him. "You wanted them safer," Harry said simply.

Lucius bowed his head. He was certain now. He had done the right choice. The young man had given him much to think about though.

"You will be staying for lunch will you not," Narcissa asked Kato.

"I would love to Lady Narcissa," Harry answered softly.

Conversation after that turned less serious. Harry did let Narcissa know that is house had just been finalized and she had seemed very interested in taking part in the decorating. Harry had declined politely saying that he had made previous plans with a good friend. He had learned that it was Narcissa that had planed the gardens at Malfoy Manor and expressed a wish to see his own gardens flourish just as beautiful.

"It takes a lot of planning," Narcissa said. "Without seeing the grounds and the house it is very hard for me to say what would be best."

Harry looked over at Lucius. "You wished to know what other Masteries I hold sir," he said. He held a hand out. "I am a Master in the School of Illusions." His house appeared on the table the front door facing Narcissa. This is the school I am the most worried that people will mistrust me for," he said.

"I do not enjoy fooling people… unless it can be considered good fun by everyone including the 'victim'," he said. "I try my best not to lie. But I am capable of making you believe in things that are not real. I can calm or anger a person. I can turn friend against friend. There are limitations though. Nothing lasts forever."

Lucius nodded slowly. "Is it possible to tell?" he asked.

"If I'm using my magic on you?" Harry asked. "I have never tried to figure that out. I can tell if spells like the ones I use are cast upon me, but I don't know if other can detect them." He raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to try?" he asked.

"The wards will attack you if you try to harm me," Lucius said.

"Ah, but it doesn't have to be an attack," Harry said. "I could simply try to calm you down.

Lucius could feel it, his frazzled mind calming and focusing. It wasn't a bad feeling, but he could tell that it came from outside him. Then the spell ended and he turned to Kato. "I could tell," he said.

"That was a low level spell," Harry said. "Something I learned when I was a young teen. I will not use something higher levelled on you. It wouldn't feel right. Though this is a spell I might use should need come for it."

"You could make a person feel anything?" Lucius asked. He was impressed and just a little worried. Kato was powerful, and he could be very dangerous if he wanted to. Most people would abuse the power he held. Was he going to walk from the shadow of one Lord into the shadow of another? From what he'd seen of Kato, the young man wasn't interested though. He didn't want power over others. So many of the Death Eaters would think the brunet week for not wanting to take control. He could appreciate it though. He watched his wife sketching the house down.

"Who designed this?" Narcissa asked as she worked.

"I did with the goblins' aid," Harry responded. "The initial ideas were all mine. They did a lot to perfect them though."

"Do you have any preferences for the garden?" Narcissa asked.

"I want lavender," Harry said. "Apart from that I don't really have any idea of what flowers would be practical to have. The lavender is nostalgia. Mother grows lavender in her garden."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "You speak as if you cannot travel to see her," he said.

Harry looked to him. "I can't," he said. "As we get to know each other better maybe I will let you know how that is. As it is that information is not something I simply divulge to just anyone. It could create such a mess if the wrong person learned about it."

Lucius nodded. Kato was an enigma. Every time he felt like he had learned more about the young man another path opened that he knew nothing about. He hoped the Dark Lord would leave him alone until he had figured this out. It wouldn't do to show the Dark Lord these particular memories.


	68. Holiday Spirit

**Holiday Spirit**

Harry returned to Grimmauld Place after his meeting with Lucius knowing exactly why Sirius had been worried about him the day before. The Dark Lord Voldemort was back. ' _Fantastic,'_ he thought sarcastically. At least he was aware of it now. He could prepare. He made his way up to his room – checking so no one was moving around the house. One of the adults seemed to be in the kitchen, and looking around, Harry assumed that to be Remus since his room was empty. He called Winky and asked her how things were going. She let him know that she'd told Remus that he was doing homework. "That's good Winky," he said. "I'm basically done with everything already so that works out perfectly." He figured that he might as well take that day to finish what he did have left though. He opened his bag and brought his Transfiguration homework out. He sat down in the bed so he could finish it up.

Next to him lay the information that he'd written down concerning Lucius' Dark Mark. That was one nasty piece of magic. He knew it would probably take him a while to work any kind of solution out. He would do it though especially if Lucius listened to him. The man was in a position where he could create a lot of changes in their world as long as he had the right backing. He knew the man wasn't the kindest. But he was also well aware of the fact that sometimes results were more important. Lucius had his flaws for sure. The man had joined Voldemort and he was pretty nasty to people he saw as below himself. He offered an opportunity of getting closer to Voldemort though. Harry wasn't dumb. He would take that opportunity and then watch his back. If he was lucky Lucius would change his ways and do some good still. Just like his monah he did have a way with people after all.

An hour or so latter there was a knock on his door. He moved his notebook into his bag before he told the person on the other side that it was alright to come inside.

Remus opened the door. "I just came to ask how it is going," he said. "You have been hold up in here all day."

Harry shrugged. "I just want to be done with all of this as soon as possible," he said.

"You could come down and sit in the kitchen. I'm going to start on supper. It would be nice to have some company," Remus said.

"Sure I can do that," Harry said. He stood up and grabbed his bag before he followed Remus down to the kitchen. He sat down by the table and pulled several books out of his bag. He had Charms left to do after he was done with Transfiguration. As he finished the last paragraph of his essay, he could hear Remus pulling things out of the cupboards. "Where is Sirius?" he asked softly.

There was a pause and then Remus said, "He is still in bed. He… he had a bit to much to drink last night. He is upset because he can't be the godfather that James would have wanted him to be."

Harry looked up at the sandy-haired man. "He does realise that drinking won't help right?" he said.

"I certainly hope he will after this," Remus said.

Harry looked down into his Charms book for a while not really seeing anything. "I just want him to be him honestly," he said. "Maybe if we can get him to realise that he can't step in for my dad. I don't really need a dad at this point. If my parents had been alive he would have been the funny Uncle. You know the one that does all the stupid stuff that mom wouldn't have approved off. You would have been the down to earth one that I could go to when I couldn't talk to my parents."

Remus smiled sadly. "You really are a lot like Lily," he said. "You might look a lot like your father but you have your mother's spirit." He turned away from the counter and walked over to the raven. He sat down next to him. His eyes moved over the Transfiguration essay. He reached out. "May I?" he asked.

"Sure go ahead," Harry said. He actually started reading from the book in his hands this time.

Remus read through the essay. It was much better than what he had seen back when he had taught the raven. Sure he was older now, but this was a major change in how he wrote and his language was completely different. He wondered why it had been so bad before. He turned around as Sirius walked into the kitchen. The man looked like shit. He walked over to the sink and pored up a glass of water for himself.

"Rethinking your decisions yesterday?" Remus asked.

Sirius grumbled before he dropped down in a chair by the table. He looked up at the other two with bloodshot eyes. His gaze narrowed as he saw the books. "Wha're you doin' with tha'omework. It's Kristmas?" he asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "We got work that we were supposed to complete over the holidays," he said. "I want to get it out of the way as soon as possible so I thought I might as well do it today. I only have my Charms essay left."

"You'rent supposed to do homework on Kristmas," Sirius said.

"It's the twenty-second Sirius and I happen to want decent grades," Harry said.

"You're just like Remy," Sirius said. "No fun."

"Thank you," Harry said. "I'll take that as a compliment. I would much rather be like Remus than you right now."

"Remy!" Sirius whined. "Harry's being mean to me."

"Oh for Merlin's sake pull yourself together Sirius," Remus said. "You're acting like a petulant three-year-old."

Sirius glared at him. His head was hurting too much for him to come up with a good retort. Maybe drinking that much hadn't been such a good idea after all. He sipped some water from his glass. He wished they had some headache potions. He listened to the scratching of Harry's quill. Then the fireplace flared green. He sat up. He had asked to be left alone over the Holidays for Harry's sake. He sneered as Snape stepped out of the fireplace. He was about to say something when Harry greeted the man.  
"Good day Professor is there anything we can do for you?" the raven said politely. He turned his gaze to Sirius as the man grumbled. "Hush you," he said before turning back to Severus. "Don't mind him he took too deep a dip in the Firewhisky bottle last night."

"I'm here to speak to Mr Lupin, Potter," Severus said without emotion.

Harry nodded. "Winky!" he called. The little elf showed up with a pop. "Is the drawing room ready for use?" he asked.

"The drawing room be clean but there be a boggart in one of the bureaus Master Harry," Winky said.

Harry turned to Remus. "We'll deal with it," the man said. He stood up from the table and Severus followed him out of the room.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said and the elf disappeared back to whatever she had been doing before he called.

"Why are you being polite to the snake?" Sirius asked. "This isn't Hogwarts you don't need to be polite to them here."

Harry looked up from his schoolwork. "There is no harm in being polite," he said. "Professor Snape and I may not get along, but that doesn't mean I can't respect the knowledge he has. He is a darn good Potions Master who doesn't actually want to teach, yet Professor Dumbledore keeps him around the school. He could do so much more with his knowledge if he wasn't held up teaching."

Sirius watched the raven as he turned back down to his essay. The kid was making way too much sense.

Remus and Severus came walking down the stairs some time later. The sand-haired man was looking like he was deep in thought.

"You have finished your work for me?" Severus asked the raven. He expected it to be done with the way they young man had been handling his schoolwork the past year. It had gradually gotten better.

Harry reached into his bag and pulled out a scroll. "Here it is sir," he said as he handed it over.

Severus took the scroll before he headed over to the fireplace. He disappeared in a flare of green flames.

Remus walked up to the stove to look their food over.

"What did Snivellus want?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. "He had a message from Dumbledore," he said quietly.

Sirius' brow furrowed in concern. "What did the Headmaster want?" he asked.

Harry bit his lip. "Should I leave so you can talk about it?" he asked. He assumed that the reason Remus wasn't saying anything was because of him. He moved his chair out and stood up.

"You don't have to leave," Remus said. Both he and Sirius were preaching how Harry was old enough to know. That the teen could handle what was going on. Yet here he was not saying anything because he didn't want to burden Harry. He walked up to the teen and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Harry reached up and placed his and on top of Remus'.

"Have you heard that there is a cure for my condition?" Remus asked softly.

Harry nodded. "I've heard," he said. He turned around.

"Albus has asked me not to take it," Remus said. "We can't approach the werewolves if I take it. I'm the only one who can do it."

Harry shook his head. "That's not fair," he said. "You are the one who has to turn every full moon. He doesn't know what that is like. Remus you have to do what you want to do not what he tells you to do."  
"But he helped me. I wouldn't have gone to Hogwarts without him," Remus said. "I can do this, and I'm the only one who can."

Harry sighed. "It's your choice," he said. "It would be nice to know that you aren't suffering every month." His eye narrowed. "Why do you need to approach the werewolves?" he asked.

"Voldemort is back," Sirius said. "Dumbledore has been going back and forth between telling you and not telling you. I believe you deserve to know, and I'm your godfather."

Harry met his godfather's eyes. He barely reacted. He wasn't going to show more emotions now than he had when Lucius told him earlier that day. "I guess we have to be a bit more careful then," he said calmly.

"Harry," Remus said worriedly.

The raven smiled softly at the kind man. "I'm fine," he said. "There is no point in getting all upset over this. It won't help any. If he's back then all I can do is be a bit more careful that's all."

"So you shouldn't see that boy," Sirius said.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "My boyfriend is trustworthy thank you very much Sirius," he said. "As a matter of fact we've already spoken of the possibility that Voldemort might return. He's worried about my safety too, but he accepts that I can handle myself," he said his voice cold. He turned back to Remus. "Thank you for telling me what's going on," he said. He hugged the man before he walked out of the kitchen. He walked into the library slowly. Winky was in there cleaning. "Is there anything else that needs to be dealt with Winky?" he asked her.

"Winky has not found anything but the boggart that she needs help with," Winky said.

Harry nodded. "O.K." he said. He turned to the shelves and looked over the dark covers. He reached out and pulled a book out. ' _This is very dark,'_ he thought as he started reading. It was interesting though. He sat down in an armchair.

Sirius came looking for his godson some time later. He'd sat through a lecture on sympathy. Remus had not been impressed with his behaviour earlier. He walked into the library wondering what Harry could possibly want in there. The raven was sitting in an old armchair reading from a book. "Did you find that in here?" he asked worriedly.

Harry looked up from the book. "Yes I did," he said.

"These books are dangerous and dark," Sirius said. "I haven't gotten to burning them yet, but I will." He looked down. "I'm sorry for earlier. Remus pointed some stuff out to me. I just… I want to be here for you," he said.

"And you can be," Harry said. "Just you aren't my dad. You can't be that, but that doesn't mean that you can't be here for me. Just… I know what I'm doing, and I need you to trust me." He placed the book down and stood up before he walked up to his godfather and hugged him.

Sirius smiled softly as he hugged the teen back.

Harry was smiling as he let go. "You know if you want to Winky can clear the books out," he said. "Do you want to lose all of them or do you want to go through them first?"

"Just get rid of all of them," Sirius said. "I don't want them."

Harry nodded.

"Oh, and Remus says dinner is ready," Sirius said.

"O.K. I'll be right down I just need to talk to Winky first," Harry said. He watched Sirius leave and then he turned to Winky. She was standing right next to him. "Can you move all of these books to my library?" he asked. "I'll go through them and sort them later. I won't have Sirius destroying an entire library just because he hates his parents."

"Winky can do that," the little elf said. She turned to the shelves and then she started taking books down.

"You will not be destroying them?"

Harry turned. His eyes met Kreacher's squinted blue orbs. "No I won't there is knowledge here I won't allow to be destroyed. It is my heritage too. My grandmother was Dorea Black."

"Mistress Aunt Dorea," Kreacher said.

Harry nodded. It was a miracle what the goblins could find out about wizards and witches genealogy. "I will take care of the books Kreacher don't worry. You know what will happen to them if they stay here," he said. He headed down to the kitchen slowly. "That smells good," he said as he entered the room.

"Thank you Harry," Remus said.

The raven settled down by the table. It was a quiet affair. Sirius seemed to be deep in thought. Harry finished eating and then he picked his Charms work back up so he could finish it.

* * *

 _23rd of December, 1995. Saturday_

Harry was the first one up the next morning which wasn't surprising. He found Winky in the library. She was moving the last of the books. He smiled. "You've done a great job Winky," he said.

The brown eyed elf turned around smiling. "Thank you Master Harry," she said. "Is there something Master wants?"

Harry chuckled. "No I'm fine Winky," he said. "Have you found anything dangerous in the house as you've been cleaning?" he asked.

Winky looked thoughtful for a moment. "There be a strange locket in cupboard in drawing room," she said.

Harry nodded. "I'll go check it out," he said. He moved out of the library and across the hall to the drawing room. Once in there he focused his magic. If it was something that made Winky uneasy he would hopefully react to it. He walked up to one of the glass-fronted cabinets and opened it up. A gold locket adorned with emeralds caught his eyes at the back of a shelf. He reached in and pulled it out. It was strangely cool in his hand. ' _Soul magic,'_ he thought. He could tell that there was a piece of soul in the locket.

 _~There is a piece of soul lodged in your head. It is connected to your magicka reserves. It is feeding from your magic to survive. ~_

Harry remembered that conversation. He had hated the idea. The very concept that he had lived with a piece of that awful scum's soul lodged in his head for years. ' _He made more, didn't he,'_ he thought. Who else could it be? There couldn't be more than one maniac splitting his soul around could there. ' _But what is it doing here?'_ he wondered. He headed out of the room slowly. He needed to get back to his room. Thankfully it was still early so Remus hadn't woken up yet.

Harry lifted his bag up from the floor and started looking through it. Against all know knowledge he had brought a single Black Soul gem. He had never thought he would use it. He placed it down next to the locket. Now the question was: how would he move the soul from the locket to the soul gem? He placed his hands on the two items. " _ **Rii vaaz sil,"**_ he whispered.

The soul gem glowed softly as the piece of soul was added to it. A smirk spread over the raven's lips. Essence tear soul. Dovahzul and Thu'um were very useful things. ' _Now are there more of these?'_ he wondered. The locket was clean. He wondered what it was. It seemed old. He placed it down in his bag together with the soul gem. He would ask the goblins if they knew what it was. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling he had gotten from the locket. He let his mind drift out. Several streaks of blue light spread out from his position. Two of them headed along side each other and another seemed to only veer off a little, but were they led he couldn't tell. He was too far away from the end location. He discarded them for now. Focusing on another streak, he was taken into marble halls and down into a vast cave. A dragon lay sleeping by a door. It was a vault in Gringotts. He would have to travel there at some point and talk to Hahkun. The last streak led north; once again it was too far for him to follow.

Harry was torn out of his trance when a big black dog jumped up to him and licked him happily. "Kyne, Sirius what are you doing?" he exclaimed. He tried to push the dog away from him. "If you don't get off me I'll turn your fur Slytherin green with silver streaks," he threatened. He had almost attacked his godfather. The man or dog was lucky he had enough mental awareness outside of his body to realise that he'd entered.

Padfoot turned into Sirius. "You wouldn't do that to me," he said, his eyes wide in fear. "You wouldn't make such hideous colours."

"If you slobber all over me again I will," Harry said. He grimaced at the saliva all over his face. A spell hit him and cleaned him up. He looked up and met Remus kind pale-green eyes. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome Harry," Remus said. "We're heading down for breakfast."

"And then we'll decorate!" Sirius exclaimed. "Decorations everywhere." He was making dramatic hand motions. It seemed like getting the house cleaned up was helping with the man's grumpiness. He was bouncing down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Should we give him a calming draught?" Harry asked Remus as he watched his godfather pull china out of a cupboard.

"Let him have his fun," Remus said. "I haven's seen him this happy since before his stay in Azkaban."

"Now what are the two of you whispering about?" Sirius asked. He raised an eyebrow dramatically and looked from his friend to his godson.

"Don't you worry about that," Remus said. He walked up to the cupboards and started pulling things out so they could actually eat.

Forty-five minutes or so later, Sirius had taken off to find decorations. Remus had just shook his head and pulled his wand out.

"Can we colour coordinate all rooms but the drawing room?" Harry asked. He was pretty sure that Sirius wanted everything to look like a bomb had struck, but he wasn't so interested in that.

Remus smiled at Harry. "Of course we can do that," he said. "What do you want in here then?" he asked.

"White and gold," Harry said. He watched as Remus waved his wand and long golden garlands attached themselves to the ceiling hanging in waves. He waved his wand again and the garlands that came out of his wand were frosted white. He conjured translucent glass balls filled with ever falling snow.

Harry wished he could help. He had worked over his conjuration ability and was pretty sure he could make it work. He couldn't do it in front of Sirius and Remus though. It would raise question that he wasn't willing to answer. So instead he followed Remus around and gave him pointers as to what he wanted. They were decorating the hallway in white and silver as Sirius came down the stairs with a box. "Oh, come one Remus use some imagination," he said.

"I'm just doing what Harry asks me too," Remus said. "He wants it this way and I think it's kind of nice that not everywhere is going to look like a drunken rainbow puked on it."

Harry looked up to his godfather. "The drawing room is all yours. That's where the tree will be." He fell silent. "We need a tree," he said.

Remus smiled. "I'll get one as soon as we're done with the hallway," he said.

"Great," Sirius said with a smile. "So you are going to have the house look all boring and…" he fell silent when Harry glared at him.

"If you continue insulting my taste, I'll find a way to permanently make your room Slytherin colours with a nice little snake that will give the Slytherins compliments. I'm sure Winky will help me," the raven said.

Sirius looked worried. "Ehh, I think I'll go to the drawing room now," he said.

Remus chuckled. He added some stars and then they headed up the stairs. They decorated the first, second and third floor halls. Sirius could do what he wanted with the forth floor. Then Remus left to get them a tree.

Harry sat down in his room. "Winky," he called softly.

The little elf showed up almost immediately. "Yes Master Harry?" she asked.

"Can you decorate the house?" Harry asked. "Like in the hall?" He pointed out the door.

Winky walked out and took a look around. A soft sad smile spread over her lips. She hadn't done something like that since Mistress Crouch had been alive. "Winky can decorate Master Harry," she said.

Harry nodded. "How much cleaning is left Winky?" he asked.

"Not so much Master. Kreacher not be wanting Winky to clean the room opposite of Mr Sirius' room," she said. "Winky only has some bedrooms left it won't take Winky long."

"O.K. you finish those up and then come back here. I'll ask Kreacher why he doesn't want you to enter that room," Harry said. Winky popped away, and he called for Kreacher. The old ragged elf showed up. He had liked harry better after learning that he was part Black even if he had a mother born to non-magical parents. "You wanted to see Kreacher, sir," he said.

"Yes," Harry said. "The room on the forth floor. The one opposite Sirius room. Why don't you want Winky to clean in there?" he asked kindly.

Kreacher watched young Harry for a good while before he said, "It be Master Regulus room," quietly. "Kreacher does not want Master Regulus' room to change."

"Winky is only cleaning she isn't changing anything," Harry said calmly.

Kreacher looked down at the floor.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"Master Regulus entrusted Kreacher with a locket. The locket is gone," Kreacher said.

Harry smiled softly. He moved on his bed so he could reach his bag. He lifted it up and pulled the locket out. "This one?" he asked as he held it out to the old elf.

Kreacher reached out and touched it. His eye widened. "Bad magic is gone," he said with reverence.

"Yes, I removed it," Harry said. He could see tears in the old elf's eyes. "Master Harry has fulfilled Master Regulus last wish," Kreacher said. He walked forward and hugged the raven's leg. "Thank you," he said. "Kreacher could not do it no matter what Kreacher tried."

Harry reached out and placed a hand on the sobbing house-elf's head. He let the locket fall back into his bag. He didn't ask anything else about Regulus right then. He would wait. Kreacher moved away from him and sniffle once. "Kreacher will help Winky now," he said. "Winky is right Kreacher has let the Great Ancestral Home of the Black Family fall into despair. Kreacher will help make it better."

"Thank you Kreacher," Harry said. He wondered if the locket hadn't messed with the old elf's mind. He had felt it trying with him. He guessed the elf's mind was easier to access than his.

Not long after Winky showed back up. "Master Harry extended his kindness to Kreacher," she said. "Master really is an amazing human."

"Thank you Winky," Harry said. "So are you ready to fix this room up?" he asked. "I think we should surprise Remus as well. I'm going to say that you did anything I have done. I just want to test some things out."

Winky nodded. She knew her Master's magic was different. She watched as he closed his eyes in concentration. Conjuring regular object was different from conjuring beings from Oblivion. The exchange that Harry did with magic was quite special. He guessed that it might be different for someone who used a set of spells, but he could tell that magic would be displeased with him if he say conjured a living being and then didn't take care of it. Creating objects magic didn't mind. Saying that magic had a consciousness would be simplifying things. Harry knew better than to try to understand magic. The truly learned knew that there were some things they weren't meant to know.

His eyes opened and he held a light green garland with frosted tips in his hands. He smirked. He could do it. The garland was a bit off and twisted strangely, but he could do it. Winky helped him put it up so the twisted shape of it wouldn't show. He made another one and it went faster and turned out far better. Winky was moving around the room creating silver stars.

"I would like lilies," Harry said as he made another garland. Not seconds latter there were white lilies growing along the garlands that here already put up. He chuckled. "Thank you Winky," he said.

Once done with his room they moved across the hall and into Remus room. Harry taped his chin. He doubted that Remus would want red and gold that was such a Sirius thing. Remus seemed to have left his Hogwarts days behind though. "I'm thinking white, gold and blue in here Winky," he said. He smiled as Winky got on it. He leaned back against a wall and looked down at his hands. The fact that he could make exceptional mental images helped him a lot when it came to create things from pure magic. Nirn conjuring really was summoning. You didn't create the beings that fought for you. Well the familiar was made from the essence of the caster's own soul so he guessed that that one was in a way.

A translucent glass ball appeared in his hands. There was a stag walking around inside it. He walked back into his own room and placed it down on his bed. His hands moved together as he concentrated on the next orb. The giant black dog was playing. The raven had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be decorating the house. A sandy-furred wolf joined the other two balls. He wondered what his mom would be. He wanted one for her as well as one for monah. A bronze scaled dragon appeared in another glass orb, and a black tiger with white stripes. A black dragon for himself and a pair of red-furred coyotes for Fred and George. He should send that one to the twins. He smiled softly he could give it to them when they came over. A shield appeared around him as a spell hit it.

"Good job lad," a gruff voice said.

Harry turned around. "Moody," he said as he stood up. "Why are you here?" he asked. He placed the orb with the coyotes down next to the others.

"So you figured out how to conjure something more natural than the creatures you told me about," Moody said. He limped over to the bed and looked down at the orbs. "These are quite well made," he said. He looked over the different creatures. He could guess who most of them represented – even the ones representing people from Nirn. "Your mother's patronus was a doe," he said.

Harry looked down at the orbs. "I can't show them to Sirius or Remus though because I'm not telling them. At least not now. I don't trust that they won't go off and tell Dumbledore," he said.

"Tell them I taught you how to do it," Moody said. He conjured a chair and sat down. "You are aware of what is going on?" he asked.

"With Voldemort you mean?" Harry said. Moody nodded. "Yes Sirius told me," he said. "I'll be careful." He moved over to his bag. "I think old Tommy-boy has done something to his soul though. He pulled the locket back out of the bag. I found a piece of soul in this. I have moved it to a soul gem so he can't use it anymore, but there are more of them. I'll have to find those before he can be killed," he said. "I might have someone on the inside as well. He knows my alias not me so I'm fairly safe. I actually learned about Tommy-boy from him first."

Moody's eyes darkened. "You better be careful with that. They cannot be trusted," he said.

Harry nodded. "I know," he said. "Can you help me get out from whatever protection Dumbledore wants to put me under this summer?" he asked. "I need freedom to do certain things or nothing will happen. I have a house that you could escort me too. It will give you a chance to check it out. The goblins built the wards and I have added some protections to the house, but I'm far from done." He moved the glass orbs to the side so none of them would fall down on the floor as he sat down. "If I get locked up then I can't do a thing. I know that most of the adults around me want to keep me safe, but it isn't really their call."

Moody nodded. "I will do that if you promise me you won't go after Voldemort on your own. You'll let me know first," he said.

"Deal," Harry said. "It would be stupid to go after the man alone. I could probably deal with him, but all his Death Eaters? I don't think so."

Moody nodded. "It is good to see that you are keeping your head on straight," he said. "Don't stop learning." He looked around the house. "Lupin isn't here?" he said.

"No he's trying to get us a tree for Yule," Harry said. "He should be back soon."

"Sirius is going wild I see," Moody said. He was looking down at the drawing room.

"Yeah, I said that he could do what he wanted with the drawing room as long as he left the rest of the house alone," Harry said. He placed his hands together again and created another orb. A doe for his mom.

Winky walked into the room. "Winky be finished decorating," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "Could you help me wrap some of these?" Harry asked. He held an orb out to Winky. The little elf's eyes widened. "It is being beautiful Master Harry," she said. "Winky can make them unshatterable."

"That would be really nice Winky," Harry said. He lifted some of the orbs away from the bunch. The Nirn connected ones to be specific. Those he wanted to be taken to his house. "Gold and red for Sirius," he said. "I swear that man is stuck in Hogwarts."

"Might be because he ended up in Azkaban when he was twenty-one," Moody said.

Harry nodded slowly. "I guess that would mess a person up pretty badly," he said.

"Ah, Alastor."

Moody turned to the door. "Just the man I wanted to talk to," Moody said before standing up. He vanished his chair and walked out of the room with Remus.

Harry sighed. He should probably find Sirius before the man made it impossible for them to use the drawing room for anything.


	69. Meeting the Family

**Meeting the Family**

 _24th of December, 1995. Sunday_

The previous day had been spent decorating the house. The morning of the twenty-forth found Harry in the kitchen together with Winky. They were making toffees and cookies. Sirius wanted to celebrate on the twenty-fifth so they would even if Harry didn't actually understand why. He would go along with it as long as they didn't call it Christmas. Back on Nirn it had been the New Life festival which hadn't made enough sense for Katla to care about it much. They had celebrated the New Year though.

Harry didn't mind celebrating something that meant bringing your family together. He just wouldn't call it after a religion he didn't believe in, and he found it ridiculous that others did so. He stirred the syrup in his bowl slowly. He would do anything that mean making the people around him happy. He loved that. He wouldn't back down on his own principles though. He and Winky had several baking sheets full of cookies and jars of toffee made by the time Remus came walking into the kitchen.

"How long have you been up?" the kind man asked as he looked over the table. It was almost filled with delicious looking confectionaries.

"About three hours," Harry said. "I get up early."

"And you have been baking since then?" Remus asked.

"Me and Winky have been baking yes," Harry said.

"I guess it's a good thing that Sirius invited Andromeda and her family as well then," Remus said. "This is insane."

Harry shrugged. "I'm just having fun," he said. "Most of this will keep for a long time even without spells so it will be fine. How many are we going to be tomorrow? It is difficult to plan food when you don't know how many to cook for."

Remus who was beating himself up for letting the surprise slip started chuckling. He and Sirius hadn't thought that far. Originally he was going to cook of course. He hadn't counted on Harry and his elf taking over the kitchen. "We'll have three guests," he said.

"Great," Harry said happily. He poured the toffee out on some baking papers before rolling it. "Hands off," he said. He could tell that Winky did something to the table. "They are for tomorrow," he told Sirius as he looked up.

The dark-haired man pouted. "I just wanted a cookie," he said.

"You can have cookies… tomorrow," Harry said. "Get out of my kitchen. You can have breakfast in the dinning hall. Winky will bring it up there." He went back to the toffee he was making. Piece by piece was dipped in dark chocolate.

A smile was permanent on the raven's lips. He loved working in the kitchen. Winky and he switched to boiling ham and preparing turkey at about midday. Everything they could prepare the day before would be done by that evening.

…

 _25th of December, 1995. Monday_

Harry was up early the next morning too. Both he and Winky were needed in the kitchen to get everything done. He guessed he was maybe going a bit overboard. There were only going to be six of them after all. He shrugged. Magic ensured that food stayed fresh longer than it would normally do in a non-magical kitchen. He was sure that someone would eat it.

"There be man here Master Harry," Kreacher showed up ad let the raven know.

"At this time," Harry said. It was early still. He looked down at his watch, half-past six. He made his way up from the kitchen only to come upon a talk dark-skinned man. "Excuse me sir. What are you doing here?" he asked. He had been promised that there would be no one but family around during his stay. He could take Severus popping by and Moody showing up, but he wasn't so sure about a man he didn't know.

"Ah, you must be young Mister Potter," the man said. "I'm wondering is Remus or Sirius awake?" he asked.

"No they are still sleeping," Harry said. "Is there something particular that you want to talk to them about?"

"It is Order business," the man said. "I was hopping that I could get it done before my daughter woke up."

Harry nodded. "Why don't you go down to the kitchen and take a seat. I'll see if I can't wake Remus up for you," he said. He assumed that whatever the man had to say was important if he showed up like this. "You can ask the elves if there is something you need." He walked over to the stairs and headed up. He was choosing to wake Remus since he would be easier to wake up. He knocked on the door before stepping inside. He walked up to the bed and placed a hand on Remus shoulder. "Wake up Remus," he said. He shook the man softly.

Pale-green eyes opened slowly. "What is it Harry?" Remus asked as he realised that it wasn't Sirius trying to get him up.

"There is a man down in the kitchen. He wants to talk to you or Sirius about Order business," Harry said.

The green eyes opened up properly. Remus sat up. "I'll be right down," he said. It had to be important if whoever it was showed up now.

Harry nodded before walking out of the room. He headed back downstairs to the kitchen. "He will be down soon?" he informed the man.

"Thank you… I don't believe I introduced myself. I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt an Auror at the ministry," the man said.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr Shacklebolt," Harry said. "As you seem to have deduced already, I am Harry Potter." He turned around and pulled the turkey out of the oven. The next time it went in would be an hour or so before dinner. He grabbed a baking sheet of bread and pushed it in to the oven.

"You cook?" Kingsley asked.

"I do yes," Harry said.

"It smells very good," Kingsley said.

"Kingsley what is going on?" Remus asked as he entered the kitchen and saw the man.

Kingsley turned to Remus. A ward went up around them that didn't really stop Harry from hearing them, but what they talked about was unimportant to him. He didn't care what was going on at the Ministry right now. He tilted his head to the side as Kingsley expressed a wish to provide his daughter with the same kind of feast they seemed to be having. "Winky," he said quietly. "We will have food to spare don't you think?"

The little elf nodded.

"Could you bring some over to the Shacklebolt household in time for lunch and dinner?" Harry asked.

"Winky can do that," Winky said.

"Thank you Winky." Harry walked over to the cupboard he was storing the cookies and candy that they had made the day before in. He conjured a basket and then he proceeded to fill it to the brim. He closed his eyes and focused. He didn't want to mess up. As his eyes opened there was a chubby looking cartoonish dragon plushie sitting in his hands.

"Harry? What are you doing?" he heard Remus ask. They must have taken the ward down. He placed the black dragon down and turned around. "Moody gave me permission. He thought it was silly that I wouldn't be allowed to perform magic in a house where no non-magical could possibly see. The Ministry can't pick up on it either both because of the amount of magic in the house and because you and Sirius are here," he said. ' _Not to mention that I'm twenty so I don't have the trace anymore,_ ' he thought.

Remus placed his head in his left hand and sighed. He would have to have a talk with Moody. He couldn't say much about the logic though since it was perfectly true.

"How old is your daughter Mr Shackle bolt?" Harry asked the other man.

"She is five why?" Kingsley answered.

Harry turned back around and placed the chubby dragon in the basket filled with goodies. He moved back so he was facing Shacklebolt. He walked up to where the man sat and placed the basket down. "You take that with you back home when you leave," he said.

"Oh, I can't," Kingsley said. There was so much in there.

"Sure you can," Remus said. He looked up at Harry and the raven winked. "You just complained about not being able to give little Amira everything you would want to give her. He looked back up at Harry. "There is no joke candy in here right," he said.

Harry shook his head. "I don't have the formulas for that Remus; the Weasley twins do. I just make the candy. There are absolutely no potions, spells or other magic in the candy or the cookies," he said.

"You should have seen the kitchen yesterday. The table was filled with different types of toffees and cookies and Merlin knows what else he was doing, and he threw Sirius and I out the first thing he did in the morning," Remus said. "What you have in that basket is just a fraction of what is in that cupboard."

Kingsley smiled softly. "Thank you," he said as he stood up. He touched the plushie. "She will love this," he said.

"That's what I am hoping for," Harry said.

Kingsley apologized for disturbing them and carried the basked out of the hose carefully. He cast a spell over it so nothing would fall out and then he apparated. He placed the basket down and took his coat off as silently as he could.

"Daddy?"

"Yes Amira," he said. He should have guessed that she would be up.

"Where have you been?" Amira asked as she came walking out of the kitchen.

"I had something to take care off that couldn't wait princess," Kingsley said. "I have a gift from one of the persons there though. Do you want to see?"

Dark-brown eyes went wide and the little girl nodded vigorously.

Kingsley lifted the basket down from the set of drawers he had placed it on. "See here it's all home made," he said. He could see how his daughter zoned in on the little plushie sitting on top of the cookies. "That's for me?" she asked. She loved stuffed animals. But the ones that you could by in stores were boring since there were so many of them. She had never seen one like this before though. "Is Aunty coming by?" she asked as she picked the plush dragon out of the basket.

"She said she would," Kingsley said. Between Amira's mother's sister and him she was never alone thankfully. Her mother had died when Amira was three. They did what they could to see to her needs. He hoped that Voldemort would be dealt with soon. He had wanted to spend more time with Amira. He couldn't stop working though. It was difficult enough to keep them afloat as it was. There had been so many cut downs on the Auror department that it was a miracle they had any Aurors at all. He watched Amira as she walked into the decorated living room with her new friend munching on a chocolate chip cookie.

…

Back in Grimmauld Place Remus and Harry were sitting by the kitchen table talking softly. Winky had provided them with some hot chocolate and the bread had been brought out of the oven.

"So you conjured that stuffed animal?" Remus asked.

Harry nodded slowly.

"That is NEWT level Transfiguration," Remus said.

"Moody said I had an affinity for it," Harry said. "He taught me last year and I've been practising." He shrugged. "I had this idea yesterday and then he came by. I told him about it and he told me the stuff about the house and you guys making it impossible for the Ministry to pick up on under-age magic. I won't do anything dumb with it. I just thought it would be nice."

Remus looked down into his cup. He knew Sirius would be all for it. He guessed it had its uses.

"Where are all the presents?" Sirius whined as he walked into the kitchen half an hour later.

"You are assuming that we actually bothered getting you anything," Harry said mirth shining in his eyes.

"You wouldn't do that to me," Sirius said dramatically. "Not my pup. You wouldn't ignore your godfather." He had fallen down on his knees next to Harry's chair and was grabbing onto the raven's clothes.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Winky has placed all the gifts under the tree and made it impossible for anyone to open them until I say it is time," he said.

Sirius stood up and pouted. "You are impossible," he said.

"And you are acting like a five-year-old," Harry said. "Since Remus and I are the adult ones, we will be making all the important decisions." He stood up and walked over to the sink with his empty cup. "When will our guests be arriving?" he asked.

"Around ten," Remus said.

Harry nodded. He knew that Winky would be happy to take care of the rest of the food preparations. "Do we have any non-magical board games?" he asked. He turned to Remus and Sirius. It would be nice to do something that didn't require so much attention.

"I have some back home," Remus said. "I didn't think to bring them though."

"Do you have Monopoly?" Harry asked.

"Yes I do," Remus said.

"Kreacher," Harry said. The old elf appeared next to him. "Master Harry called," Kreacher said.

"Could you go to Mister Lupin's home and fetch a box that says Monopoly please Kreacher," the raven said.

"Kreacher can do that," the old elf said before popping away.

Sirius was staring at Harry. "What on Earth have you done to get him to act like that around you?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I helped him with a thing," he said. "And I'm kind to him. I'll be happy to take over ownership if you don't want him."

"That piece of trash. Why would you want him?" Sirius asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Because he isn't as bad as you think he is," he said. He accepted the box that Kreacher handed him. "Would you betray me Kreacher?" he asked. "Answer truthfully."

"Kreacher would never betray Master Harry," Kreacher said. "Master Harry fulfilled Master Regulus last wish."

"Thank you, Kreacher," Harry said. The old elf popped away, and Harry looked back to Sirius.

"You fulfilled my little brother's last request?" Sirius asked. "What is he talking about?"

Harry smiled softly. "What is the Order? Why does it exist? What are your plans?" he asked. He watched the two men as they lowered their gazes. "You can't answer can you?" he said. His smile faltered. "How can I trust you fully when you are a part of an organization I know nothing about? For now what Kreacher was talking about will stay between him and me. I'll tell you some day when you can tell me what's going on."

"We can't tell you because you are not a member of the Order," Remus said. "It is an oath we have taken to protect the other members."

"I understand and that is fine," Harry said. "I'm just saying that there is nothing saying that I have to share every little thing I know with you. I'm nipping this in the bud. Don't try to start pressuring me for information when you can't tell me everything you know." He shook the box. "I want to make this magic centred. Come on Remus let's fix it up." He headed out of the kitchen and up to the drawing room. It was the first time he entered after Sirius had been given free reign to decorate the room.

It was gaudy and colourful and he was glad he and Remus had decorated the rest of the house. He sat down with the box. I didn't take long for the other two to show up. Remus sat down next to him and helped him change the street names to match places in the Wizarding World. Then he turned the paper money into knuts, sickles and galleons. Harry moved over so he could lie down with his head in Sirius lap as they started playing.

"This isn't fair," Sirius said as he paid Harry another five galleons. "You guys are bankrupting me. How can you do that?"

It was a little over an hour later. Harry and Remus had little rows of money stacked up in front of them while Sirius pile was getting smaller as smaller for each turn.

"I'm wiser than you are," Harry said. "And Remus is a sick investor. But we're just kindly passing money to each other as we suck you dry."

"There be guests down in the hallway," Winky said as she appeared.

Sirius stood up. "Well I being crushed anyway so I might as well go down and greet them," he said.

Harry chuckled. He held out a hand to Remus. "Partners?" he said.

Remus smiled. "Partners," he said as he took the raven's hands. They packed the game away and placed the box on a shelf.

They turned towards the door as it opened. A woman in her early to mid twenties bounced inside somehow breaking a vase without even touching in. "Oh, whoops I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't worry about it Tonks," Remus said. He pointed his wand at the vase and sent of a spell. The glass shards mended together.

Tonks smiled apologetically and turned to the raven. "You must be Harry," she said. "I'm Tonks."

"Nice to meet you Tonks," Harry said.

"Nymphadora have you destroyed something already," a beautiful woman with light brown hair and kind eyes said as she entered the room.

"Come on mom don't call me that," Tonks said.

"We've been over this. It is your name dear," the woman said.

Sirius walked in to the room. "This is Andromeda, her husband Ted and their daughter Nymphadora," he introduced the family. "Andromeda has always been my favourite cousin." He walked up to Harry. "This is my godson Harry," he introduced. "And Remus my best friend and Harry's honorary uncle."

Harry bowed to Andromeda before taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. "It's an honour to meet you Mrs Tonks," he said.

"Oh, there is no reason to be so formal young man," Andromeda said. "Andromeda is fine."

"Don't even start that with me young man," Ted said good-heartedly as Harry offered him his hand. He shook the teen's hand vigorously. "We're not much for that stuff." He reached out and caught his daughter as she stumbled. "There, there Dora careful now," he said.

"Why is everyone so tense?" Tonks asked. She walked up to Harry and placed an arm over his shoulders. "Come on this is boring let's do something fun," she said.

Harry chuckled. "Sure, what do you want to do?" he asked.

Tonks' eyes fell on the presents by the tree. "You haven't opened your gifts yet?" she exclaimed. She turned to look at them. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

Sirius pouted. "Harry won't let us near them," he said.

"I thought it would be nicer if everyone was here first," Harry said.

"Well, we're here now so we can open the presents," Tonks said as she pulled him over to the tree. She pushed him into an armchair before she sat down on the floor.

Harry lowered the ward he had placed over the gifts. He'd said it was Winky that had placed a barrier up just so he wouldn't have to answer any question about it. The others gathered around them. Sirius took a spot on the floor while Remus sat down in the other armchair and Andromeda and ted took the loveseat. "You have done quite a good job cleaning this place," Andromeda said.

"You have to compliment Winky, Harry's elf. She has done most of the cleaning the past few days," Sirius said.

"Yeah, last time I was here it still looked like a horrible mess," Tonks said. "You managed to get Mrs Black quiet as well."

Sirius nodded. "That was Harry or at least I think it was him. He says he wanted her to be silent and well. She hasn't said a word since," he said. He pulled a gold wrapped present to him. "Mine," he exclaimed.

"Oh, No you don't at least hand something to Remus as well first," Andromeda said.

"But cousin," Sirius whined.

She shook her head a smile spreading over her lips. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. There was a part of Sirius that hadn't really aged after he was thrown in Azkaban. When her daughter had shown up at home and told her about Sirius innocence, she had been relieved and sad. He had endured twelve years in Azkaban. "Just hand him a gift Sirius," she said softly.

Harry held his hands out for the gift Nymphadora was handing him. "Thank you," he said. He opened the wrapper slowly while keeping his eyes on Sirius and Remus. He placed the book on _The History of African Magic_ from Charlie to the side. Charlie had sent him another gift too, but it wasn't in the pile. He had already opened that one. It was a miniature dragon that acted as a hair clip. Charlie had noticed that he liked using the one that Fleur had given him so he had hand crafted the dragon. Thinking of Fleur she had sent him a set of self inking quills one of them made with the feather from her grandmother's wings and the other from a black-feathered griffin.

"What is it Harry?" Remus asked. He could see the tears in the raven's eyes.

Harry breathed in and gathered himself. He held the Veela feather quill up. "I made good friends with Fleur Delacour the French champion last year," he said. "We've stayed in contact since then. This quill is made from the feather of her grandmother's wings. To give something like that to someone outside the family is…" he shook his head.

"Delacour. Her grandmother was a Veela?" Andromeda asked.

Harry nodded. "She was," he said.

"Then it is a great honour to receive such a gift," Andromeda said. "You must really mean a lot to her. I do hope your gift matches up."

Harry smiled. "I sent her a belt made from gifted Crystalback scales," he said.

"Crystalback?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, they were thought to be extinct but my boyfriend found a whole pack of them in Namibia. They are really curious apparently. I bought the scales through the goblins. They are funding the research team my boyfriend is with," Harry said. It wasn't true of course. He had gathered the scales personally. Fleur would recognise Malqo's scales.

Remus opened his next gift and the attention of the room was shifted to him. It was his turn to look misty eyed. He lifted a glass orb out from a box. A wolf stood proudly inside the orb. He may not like being a werewolf, but Moony was a wolf. Moony meant so much more than just the werewolf. "Thank you Harry," he said.

Harry smiled. "Don't forget to open yours Sirius," he said. He had seen the jealous look passing over his godfather's eyes.

Sirius turned to him. "There is one for me?" he asked. "Give me give me," he demanded. Harry pulled his wand out so he could pretend to use it. He floated first Sirius gift and then the one for both Sirius and Remus over. A wide smile spread over Sirius lips as he lifted his prancing dog out of its box. Then he opened the last one. He pulled the stag out of one of the slots. Then he looked back down in the box. He raised it to Remus so his friend could lift the last orb out. "It's a doe," Remus said.

"For mom," Harry said. "Moody told me her patronus was a doe."

"That is why it is silvery and not coloured like the others," Remus said.

"Yeah."

"Come on Sirius let's hang them up," Remus said as he stood up. He walked up to the tree and placed the decorations out.

Sirius stood up as well and placed his own orbs up in the tree. "You made these?" he asked Harry.

Harry nodded. "There is one for me as well," he said.

Sirius smiled. "Where is it?" he asked. Harry stood up and walked over to a set of drawers. He pulled the top one out and lifted an orb from within. There were two animals resting in there. A griffin for Ven his spirit guardian and a dragon for him his soul animal. He held it out to Sirius.

"You found your form?" Sirius asked. He looked into the orb. "Which one is it?" he asked.

"The dragon," Harry said. "The black dragon."

A smirk spread over Sirius lips. "Then the griffin. What is that for?" he asked.

"The griffin is my guardian," Harry said. "She protects me." He closed his eyes and breathed in. He wouldn't explain how he did it. But he wanted them to be aware of Ven in case he ever had to send her to warn them. Ven materialized next to him. "She has been with me for years," he said as he held a hand out so he could pet her.

"She's beautiful," Tonks said.

Harry smiled softly. He walked back to the armchair and sat down.

"Now what do you mean found your form Sirius?" Remus said. "You aren't teaching Harry to become an illegal animagus are you?"

"Eh…"

"Technically you aren't required by law to register your animagus form until you turn seventeen," Harry said.

"That's because they don't count on underage wizards being capable of performing the spell in the first place," Remus said. He sighed. "Just promise me you will be careful," he said.

"I will don't worry," Harry said. He looked down at his watch. "I think lunch is in order," he said. "What do the rest of you say?" He got a murmur of positive answers so he called for Winky so he could tell her they were ready for lunch. They headed down to the kitchen slowly.

Harry hid a smirk as he saw Nymphadora steal the seat to Remus right. He walked around the table and sat down next to Andromeda while sharing a knowing look with Sirius. Then her neon purple hair turned pink as he brushed against him. "You are a Metamorphmagus?" he asked excitedly.

Tonks looked up. "Yes," she said her hair changed colour again. It was raven black now. "You know about Metamorphmaguses?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Moody taught me about them after well…" he tilted his head to the side and his hair turned pink. "I showed him I could do that. We came to the conclusion that I can't do much more than change my hair and eye colour though."

"That's the fun part anyway," Tonks said.

"How come you haven't shown me this?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't think of it that often," he said. He turned to Winky. "Please serve Winky," he said.

The little elf basically filled the table with food. "You took some to Mr Shacklebolt as well?" Harry asked.

Winky nodded. "Mister Shackle be very glad that Winky brought food. He tried telling Winky that it wasn't necessary. Winky had her orders though," she said.

Harry smiled. He knew that Winky wouldn't have accepted whatever reason that Shaklebolt had to deny the food even if he hadn't ordered her to take it there.

"This is impressive," Andromeda said. She turned to Winky. "You have done a very good job," she said.

"Thank you Madam," Winky said. "Master and Winky has been cooking together."

Andromeda placed a hand on his shoulder. "You cook Harry?" she asked.

The raven nodded. "And bake. I love working in the kitchen," he said.

"Your boyfriend is one lucky man," Ted said as he started digging into a dish.

Harry chuckled. "Considering he can't cook very well, yeah," he said. He started filling his plate as well. They spoke about a little of this and a little of that as they ate. Once done Harry stood up and walked around the table. He pulled Nymphadora up from her chair and dragged her upstairs.

"What are you up to?" the bubblegum-pink haired woman asked as he closed his bedroom door. He walked over to a bag lying by his bed and pulled something out of it. "I messed my poor Potions Professor up by doing this last year. I though it was Sirius and Remus' turn," he said. "Cheers." He held the vial in his hand up before he drank it down.

Tonks eyes widened as she realised exactly what was going on. She watched Harry pulled his shirt off a now very feminine body. She giggled. "Oh, you want me to transfigure clothes?" she asked.

"Yes please," Harry said. 'She' got undressed completely and Nymphadora helped 'her' get dressed in a cute knee long dress and stockings. "You don't think this is a bit too revealing?" 'she' asked as 'she' looked at herself in a mirror 'she' had conjured earlier that day. "There is only family down there it's not like I'm trying to impress anyone."

"Oh, hogwash you look stunning," Tonks said.

Harry nodded and then 'she' closed 'her' eyes. The black hair turned red before it grew down to 'her' waist. 'She' turned around so 'she' was facing Nymphadora. "That good right?" 'she' asked.

"You look amazing. How long will that last?" Tonks asked.

Harry shrugged. "About twelve hours," 'she' said. 'She' looked back into the mirror. 'She' was pretty good looking. "Let's go back down," 'she' said. 'She' took Nymphadora's hand. "What should I call you?" 'she' asked. "I don't want to use Tonks that's your last name and you don't like your first name. I can't use Dora 'cause as far as I'm concerned Dora is a cow and you are not."

"Oh, well I guess we could figure something out," Tonks said.

Harry nodded. 'She' took her hand, and they headed down the stairs.

Tonks changed her hair to match Harry's. They headed down to the drawing room. The grown-ups or whatever were sitting in the sofa group. Harry walked up to Sirius and sat down in his lap. "Hey Padfoot," 'she' said.

"Hey Har…" Sirius trailed off as he turned his head to the redhead in his lap. He swallowed. His dark eyes filled with tears. Seeing James in Harry was something he had expected since the boy was born. The redhead in his lap looked like Lily. He reached up. "What did you do Harry?" he asked as he placed his hand on the girl's cheek.

"I used the gender changing potion and then I changed my hair that's all," Harry said. "You should have seen Snape's face when I did this at Hogwarts last year. Was he close to mom?"

Sirius eyes darkened.

"He was friends with your mother," Remus answered. "He insulted her in our fifth year and I believe they never spoke after that. She did express sadness over that while she was pregnant with you. I don't think she ever got a chance to talk to him though."

Sirius didn't say anything. He knew Harry wouldn't appreciate that. He wrapped an arm around the teen and pulled 'her' closer. A tray of cookies and a basket filled with candy showed up on the coffee table.

Harry smiled softly. This was what he'd hopped for. Family being together and just having a good time. He loved it. He closed his eyes and just relaxed.

* * *

Later that night a single dark shape moved through the Entrance Hall of the Ministry. Dressed in a black cloak, the man passed the golden fountain in the middle of the Hall. He walked over to the elevators and headed down. He had decided to do this himself rather than let anyone else do it. He honestly did not trust his followers to not mess it up.

The elevator stopped with a ding. He moved out and pulled his wand. There was someone there. He narrowed his eyes and sent off a curse. He didn't use the killing curse though. He didn't want who had killed the man to be obvious. He stepped over the bleeding body and walked into the Department of Mysteries. He entered a round room filled with doors. The heavy black door behind him closed, and the walls started spinning.

Voldemort closed his eyes irritably. He was not a fan of the Ministry's moronic ideas. At least Rookwood had told him about the department. Rookwood had also informed him of the shortcuts that could be utilized to get into the different areas. He made an intricate pattern with his wand and a door lit up. He walked over to it and opened it up. Blue candles lit up dusty shelves. Orbs, some glowing with a pale white light and some dull and lifeless, filled the shelves.

He walked along the shelves slowly. He didn't expect to meet anyone down there that evening. Most people would be home with their families. That is what he counted on at the very least. His eyes fell on the one orb he cared about. It was dull and lifeless in his hand. A cruel smirk spread over his lips. It wasn't valid anymore. ' _I should find out what the old fool is willing to put his faith in though,'_ he thought. He crushed the orb and the wispy form of the seer that had told the prophesy appeared.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...

Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...

and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...

and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." she said.

A cold eerie laugh sounded through the dusty hall. There was no stopping him now. The prophesy telling of the only one who could defeat him was no longer valid. What he had done to return had made it impossible for them to win. He would crush them and their foolish beliefs. He started heading back out of the Hall of Prophesies. Potter was no longer important. He would catch the boy eventually and show the world that there was no stopping him. He would use the foolish child to show the light that they couldn't win. There were other things he wished to do first however – more pressing matters that needed to be dealt with.

The Dark Lord left as he had arrived, with no one the wiser of his presence there.


	70. End of the Holidays

**End of the Holidays**

 _28th of December, 1995. Thursday_

The days following the Tonks' visit Harry spent mostly in the drawing room – sometimes he had a book, sometimes he played games with Sirius, and other times he had deep discussions with Remus. He was brushing up on the Ancient Runes he had started learning the year before. He figured he might as well try to sit the OWLs for it if he could manage. It would be pretty neat to continue with the sixth years the following year. He would have to clear the OWL for that though.

Winky fixed up a double room for Fred and George the morning of their arrival. Harry was back down in the kitchen preparing lunch. He wished he could get out of the house. He knew it wouldn't happen – not with Voldemort back. He could keep up some of the training routines that Ra'shall had taught him, but he wanted to run or walk or something. It would be better once Fred and George got there. He might be able to sneak out while they were there. The twins knew about him after all. He finished the stew up and left it to bubble.

A knock on the front door alerted him to the twins' arrival. He walked over to the door and opened it up. "Hey guys," he said as he was bulldozed by the two redheads. "Whoa watch it," he cried. They landed on the carpet in the hallway in a heap. Harry laughed.

"Hey, Harry," "how are things going?" the twins asked.

"Sirius is driving me mad," Harry answered. "You have to help me with him."

"Oh, we will," "promise dragon." They helped the raven up on his feet.

"Your room is this way. We might as well go there first," Harry said. "How's your search for a shop going?" he asked.

"Forward," Fred said. "We have to be careful you know…"

"…or mom will find out and then she'll try to put a stop to it," George said.

"You guys are grown ups now," Harry said. "Do you really have to care what Mrs Weasley says?"

"Mom can get scary when she wants to," Fred said with a shrug.

"Dad said this place looked like a crypt," George said. "I can't see it. We thought it would be way scarier."

"The last time he saw this house was before Winky and I got here," Harry said. "We've been fixing the place up as good as we can and Andromeda, Sirius cousin, said she would come back and fix the rest up once I'm back in Hogwarts. She wanted to give us the rest of the holidays." He opened a door. "This is your room. You told me you preferred sharing."

"Yeah, we do at least in a new place," George said.

They dropped their things off and headed with Harry down to the drawing room where they found Sirius and Remus. Since everyone pretty much knew each other they settled down and started talking about the twins' shop.

Fred and George were branching into fireworks as well as jokes. "We're also going to make a section especially for witches," George said. "All cute and fuzzy you know."

"Thanks to Harry we have a sizable stock and we're selling some of the tamer things in school right now. He figures that we should take it easy so Umbridge doesn't get a hissy fit," Fred said.

Remus smiled. "It would seem Harry is taking after me as a Marauder rather than his father," he said. He flashed a smirk Sirius way.

"Seems he's better at keeping these two on a short leash than you ever were," Sirius said.

Remus laughed. "I guess he's just taking after his mother. She knew how to keep you in line," he said. He leaned back. It was good to know that this generations Marauders didn't single Slytherins out for their pranks the way that Sirius and James had a tendency to do back in their day. They weren't bullies. He still regretted that he let his friends do things like that. He watched as Harry leaned into George. He had learned the past couple of days that the raven really liked to cuddle so it might just be that. He glanced over at Sirius. The dark-haired man didn't seem to notice. He guessed he'd keep this to himself. He could be wrong after all.

They spent most of that day just talking business and ideas. The twins were glad to have some more people to bounce ideas off.

The following day Fred and George came running into the kitchen. "Hide us Harry," they begged panicked.

The raven tilted his head to the side and listened. A black eyebrow rose as he heard Sirius. "What have the two of you done now?" he asked.

"Well, we might have slipped something into his drink," Fred said sheepishly.

Sirius came rushing into the kitchen wand raised. He started firing spells off. The twins did their best to dodge.

"OUT!"

The three froze. Harry leaned back. He looked down at Winky.

"Misbehaving boys out of Winky's kitchen now or Winky will change all their food to turnips," the little elf said angrily.

"But Winky they…"

"Out!" Winky said.

The two redheads and Sirius left with their heads hanging.

Harry shook his head and turned back to the dishes.

"Winky be glad Master Harry has more sense," Winky muttered.

Harry smiled at her. "They had no business in your kitchen and it's good that they learn that," he said. He dried his hands before kneeling down. "Come here Winky," he said. The little brown eyed elf walked up to him and he pulled her into a hug. "I don't know what we would do without you, dear," he said.

Tears filled Winky's eyes. She sniffled. "Winky doesn't know what she would have done without Master Harry either," she said. She looked to the stove. "Winky will cook for tonight," she said.

"I look forward to it," Harry said.

* * *

 _30th of December, 1995. Saturday_

"So how are we supposed to continue?" Fred asked. "We know that we're coyotes."

Harry, Fred, George and Sirius were gathered in the drawing room. The pranks war that had broken out the day before had been settled by the dinner table. Winky had told tem they better not continue and no one wanted to cross the little elf. Harry and Remus had sat there and watched as the other three struggled to apologise to each other. Once they were done Remus went over the various ears and tails among other things that the three of them had spotted and removed them.

Sirius leaned back in his armchair. "You need to study the animal closely. You need to know exactly what they look like both inside and out. A single mistake on the inside could kill you. And never try to turn all of you at once," he said. "I'll teach you a spell that forces an animagus out of their animal form. If something goes wrong you have to use it quickly."

Fred and George nodded. They understood the dangers. This was not a game and they wouldn't treat it as such. "So once we have learned what the coyotes look like," Fred said. "Then what do we do?" George asked.

"Then you go slow," Sirius said. "You change your nails to claws. You hands to paws and back. Little things at first."

Remus walked into the room. "Dumbledore is here," he whispered. "He wants to talk to us."

Sirius stood up. "I'll be right back," he said. He followed Remus out of the room and down to the dinning hall.

"So this is gonna be complicated," Fred said.

"What is your animal Harry?" George asked. "You haven't told us."

"A dragon," Harry said. "But I can't turn into it. Since I have a dragon's soul I wouldn't be able to turn back if I turned into a dragon. So I'm not going to try."

"That sucks," George said. "But I guess it makes sense." He reached out and grabbed the raven. "You're cool enough without it," he said.

Harry moved back so he could lie down with his head in George lap. "Fleur couldn't get a form so I guess I'm in the same boat as her in a way," he said.

"So do they know?" George asked.

Harry shrugged.

"But you are going to tell him the truth eventually right?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, when I can be sure that Dumbledore doesn't have an aneurism learning that I have and will kill people if there is reason enough to do so," Harry said.

"You don't think the Headmaster would approve?" George asked.

"I can summon daemons George. What do you think?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"Still haven't seen you do that," Fred said.

"That's because it's highly impolite to just drag them here because I feel like it," Harry said. He sighed. "Could the two of you buy me some alone time tomorrow do you think? I'll leave before anyone else gets up. I just need to get out of this house for a couple of hours."

Fred nodded. "Sure we should be able to do that. Don't be gone for too long though."

"Deal," Harry said with a smile.

…

 _31st of December, 1995. Sunday_

Harry walked up a snow covered street slowly. He had found out where his parents were buried. Dressed in regular clothes, he travelled to Godric's Hollow. He had never been there before. It was kind of sad really. No one had bothered taking him there. He walked into the graveyard. He knew from the goblins that his Peverell ancestor was buried there as well as his parents. It wasn't difficult to find the grave. He brushed snow of the worn stone he could barely make out the name and date of death on the stone. What he could clearly see however was a triangle holding a circle with a line going straight through it. He wondered briefly what the sign was for.

' _Maybe I'll look into that,'_ he thought. He moved on from the grave down the line until he found the graves he was truly looking for. He kneeled down. "I'm sorry I have not come before now," he said softly. "I hope you do not mind what I have become. I'll do what I deem right." His breath came out in a white mist as he spoke. "Sirius and Remus really miss you. I don't really." He smiled. "I can't remember you," he said. He brushed snow off the grave. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the inscription. 'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.' It read. He snorted. Death could not be defeated nor could it be destroyed. He shook his head. He grabbed his knife. The words he carved into the stone were part of a Nirn funeral hymn. It suited his parents better.

Slowly the raven stood up. He wasn't staying longer than that. He wanted to see their house.

"Isn't it a bit cold just walking around in your shirt young man?"

Harry turned. An old man sat on a bench. "Not unless you let it," he said. "With training the body can generate the heat necessary to hold the cold out."

The man nodded slowly. "You visited someone in the graveyard?" he asked.

"Yes sir, I have family in there," Harry said politely. He could tell that the man wasn't who he pretended to be. He wandered down the street, and then he moved in between houses. He used dragon magic to turn himself invisible. He doubted that whoever the other person was could see through dovahlu. He made his way over to a cottage with its roof collapsed. He moved over the fence and walked inside slowly. The house looked like it had been left just as it was all those years ago. He walked slowly so he wouldn't hurt himself. The stairs to the upper floor were falling apart. Harry had been in enough Nordic ruins to make his way up without killing himself. Now he had to make sure he wouldn't fall through the floor though. He scanned the magic around and figured that people were being kept out. He belonged there however. He forced a door open and found his parents bedroom.

The drawers held mouse eaten clothes. He closed them again. There was no need for him to disturb the mice. Then he found a small box. He sat down on the dusty bed. Opening the box he could see several pieces of jewellery. They must have belonged to his mother. He closed the box again. This one he would take with him. With any luck he would have a daughter one day that could use grandma' Lily's jewellery. Most of the other things he found were unimportant until he found a sealed drawer. He broke the weakened seal easily. Journals. Row upon row of journals. He lifted one up. His mother had written them. He grabbed his bag so he could pack them down. He wasn't sure how they had made it, but he would make sure they were taken care off. He wasn't the only one who needed to read them at some point.

He didn't find anything else in his parents' room that interested him. The nursery or his room, or whatever it was supposed to be called, was destroyed. The weather and wind had done what it wanted with it. He could see remnants off things that had once been. A sad smile spread over his lips. His mom had died in there.

His eyes went to his watch and he could tell that he should probably make it back to Grimmauld Place. Fred and George could only do so much to deter his godfather and Remus.

Leaving the broken house behind, Harry left Godric's Hollow like he had arrived with no one the wiser. Even the old man couldn't tell when the young brunet had left. His twinkling blue eyes moving over the snow covered ground. ' _So that was Kato Peverell,'_ he thought. The young man was a mystery.

Harry sneaked into the House of Black and up to his room. He called Kreacher and asked him to let Fred and George know he was back. He collapsed down in his bed. Visiting the placed where his birthparents had died was bringing the knowledge that he didn't even know if Katla was still alive to the forefront of his mind. He turned around and buried his face in his pillow.

There was a knock on his door before it opened. Someone snuck inside and sat down next to him. A big part of him wished that it would be Charlie, but he knew that the oranget was still in Namibia. He could smell chocolate and cinnamon. It was Remus. "I thought it would be better if I came to check on you," the kind man said. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed. The raven pulled himself up so he could lean against Remus. "I miss them," he whispered. He knew Remus wouldn't truly understand, but it was alright.

Remus rubbed the teen's back slowly. He didn't know what to say. Nothing he could say would make it better. He guessed he would be suspicious if the raven didn't have break downs. Once Harry had stopped crying and had settled down with a book he left. The teen had a right to have sometime alone.

Harry didn't make it down until dinner. He was subdued, but at least he was there for the rest of the evening. The twins sent of a whole cloud of fireworks in the drawing room as the clock struck midnight.

…

A couple of days later the twins and Harry packed up so they could get on the train back to Hogwarts. "I'll write," Harry said before he left Sirius.


	71. In the Closed Ward

**In the Closed Ward**

The first few weeks of school were nothing special. The students that had been home for the holidays settled back down and everyone got back into routine. Umbridge had gotten a hold of yet another useless book for Hermione, Harry and a couple of Ravenclaw students to read. It was just as dull as the first and even less intelligent.

Harry took it on like he had the first. He even made notes for it in case anyone else was forced to read it.

Most other classes continued like they had the previous term. They had moved on from revision in Charms and started with stunning spells. In Transfiguration they had moved from vanishing things to making an exact replica of an item. Once again it was something Harry could easily fake. He hoped that the Owls would be that easy. He probably wouldn't continue the class either way since McGonagall would start noticing that he wasn't doing it right eventually. Snape on the other hand was just getting snarkier. Harry figured it could have something to do with the mark he could sense on the man's arm. He still needed to get started on that. It was pretty important. Lucius made a good ally. If they could keep Voldemort's return from registering with the general public then Lucius would keep his influence.

It was politics something Harry found extremely boring, but he could play the game if he had to.

…

 _18th of January, 1996. Thursday_

The day had started out fine. Harry had met the Thestrals as he took his normal run through the Forbidden Forest. One of the foals had bounced up to him. He had petted the little one. Maybe there was something wrong with him, but he found the skeletal horses strangely beautiful.

Then at breakfast it had all taken a turn for the worse. Harry had sat down with Neville. They were eating and talking happily until Hermione let out a yelp. "What is wrong?" Harry asked.

She handed him the paper and Neville looked over his shoulder. Greene eyes scanned the page. There had been a mass breakout from Azkaban. Ten of the most dangerous Death Eaters imprisoned there had escaped. According to the newspaper Sirius Black had to be behind it. Harry knew better though. Their Master was back. He looked up at Neville. The brunet had turned pale. His knuckles were white from clutching onto his knife and fork. Harry found the picture of Bellatrix Lestrange. She looked a lot like Andromeda – darker and Azkaban had taken much of her beauty, but he could clearly see that they were sisters. Under her picture the text read: _Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom._

Harry stood up slowly and grabbed Neville's arm. He pulled the brunet up. Neville did not need to stay in the Great Hall. He led the teen out to the greenhouses and settled down. He wanted to get Neville working with his hands because he knew that would calm the boy down.

For an entire hour he sat there with Neville. Neither of them speaking, he was just there for his friend. "We visit them at St Mungo's," Neville said quietly. "Whenever I'm home from school Gran and I go to St Mungo's to see them. They can't even recognise me." He dug another hole in the dirt. "She tortured them with the Cruciatus Curse. She and her husband. And now they are free."

Harry nodded slowly. There was nothing he could say to make that better. Empty words and stupid promises were not something he wanted to offer the kind-hearted brunet. They stayed in the greenhouse throughout the day. Harry would make sure that whatever punishment Snape might want to give them would land on his shoulders. Neville didn't need that stress right now.

He headed down to the dungeons after dinner that evening. Snape might be a snarky piece of work, but he still deserved some respect. He knocked on the man's office door.

"Well, well Potter," Severus said. "What do you have to say for yourself, hmm?" he asked.

Harry looked him straight in the eyes. "I apologies for missing your lesson earlier sir," he said. "If you read the news this morning I'm sure you noticed that Bellatrix and her lovely husband have escaped from Azkaban. Neville needed some time away from everything. It was his parents they tortured after all. That is also the reason for his absence earlier. Professor Sprout can confirm that we spent the day in greenhouse number five tending to the plants there."

"And you believe this to be a reasonable excuse for missing out on my lesson do you Potter?" Severus said.

"I do sir," Harry said. "Unless we are to expect escapes from Azkaban as normal. Most people were not affected since they are not directly related to victims, but you of all people should know what these Death Eaters did in the last war." "If you feel it necessary we can come down during the weekend and make the potion you worked with today, or we could work something out with Professor Sprout for tomorrow as far as I know your fourth and fifth periods are free on Fridays."

Severus narrowed his eyes. Potter really had learned to use his head. "Fine, but you have to make sure you have permission from Pomona," he said. "Be in my classroom tomorrow at twelve o'clock sharp."

"Of course Professor," Harry said. "Have a pleasant evening." He backed away from the office door before turning around so he could head up to the Gryffindor tower.

"We can make up for it tomorrow when we have Herbology as long as it is fine with Professor Sprout," harry told Neville as he sat down next to the brunet in the comfortable armchairs in front of the fire. He rubbed the other teen's shoulder in a comforting motion.

"It's not fair," Neville breathed.

"No it isn't," Harry said. He turned his head to look into the fire. "But we can't let them rule our lives. Our parents wouldn't want that," he said.

A small faint smile appeared on Neville's lips, and even though it did not reach his eyes it was better than nothing. "I guess you're right," he said.

* * *

The following day Neville was quiet and withdrawn. The only person he would talk to at all was Harry. They talked to Madam Sprout who gave them permission to miss her class since they had handled NEWT level plants the whole day before. They were two of her best students.

Severus wasn't as snarky as normal. Then again he didn't have an audience. There were no Slytherins who could report home to their Death Eater parents. Both Harry and Neville did alright with the potion. They worked in silence.

Severus spent most of the time they were there correcting homework.

 _20th of January, 1996. Saturday_

It was early. Brown snow mush covered the streets. A golden glow spread from the streetlights. A lone figure walked along an empty street. He walked with purpose. He had stopped by the goblins in Gringotts to check where he needed to go to get into the Wizarding Hospital. Goblins were good; they knew more than wizards and witches would ever give them credit for. If you needed information they were the best ones to go to. For most that would cost, but this particular young man happened to be part of a goblin clan. He looked up a peeling sign: _Purge and Dowse, Ltd,_ it read. He had found the right place.

Making it past the front door of sorts, Harry was standing in a spacious entrance hall. A tired looking receptionist sat by her desk. He didn't need her help though. There were easier ways to find what he was looking for. Before his mind's eye a blue streak guided him up to the fourth floor. At this early hour the only people there were the Healers. They didn't ask him any questions. He came upon a locked door eventually. It was a simple enough lock. " _ **Voqulek,"**_ he whispered. Even if the lock had been magical the words in dovahzul would make sure he could enter.

The raven almost started laughing as he saw the first patient in the Janus Thickey Ward. He made sure not to though. The other people lying in there weren't the least bit funny. But Lockheart was there. That was just so fitting. He wasn't going to help that man. He didn't care what people would pay him. The two he was there for were lying behind a drape. He moved it to the side and walked up to the woman. Her hair had paled to white at some point. He sat down next to her. She was sleeping. He reached out and placed one hand against her temple and the other on her chest. Amber eyes closed.

Harry was lost in a vortex of pain and confusion. He was glad that his mindshields held strong. He could tell that her body was giving her pain and her mind was so fractured he barely knew what to do with it. He took a deep breath and then he started moving through the fractures. The initial confusion settled. It didn't look that bad once he'd walked around in there for a while. Mending her mind was another question entirely. He could do it right then and there, but she would have no memory and no way of regaining it if he did that. He wanted her to have a chance to remember. He wanted to link every single memory she had of Neville coming there to see her there was.

He wanted to help his friend. He didn't really have time for another major project right then, but he would damn well make time. ' _At least I can make your body stop hurting,'_ he thought. He moved out of her mind and placed both his hands on her chest. He let his magic travel through her. He was slow and very, very careful. He could seriously harm her if he went too fast. It was the same spell Lucius had been hit with, but the damage done was so much worse. It had gone untreated for so long that it had settled in. He wasn't entirely sure why the nerve damage hadn't been healed. He was pretty certain that there was some reason he didn't see.

' _Ten o'clock,'_ Harry thought as he looked down at his watch. He had finished healing Alice. She was breathing a little easier now. He would have to comeback to make sure he had healed her completely as far as her physical state went. His visits would have to be many to help her mental state. He did however need to eat something before he could continue with her husband. He stood up slowly and opened the drapes.

"Excuse me but who are you?" a motherly looking witch asked.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "My name is Kato Peverell ma'am," he said. "I'm a Healer of sorts. The British magical system wouldn't recognise me as such though. I work with the goblins Glint of Clan Magun can back my abilities up. I heard of the Longbottoms after the horrible breakout and figured I should check if there was anything I could do for them. My younger cousin goes to school with their son."

The witch smiled sadly. She walked up and cast a standard diagnostic spell at the couple. "You have healed poor Alice," she said surprised. They were both talking quietly so they wouldn't disturb the patients.

"I have healed most of the nerves in her body," Harry said. "Her mind is far more complicated to heal. With time and patience I might be able to do it."

The witch's eyes widened. "I should contact Madam Longbottom. This is fantastic news, but you cannot simply continue without her permission," she said. "It is enough of a breach that you have come here uninvited."

Harry nodded. "I will go upstairs and grab something to eat," he said. "I have to replenish some energy before I continue with Frank. It would probably be best if I spoke to Madam Longbottom before continuing."

"Then I will speak to her and ask her to come in," the witch said.

Harry headed out of the ward and up a set of stairs. He found a sizable cafeteria and a gift shop. He settled down by one of the tables and ate some chicken salad while writing things down in a note book. Like always when he wrote something he didn't want anyone else to read, he wrote in dovahzul.

"So Mister Peverell you keep showing up."

Harry looked up from his notes. He stood up and bowed. "Madam Longbottom," he said. He shifted and pulled a chair out for her. "Please take a seat," he offered. She joined him by the table, and he gathered his thoughts. "I'm sure you wonder why I snuck in to heal you daughter-in-law Madam," he said. He received a curt nod in response. "I wasn't sure I could do anything. I didn't want to get your hopes up if I could do nothing to help ma'am. My distant cousin and the only family I know in Britain Harry Potter wrote me and very cryptically asked me to help. I know he is a friend of your grandson Neville. He has spoken of the boy before. I thought I could look into it before raising anyone's hopes up."

Augusta studied the young man for a moment. She could tell that he was honest. He will to help was real. "And payment?" she asked. She wanted to know what his answer would be.

"I honestly don't expect one for this," Harry said. Just like with the cure for the werewolves, he didn't feel a need to be paid to help people who really needed help. "I don't know if anyone else can use my methods and that means that I could technically charge anything just like with the vaults. I'm not a corrupt asshole that wants to suck people dry though. I don't need more money than what fixing the vaults give me."

Augusta straightened in her chair. She nodded slowly. "And you believe yourself capable of helping them?" she asked.

"I know I can help Alice," Harry said. "I can't be sure when it comes to Frank until I have done a full scan. It will take time though. Alice mind is so fractured one mistake could wipe her memory or scramble everything even worse than it already is. I need full permission to enter their minds. The intrusion is completely non-violent, but to mend their minds I will have to be in their minds and somehow fuse their memories together. I might have to sacrifice certain memories for others. If it comes to that I will contact you first though. My priority is helping them to a stage where they can recognise and interact with their son." He picked his notebook up and dropped it into his bag. "I might not be able to heal them fully and they will probably never be able to do what they used to, but I should be able to make a difference."

Augusta closed her eyes. She had given up so long ago. Healer after Healer had told her that there was nothing they could do. "Do what you can," she said. "Everything you can to help them, anything." She smiled sadly. "I just want my son back," she said.

Harry reached out and placed a hand on hers. "I swear I will not give up until I have tried every possibility I can come up with," he said. "I will not do anything that will cause them harm though."

Augusta nodded. "Shall we go?" she asked.

Harry stood up and offered his arm to her. They headed down to the Janus Thickey Ward. The witch allowed them inside. "I wish to allow Mr Peverell access to my son and daughter-in-law, Miriam," Augusta told the healer in charge of the ward.

"Of course Madam Longbottom," Miriam said. She watched the two make their way over to the Longbottoms' beds. Harry sat down next to Frank as Augusta took the chair next to his bed. He looked from one of them to the other.

Harry reached out and he could feel distress from the man. "I'm going to calm him down so he doesn't start struggling with me. The spell will hold only for as long as I hold it," he said calmly. He allowed for the magic he was about to use to show in his palm. He placed the hand on Frank's chest before he reached up and placed his right had against the man's temple. He entered Frank's mind like he had entered Alice's mind. In some ways it was worse and in others better. Frank seemed to have been hit with other spells than the Cruciatus Curse. The biggest problem from Harry's point of view was that he would have to create two completely different ways of handling the two. He could however tell that there were spells still hurting the man connected to his body. Those he could deal with. He left the man's mind. "I can heal that but the prep work that needs to be done before I even attempt to do it will have to be extensive. If he had only been hit with the unforgivable then it would have been the same as healing Alice," he said. "They used spells on him I don't even know what they are."

Augusta looked at her son. "That is very dangerous," she said.

Harry nodded. "I might need to bring in a curse breaker for him," he said. "Thankfully Harry sent me the entire Black Family library this holiday so the curses he is suffering from might be in there."

"I will have to map everything first. And if we are talking a slew of curses on Frank here then his recovery might be faster than Alice's. I'll have to work something out for Alice and figure out exactly what curse does what when it comes to Frank. He has some nerve damage from the Cruciatus Curse. I will take care of that now," he said. He reached out and placed his hands on Frank's chest. A soft golden glow spread from him and covered Frank slowly. He closed his eyes and focused the magic. He didn't know for how long he sat there. It didn't matter to him. As he opened his eyes again he could see that Frank was looking at him. He smiled softly. "I won't hurt you," he said. He moved his hands away from the man slowly. "That is all I will do for them today," he said. "I will have to spend hours with each of them to properly help them. It exhausts me magically. I cannot do more today." He stood up slowly. He bowed to Augusta and then he headed out of the ward slowly. He needed to get back to school.

Neville was sitting in their dorm when he got back. The brunet was looking at some old photographs. Harry walked up to him and sat down. He didn't say anything. He doubted that Neville needed him to say anything. He would do his best to help the brunet's parents.

* * *

 _12th of Febuary, 1996. Monday_

January past into February and everything seemed to be going on like normal until one Monday morning when all hell seemed to break lose.

"No!" Trelawney shrieked. "NO! This cannot be happening … it cannot … I refuse to accept it!"

"Ye don't know what yer doin'," Hagrid said in a rumbling voice. "Ye horrible Ministry hag."

"Neither of you have improved your performance properly since my inspection," Umbridge said in a high girly voice. She turned to Trelawney. "You didn't realise this was coming?" she asked sweetly. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realised that your pitiful performance during my inspections would make it inevitable that you would be sacked?"

"You c…can't!" Trelawney howled. "You can't s…sack me! I've b…been here sixteen years! H…Hogwarts is m…my home!"

Hagrid reached out and placed his hand on Trelawney's shoulder.

"It was your home," Umbridge said, "until an hour ago, when the Minister for Magic countersigned your Order of Dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this Hall. You are embarrassing us." She looked up at Hagrid. "You can stay to take care of your Gamekeeper duties, but you are not fit to teach," she said girlishly.

Harry sighed. There was nothing he could do about that. Later that day the talk of the grapevine was that Trelawney was staying in the castle because Dumbledore had stepped in. Hagrid on the other hand was leaving. Harry had seen him walk of the grounds. He figured that might have something to do with the Order. There were some things Hagrid would be better suited for than anyone else Dumbledore could send. He wondered who their new teacher would be in Divination would be? It was a Centaur. Firenze, the centaur that had once saved Harry from Voldemort, was going to teach them. Harry's only thought to that was that he wouldn't be able to use Divination as a class for other studies. Firenze was not going to be happy with him if he did.

The first lesson that afternoon was interesting. Harry agreed with the centaur. Humans did not make very good predictions. That's as far as he agreed with the stallion though. Stars were not reliable as a Divination tool. Since the starts they saw was just the light travelling from suns or galaxies far away, those sources of light might be gone by the time they spoke of it. He didn't find that very reliable. Firenze was easier to listen to at the very least.

…

The next day they had their first lesson with Professor Grubbly-Plank in Care of Magical Creatures. They studied bowtruckles which were little stick creatures who generally lived in tress that were of high enough quality to make wand out of them. It was an informative lesson and Harry had to agree with his classmates that Grubbly-Plank was a better teacher than Hagrid.

As the week passed on, Harry kept an eye on Neville, who was working harder than ever with his schoolwork, and Umbridge. He was going to move to the next stage in his plans. He knew that the curse on the Defence position would get rid of her somehow. He just thought he would give it a helping hand.

Nothing much happened that week.

Draco opened his big mouth and Blaze was getting weirder. Harry didn't care much though.

* * *

 _18th of February, 1996. Sunday_

Come Sunday Harry was back in the closed ward. He was sitting next to Alice doing his best to figure out what needed to be done to help her. It would be a tricky dance to heal her without messing her up. He had pulled the drapes closed and sealed them so he could be there without looking like Kato. He wanted them to trust him and he couldn't change halfway through their treatment if he was going to gain that trust.

Alice mind was like a puzzle box that someone had shook violently. The problem was that certain pieces had melded together, and to place the pieces back the way they were supposed to be he would have to separate them. Doing so could destroy the memories though. In a cluster he could probably save one or two memories, but he would have to sacrifice some of them. It meant that he had to map every cluster so he could tell exactly which memories could be sacrificed.

Frank was a different story all together. The curses woven around his mind and magic were horrifying. His mind as such was not as badly damaged as his wife's so that would be easier to fix once he had gotten rid of the curses. The problem was that he knew nothing of them. He'd never seen or heard of curses like the ones on Frank. And it was wizarding magic so he would have to bring someone else in. A healer probably wouldn't be able to do it either. He would need a Curse-Breaker. Bill Weasley came to mind. Once Bill knew who he really was there was a possibility that he could cooperate with the man.

He made his way back to the school so he could sit down with his notes and sort them. He went over the effects he had found in Frank's mind. He needed his library. Hopefully he had the books needed to figure the mess he had in front of him.

' _This will take time,'_ he thought with a sigh.


	72. Fare Thee Well

**Fare Thee Well**

The rest of February was fairly uneventful. They played Quidditch and Gryffindor won hands down. The other teams didn't stand a chance.

 _15th of March, 1996. Friday_

In Africa, Namibia specifically, Charlie was sitting with a pack of beautiful Crystalback dragons. He rubbed Malqo's head slowly. He looked over at the gathering of witches and wizards that had arrived a month or so earlier. Their team had been alone for quite some time before more people had showed up. He had preferred the quiet.

More people just meant that he needed to spend more time making sure no one did anything stupid around the dragons. There were a lot of people he didn't trust. He knew that the goblins did a thorough screening of all of their employees. That didn't mean he had to trust them. He wished Harry could come back. It was much harder for people to ignore him. The raven carried an aura around him that made people listen to him. It might be the Thu'um of course. He carried power in his voice.

Charlie lay back. Malqo walked up next to him and lay down. He had gathered a lot of information about the little dragons. They were special in so many ways. He knew that the reserve would like to have some, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to bring them there. In a way it was Harry's decision, and the dragons themselves. He wouldn't take the Crystalbacks anywhere – not without talking to Harry first.

His blue eyes moved over the cave. They had found another few entrances that Bill couldn't open. He figured they needed Harry's help to get into those rooms. There were several other Curse-Breakers in the new team that had scoffed at his brother as he had told them they would need professional help to get through the enchantments on the doors. They had tried basically everything in their arsenal before they had given up. Of course now they didn't think anyone could get in. Bill had complained, and Charlie hadn't been able to do anything. His brother didn't know that he couldn't get his boyfriend there because Harry was in school.

He turned his head as footsteps could be heard coming closer. "Hey Bill," he said.

"Voldemort is back," Bill said as he sat down next to his little brother.

Charlie nodded. He knew, Harry had sent him a letter mentioning the fact a couple of weeks earlier.

"You knew?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, Kato told me," Charlie said.

"And you didn't tell me," Bill said. "Why?"

Charlie shrugged. "We can't do anything from here," he said. "He didn't seem concerned so I didn't think much of it."

"He didn't… our family is in Britain Charlie. They could be in danger. You know that our Uncles died last time around," Bill said.

"And Kato told me that there have been no killings, no unexplained happenings… well except for the breakout from Azkaban that he was certain was Voldemort getting his loyal followers back. This dude Sturgis Podmore was probably killed by someone from Voldemort's camp as well," Charlie said. "The papers didn't cover it much."

"You are better informed than I am," Bill said.

"Kato isn't as worried about his mail getting intercepted as mom and dad are," Charlie said.

"And he's in Britain?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, he works for the goblins there," Charlie said. "I don't know what they have him doing."

Bill sighed. "I think of going home. Asking for a desk job… for a while at least. Settle down with Fleur you know. I want to help too," he said. "I don't want to leave mom and dad alone with Voldemort back. They need their family home."

"I don't know," Charlie said. "I'll have to talk to Kato. I might go back with you if we're aiming for the summer, but I don't know if I'll stick around. I guess if something actually happens I'll stay."

Bill shook his head. Charlie really was laid back even when a maniac was loose in Britain. He guessed nothing really got to his little brother. He would have to talk to Fleur as well of course. He had been in contact with her just as much as Charlie had been in contact with Kato. He guessed that was the next step now.

…

In Britain Minister Fudge was looking down at Dolores Umbridge latest report. It was time to strike. Dumbledore was missing from the school more than he was there. He needed to make sure to get the right message to the right people. Dumbledore was going for good.

* * *

 _25th of March, 1996. Monday_

Dolores was moving through the school happily. She had gotten a message from the Minister. Everything was in order. She would be Headmistress before the end of the day. Her steps were light. She wanted to see everyone's faces as they read that mornings paper. She walked into the Great Hall and settled down by the staff table. ' _Perfect,'_ she thought.

"Professor Umbridge looks a little too pleased with herself," Hermione pointed out from her seat next to Neville and opposite Harry.

"That doesn't bode well," Harry said. "She probably has something else up her sleeve."

"What else could she do?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "Oust the Headmaster," he said. Sometimes he wished he could just be wrong. As the Daily Prophet arrived the front cover article really placed the nail in the coffin for Dumbledore. Most of it was foolish ramblings made up to make the old wizard look bad, but there was truth in there. Together with the articles that had started appearing before the Yule holidays and the outcries from several parents, it would probably be enough to send Dumbledore away.

"They can't do this," Hermione whispered.

"I'm pretty sure they don't care," Neville said. He read through the article slowly. He was looking for things his Gran had taught him to look out for. The Longbottoms were one of the old families after all. There were certain things he had to know. He would be the Lord someday. "It looks like most of the information that they are using to get rid of Dumbledore came from the castle," he said after a while.

"So Umbridge gave the information?" Harry asked.

"It looks that way," Neville said.

The raven smirked. "Then we don't have anything to worry about," he said. He would have to meet up with Fred and George, but he knew that the two had considered leaving for a while now. They had a shop set up the goblins had made their sign. All they had to do was get there and start up. This would be the last strike. Harry had O. it as Quidditch Captain some time back. He supported them leaving and Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes were doing way better lately. The team would be alright.

"Do we want to know?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "Probably not," he said. He made his way through that day's lessons only to walk down to dinner as a number of Ministry officials walked in. He met Shacklebolt's eyes as the man passed him with the others. They walked straight into the Great Hall and did their very best to throw the Headmaster of the grounds.

Harry was standing in the door just looking at them. He could think of about ten ways they could have done what they were up to that would have been smoother. Then again the Minister was an idiot.

Fawkes flashed into the room and in a rain of fire Dumbledore was gone. At least he could do whatever now. The raven looked over at the Gryffindor table. He met two sets of blue eyes. A smirk spread over his face and then he was heading back out of the Hall. He knew it wouldn't be long before the other two joined him.

"So do we have a battle strategy Captain?" Fred asked quietly as he and George caught up with the raven. "Yeah, we have no real reason to stick around especially not now," George said. "I mean we were all for the brilliant goodbye on our birthday," "but now we would rather leave sooner." "And give the Toad Queen something to think of as we leave," George finished.

Harry nodded. "Can we set it all up tonight?" he asked.

The twins looked at each other. Then they nodded determined. "We can," they said in unison. Harry walked over to their tent and pulled out two trinkets he had made for the twins. He threw the necklaces over to them. "If you put those on you'll turn invisible and your movements will be muffled," he informed them. "The only one I can think of that would possibly detect you would be Snape. Don't place anything outside his classroom will you."

"Fine," "we'll behave," the twins said.

They all walked over to their table, and Harry pulled the Marauders map out. He placed his hands on it and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Black lines started weaving across the old parchment. "I want the ground floor," Harry said. "Most people pass through there and I have several interesting ideas. And I want the first floor since her classroom is there. You guys go wild with all the other floors." He moved away from the map. He already knew what to do. "We'll meet back here after we're done," he said before moving out into the corridor beyond the mirror.

He turned invisible as he moved. His first stop was Umbridge's office. He picked the lock and opened the door. He had learned how to seal illusions to objects; it was one of those offhand things he worked on whenever he got stuck while doing other things. He had never really needed it back in Skyrim, but it would come in handy now. He was going to make it look like the infernal kittens on her ornate plates would jump off the plates. In the beginning they would simply look like the cute little kittens they were, but Harry was going to slowly change that as the year progressed. They would grow bigger and then they would become monstrous. The idea was to drive Umbridge out of her own office. He had heard that she couldn't get into the Headmaster's office so she would have to stay in her rooms. He was trying, which was the really trick part, to make sure that the kittens only went wild when she was alone in the room. He had to combine dovahlu and illusion magic eventually. It was the only way to make it work.

At least Umbridge was still in the Great Hall gloating. He wouldn't have to worry about her. Outside her classroom door he stopped again. He placed another illusion. Illusions were good since they couldn't be destroyed. You couldn't do anything to them. He made the spell dormant for now. He didn't want anything to show too early. Oblivion was supposed to break out the next morning. It wouldn't do to jump the gun on this one. He moved on from the defence classroom to the history classroom. Nothing he did was supposed to be dangerous for the students. He chuckled as he moved away from the door. The history classroom would now transmit Binns voice out to the corridor and the walls would spew pages from various books.

He left the Hospital Wing alone. He had respect for Madam Pomfrey and did not wish to make her life any more difficult.

When he got to McGonagall's office he couldn't help himself though. He made two majestic lions flank her door. It wasn't his fault that they would act menacing towards Umbridge. They would be pretty nice to anyone else though – including Slytherins.

… A couple of floors up Fred and George were laying down a swamp. Peeves came flying by and they called him over. "We're leaving tomorrow. Could you give Umbridge hell once we're gone?" they asked.

Peeves smirked evilly. "Oh Peeves can do," he said.

"Go to Harry Potter if you need help with the Toad Queen," Fred said. "He's in charge of this once we're gone but don't let anyone know." They moved on so they could get a bubble corridor set up. They wanted another swamp and a corridor that messed with gravity. Hopefully they could get it all set up.

... Harry took a trip down by Severus office so he could give the man some serpents. He went for King Cobras. He went back up t the Entrance Hall so he could create an illusion of a big sleeping dragon. He made sure no one would see it. He wanted it to send Fred and George off the next day. He was emptying his gems putting up all the illusions he wanted. He walked into the Great Hall. ' _What should I do in here?'_ he thought. He wandered around in the empty hall. He wanted something that was Hogwarts so maybe he should make the different House animals. Maybe he should leave the Hall alone or… he smirked. The twins had made another new invention and maybe that one was the best for the Great Hall. It was a powder right now. He was going to make it into candy for them. So if he could make one or two random people use it every meal, that would create a demand. He would have to talk to the elves for that. He made his way down to the kitchen. After convincing the little creatures that the powder wasn't dangerous they were happy to add it to two random cups every morning.

The powder would somehow connect to personality and would make you sprout lion ears and a tail if you were brave, daring, courageous and chivalrous; while if you were intelligent, wise, creative and original then the powder would make you sprout wings and turn you hair into feathers. Similarly you would look serpent-like if you were cunning, ambitious, resourceful and self-preservative; while you'd get white and black hair and look badger-like if you were dedicated, patient, kind and tolerant. Harry wasn't sure how the twins had gotten it to work, but he knew it did work.

He headed back up to the Lab once he was done. The twins were there already. "Everything ready?" they asked.

Harry nodded. "Everything ready. Maybe we should head back to the tower. He elbowed Fred. "You should spend some time with Angie," he said.

Fred nodded. "Yeah sure," he said.

Harry followed the two redheads up to the tower. It would feel empty without them. He wouldn't have anyone at Hogwarts that knew about his trip to Skyrim after they left. He'd manage though. They entered the common room and the twins walked over to their classmates. They would have to say goodbye.

Harry headed up to his dorm and settled down in bed so he could go over the spells connected to the Dark Mark again. He had a couple of ideas in connection to the Mark. Most of those ideas involved using dragon magic since it was distinctly more powerful than the Parsel-magic that made up the Mark. He was pretty sure that whatever he did would forever stain the arm of the one he did it to though. He would have to speak to Lucius about that. Maybe he should set up a meeting some weekend soon. He thought that over while going through what needed to be done to block the harmful magic from the Mark without making it impossible for Lucuis to tell if he was being summoned.

He kept working on his calculations until late that night before finally going to bed somewhat satisfied with the conclusions he had come to.

* * *

 _26th of March, 1996. Tuesday_

Breakfast that morning was a calm and quiet affair…

That was until the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open and a whistling sound alerted everyone to the firework's piece that came flying in. It exploded right in front of Umbridge creating a huge pink toad. Fred and George came running into the Hall. They jumped up on the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables before sending out another bout of fireworks.

The students cheered.

Umbridge was turning red in the face in anger. She pulled out her wand and tried to stun one of the pieces. It exploded with an ear deafening boom.

Harry leaned over to Neville. "Try vanishing one," he whispered just loud enough for some of the other students around them to hear. Neville pulled his wand out and carefully pointed it at a firework's piece. He sent the spell off and it multiplied. Harry could see how students old enough to use the spell started doing the same all the way down the table. He poked Neville and pointed up to the head table. "I wonder what she is trying to say?" he said.

Neville snorted. He was so not interested in Headmaster Umbridge. He tried vanishing another firework's piece. A hidden smirk spread over his lips. Then the various animals and bolts of light all zoomed out of the Great Hall to spread around the castle. They would be near impossible to get rid off.

"You will learn what happens to troublemakers in my school!" Umbridge screeched.

"Oh, I'm sorry Your Majesty." "We thought you would enjoy the show," the twins said. "Now for the finally," "before we leave this wonderful school," "to try our luck in the big world," Fred finished. They jumped down from the tables, and Harry focused his magic. A majestic spectral griffin appeared between the twins. "Go Ven," they shouted. The griffin spread her wings before taking to the air. The twins summoned their brooms. "Bye-bye everyone have fun now," they called before sending of their last firework's piece. Three huge Ws appeared. As the twins flew out of the Great Hall the dragon in the Entrance Hall appeared.

Ven would move through the castle and activate Harry's illusions as she went. In the commotion no one had noticed that Cedric Diggory was looking an awful lot like a badger-furry and one of the Ravenclaws seemed to have sprouted wings.

McGonagall was obviously approving of the hard work the fireworks were forcing Umbridge to do. She even sent Lavender to fetch the Headmistress when one of the dragons flew into the classroom and interrupted the class. If was fun how all the Professors acted like they were incapable of dealing with the fireworks.

Not even Umbridge new Inquisition Squad could help the Headmistress. Slytherins joined but everyone was behaving – at least while they were around.

…

Later that evening the Heads of Houses gathered in Minerva's office. The lions outside had greeted every Professor as they arrived. "So, what should we do about this?" Pomona asked. "Nothing that is going on seems to be harming the students."

"While it might be better if we get rid of everything, I have found no way of ridding myself of the snakes outside my office," Severus said. "Whatever magic made them I'm unaware of how to deal with it."

"It has to be someone other than the twins," Flitwick said. "I recognise their work in the swamp and the gravity corridor as well as the bubble corridor, but the sleeping dragon in the Entrance Hall and our house animals outside our offices are made by someone else. I can't get a good reading on them. And removing them seems impossible so those we will have to live with."

"Did you hear that Dolores classroom is surrounded by toads?" Pomona said.

"Must have something to do with what the infernal Weasley twins said before they left," Severus said.

"Most likely," Minerva said. She looked from one Head to the next. "I say we stay out of cleaning this up unless it affects the students' ability to learn," she said. "It isn't our job."

The others agreed with her. They would interfere first when and if necessary to ensure that their students learned.

…While the Heads of Houses were gathered together in the Transfigure Professor's office, Harry was sitting with a group of Prefects gathered together by Hermione Granger. "O.K. so the powder that turned Cedric here into a half badger is a Weasley's Wizards Wheezes product. It isn't dangerous and come this summer anyone can buy it from their store in Diagon Alley. Nothing that's going on is dangerous. And I'm only the messenger," he said.

"So how does the powder work?" Ernie from Hufflepuff asked.

Harry hummed softly as he shifted before he explained what the powder did.

"How come you know so much about this?"

Harry didn't know who had asked, but he would answer. "They have bounced ideas of me for over a year now," he said. "This one was a modification of a prank that my father and his friends pulled while they went to Hogwarts. If anyone has heard of the Marauders that would be them." He tilted his head to the side. "They were a big influence on Fred and George and part of the reason they are now setting up shop in Diagon Alley." He rolled his eyes as more inane questions followed.

…

Umbridge was forced to run all over the school that week. She had no way of removing the swamp, avoided the gravity corridor like the plague and was getting more and more frustrated that there was nothing she could do. Her own office wasn't safe either. Though watching her little kittens walking around wasn't that bad. Maybe the one doing all this wasn't after her after all.

* * *

 _30th of March, 1996. Saturday_

That weekend Harry settled down and searched for soul pieces once more. He wasn't really surprised to find that one of them was inside Hogwarts. He rose from his bed where he had been lying meditating when he decided to take a look.

He showered and got dressed before he headed down to the common room and out through the portrait. He followed his blue streak past paintings and tapestries until it led him to a clean wall. He reached out and placed his hand against the wall slowly. He needed the place where the soul piece was hidden. He found the mechanism to open the door eventually. A smirk passed over his lips. It was so smart and yet so easy.

He moved away from the wall and start pacing. His eyes turned to the wall as a door appeared. Walking up to it he pulled the door open. ' _Wow,'_ he thought as he stepped into the room. Piles of things were strewn across the room. He couldn't even see the far wall. He walked in slowly happy that his clairvoyance spell worked perfectly well in there. He wouldn't have wanted to search through the room pile by pile. A lot of things in there were broken.

Harry rounded a pile and looked up to the ceiling. There was so much stuff in there. His first goal was the soul piece. He would have to check the place out properly after that. He followed his spell over to a box, kneeled down and opened it. A beautiful golden diadem with an oval sapphire placed in the front lay in the box. He picked his soul gem out from his bag and held the two items up. " _ **Rii vaaz sil,"**_ he said calmly. The soul gem glowed just a bit brighter as another piece joined the soul in there. He turned the diadem itself around a few times. There was an inscription on it reading: _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure._

Harry figured it belonged to the Ravenclaw House somehow. He packed it down with the locket he already had. ' _And now for the rest of the room,'_ he thought. He wandered towards the centre of the room and sat down slowly. Green eyes closed as he let his magic float out around him. He was looking for things that would actually mean something to him or to others near him. He went through his acquaintances slowly and one by one as he focused on the many items around him.

Slowly the raven stood up as he got a hit. He walked over to a pile of things and tilted his head to the side as he tried to locate exactly where the item he was looking for was. What he eventually pulled to himself was a stiletto. The dagger was made from some kind of dark metal with a crest centring the area where the hilt met the guard. Two dragons surrounding a silver M. The Malfoy Family crest. "Isn't that interesting," he muttered. He wondered how long that had been lost in the rubble. Unlike a bunch of rusted swords that he had passed earlier this dagger was in perfect condition. He placed it down in his bag carefully. He guessed that Lucius would like having it back.

He walked back to the centre of the room and sat down again. He didn't find any other items that were truly interesting. He did find a number of books once he started walking around. Most of them were probably considered Dark. He took the ones that had aged alright with him. He wasn't afraid of the so called 'darker' branches of magic. He couldn't perform any of it so no one else needed to be afraid of him either. Not that they would listen on that ear.

…

While he had considered not signing up to stay for Easter Holidays the following week, he couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to leave so he opted to stay in the end. Most people stayed over the Easter Holidays. He gathered the Quidditch teams up for training several days during the holidays. One of those days Ginny brought Easter Eggs her mother had sent. Harry gave her a hug and she blushed. It didn't go unnoticed by Tanya. She wasn't sure she liked that. She knew Harry would probably never be interested in her, but she felt like he wouldn't work with Ginny.

Harry did walk off the grounds one day. He gutboed to Malfoy Manor and saluted to the gate. He was glad Lucius had taught him how to get in without talking to the gate master. He made sure his hair and eyes were the right colours before he entered the manor house. A house-elf greeted him at the door and showed him up to Lucius office. He shook the blonde's hand before sitting down. "It has been a while," Lucius said. "How have you been doing?"

"Well enough," Harry answered. "I got another high maintenance project on my hands recently and have done my best to make sure that they don't clash with each other. How about yourself sir?"

Lucius shook his head. "The Minister was gloating over the fact that he has managed to send Dumbledore away from Hogwarts, but now the complaints are raining in from every direction," he said. "I happen to be the one he complains to."

"Harry has been telling me that the Headmistress seems to be getting more and more paranoid as time goes on," Harry said. "Maybe the best rout for now is to push the blame on her and just let Dumbledore back in." He tilted his head to the side. "Have you considered what we spoke about last I was here?" he asked.

Lucius nodded slowly. "I have and it… it does hold some merit," he said. "For it to work the children would have to be contacted earlier than they are now."

"There has to be a way to modify whatever method they use at Hogwarts to know that there are witches and wizards born to non-magicals out there," Harry said.

"Oh, most definitely," Lucius said. He rose from his chair behind the desk and stood up. He walked over to a window facing the northern gardens. "Did you find a way to deal with the mark?" he asked.

"Yes," Harry said. "It will leave marks though unless you can somehow get a hold of invisible ink. I will have to write certain words in _**dovahzul**_ onto your arm and infuse them with power. It is the only way to get around the fact that the Dark Lord used Parsel-magic to create the Mark in the first place."

"But you can do it?" Lucius said as he turned to face Kato.

"Yes," Harry answered.

Lucius walked back over to his desk and pulled a drawer out. He picked an inkwell up and placed it down on the desk. "Will you do it now?" he asked.

Harry nodded slowly. He stood up and walked over to the Head of the Malfoy Family. He leaned against the desk as he opened the inkwell. Lucius handed him an eagle feathered quill and he dipped it in the ink. The gathering of words he had to use to create the seal was complicated and had to be done just right. He would have to be very careful to infuse the words with power in exactly the right order. He finished writing the first layer and started speaking the words. Power swirled out from him and connected with the ink.

Lucius did his best not to show his discomfort. He would not show weakness. The quill started moving over his arm again as Kato stopped speaking another few strokes were added before more power crept down into his skin. He breathed out unevenly as Kato let go of his arm. "You should feel a difference next time he calls you," the brunet said calmly. "They usual burn should feel more like heat. You will still notice it clearly, but it shouldn't hurt."

Lucius ran a finger down his arms slowly. Nothing felt different.

"It should disappear when the Mark does since the magic is connected to the Mark," Harry said. He opened his bag up and moved through the different pouches he had in there. The black bladed stiletto he had found was pulled out eventually. "I happened to come across this," he said as he placed it down on the desk in front of Lucius, "and I recognised the coat of arms on it."

Lucius reached out and lifted the stiletto up. He studied it for a long while before standing up from his desk so he could walk over to a small bookcase. He moved pale fingers over the backs of a set of books that seemed to be older the further left he got. He pulled a book out and walked back to the desk.

The dagger had been lost to his family in the seventeen hundreds. The second son of Septimus Malfoy had foolishly stolen the family heirloom and lost it somewhere. It was a dagger meant to be carried by either the Lord or the Heir of their family. That Kato could have simply found it was incredible.

He placed the book down and took his seat once more. "You have a knack for finding things it would seem," he said.

Harry bowed his head. "I'm merely aiding my allies. That is all, sir," he said.

"How fortunate for me," Lucius said. He was starting to wonder about the brunet's motives. Kato hadn't showed that he wanted all that much. A better future for all Witches and Wizards but nothing for himself. It wasn't something he was used to. Kato was also very good at playing his cards extremely close to his chest. He knew there was something he was missing time and time again, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He would figure it out eventually.

* * *

 _8th of April, 1996. Monday_

The following Monday all Gryffindor fifth years started heading down to their Head of House for career advice. Hermione had like always gathered all the information she could and then subsequently decided to try to take every subject that could possibly help her obtain a career. Harry's advice session happened to fall on his Defence lesson that very day. He headed over to Professor McGonagall's office after Divination and knocked on the door while smiling at the lions.

"Come in Mr Potter," McGonagall said as she opened the door.

Harry walked into her office. He liked it in there. It was nice. He sat down in the chair opposite his Professor.

"Well Potter, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into the sixth and seventh years," McGonagall said. "Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"

Harry smiled softly. ' _I already have a career thank you very much for wanting to help me, but I'll be fine Professor. I work with Gringotts and have made a sizable amount of money this year alone. When Fred and George start selling our products I'll make even more,'_ he thought, but he couldn't say that. "I'm not really sure Professor," he said. "Nothing in the pamphlets really spoke to me. Fred and George has offered me a position with them if everything goes well for them so maybe I'll look into that. I know I don't want to work with the Ministry."

"Your grades have improved a lot the past year Potter," McGonagall said. "At this point you could look into a great deal of different careers."

"Thank you Professor, but I already know which subjects I wish to continue next year," Harry said. "I have thought it over. I may not know what to do after Hogwarts, but I know what I want to do while I'm here."

"Well," McGonagall said. "In that case I guess there isn't much I can do."

Harry stood up. "Thank you for your time Professor," he said. "I will see you tomorrow in transfiguration. Have a good day." He knew that he had confused McGonagall. It was nothing like what he would do come his sixth year. His schedule would be very interesting.

He walked through the sea of toads outside Umbridge classroom and entered the room. He walked in and picked a book from her bookcase before he sat down and started reading.


	73. Ordinary Wizarding Level - End 5

**Ordinary Wizarding Level**

To the surprise of no one, Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup that year. The last Snitch of the year had been caught by Harry somersaulting off his broom. Hermione had given him an earful for it afterwards. He didn't care. The looks on Angelina and Alicia's faces were priceless. It was their last school match and just like before Oliver had left it was great to send them off by wining the Cup.

…

As June came upon them almost all fifth-yearers were sent into a frantic revision frenzy. Harry leaned back and watched as it happened. He had learned his studying methods over several years both before and in the College of Winterhold and knew that frantically trying to study now wouldn't make him any better at the subjects. Hermione had taken to muttering to herself as she sat leaned over the various tomes they used, and Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff, who was working with Harry and Neville in Herbolegy one day, started asking them how much time they placed on revision every day.

When Harry had shrugged and calmly said that revision seemed like a waste of time, the blond boy had almost fainted.

Draco on the other hand was playing his famous 'father this' card. He sent Hermione into a panic wondering if how well you did on the test didn't matter if you didn't know the right people. It had almost made Harry laugh. He knew for a fact that Lucius was expecting his son to do well on his own merits just like any Malfoy before him. The man had told Kato as much last time he'd been over for tea. He looked at his classmates in amusement as the Black-Market for brain stimulants bloomed up knowing that he actually had something that would work right in his bag. He had figured out that the diadem that had housed a piece of Voldemort's soul was in fact enchanted with some form of wit sharpening spells. Hermione spent quite a lot of time confiscating different concoctions that mostly turned out to be fake.

Neville on the other hand employed Harry to help him work things over. At least he was calmer in his approach. Much like Harry he figured that if he didn't already know it then if would help to go over it again this close to the tests.

Harry wasn't the least bit worried about his written exams. He was, however, a bit anxious when it came to his practicals in some subjects. His teachers hadn't noticed that he was cheating, but that didn't mean that the testers wouldn't.

* * *

 _10th of June, 1996. Monday_

Monday was their first exam. They would sit their written exam in Charms first. Harry walked in to the Great Hall with the rest of his class and sat down. He lifted the quill they had handed him and looked up at Professor McGonagall. She gave them the signal to start and he turned his test around. He scanned the page and went over the different answers before he started writing. Most of the questions were simple and to the point. They demanded that he knew the spells that they had learned the past five years.

There were, however, questions that demanded that he could explain what could go wrong with the spell as well. He worked over his answers again an hour and a half later before placing his papers down. He leaned back until a witch came walking up to him. "Is there something wrong?" she asked kindly.

Harry shook his head. "I'm simply finished ma'am," he said.

"You can leave the hall or take out a book to read as long as you are silent," the witch said.

Harry nodded. She took his test papers, and he removed a notebook from his bag. For the half hour remaining he worked over what needed to be done to help Alice. He had started moving memories surrounding Neville together in a string so she would be able to connect that he was her son. He headed out of the Hall once the time was up. Hermione looked nervous. "Don't worry about it," he said before she could say anything. "You cannot change anything now just move on to the next part."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but then she must have thought better of it.

Harry headed outside until it was time to do the practical exam. He called for Winky to get something to eat. The school was way too tense. It was creeping in on him, and he didn't like it.

The practical test was taken a few students at a time. They were called into the great Hall in alphabetical order. Hermione left first and then Neville. Harry looked over at Ron. He guessed he felt a little sorry for they guy. He had to wait until last. He heard his own name being called, and little Professor Flitwick sent him off to a Professor Tofty.

Harry took a calming breath. This was the real test. If he could do it once without being called out, then he should be fine.

"Potter, is it?" Professor Tofty asked as he consulted his notes while peering over his pince-nez. "The famous Potter?"

"That would unfortunately be me, yes, sir," Harry said.

"Ah, that's good you can joke. Not so tense then," Professor Tofty said. "Now if I could ask you to take this eggcup and make it do some cartwheels for me."

Harry pointed his fake wand at the eggcup. He focused his magic and made it look like the cup moved over the desk. As far as he could tell, it had worked. Next up was levitating an object and he had no problems there. It didn't solely rely on illusions since he could use his telekinesis ability to move the weight.

He made it seem like the rat he was given afterwards turned orange and Professor Tofty seemed happy with the result. He attached the illusion to the rat and hoped that they wouldn't need to use it again.

He headed outside afterwards and found Cedric Diggory sitting by the lake. "What are you going to do after all this?" he asked as he sat down.

The brunet looked up at him. "I don't know," he said. "Dad wants me to work for the Ministry, but I don't know if I would enjoy that. I would like to travel I think. I don't have the merits for most things like that though."

"Sometimes merits isn't all," Harry said.

"Yeah, I guess," Cedric said. He looked out over the lake. "I do want to travel… Maybe not right away. I don't really know what would happen between me and Cho if I leave."

"If that isn't meant to be it won't hold, if it doesn't hold it wasn't meant to be, and you might as well move on. I can have a talk with cousin Kato and see if there is anything he can do if you really want to travel," Harry said. "He's doing a bunch of different things and could maybe point you in the right direction at the very least."

Cedric nodded slowly. "That would be really nice," he said. They sat there quiet for a while before Cedric said, "Thanks for not bringing up the tests."

Harry shrugged. "You're welcome," he said. "I don't see why people are so nervous about it."

Cedric chuckled. "You really have grown a lot from the scared fourth-yearer that walked in to the Chamber," he said.

"Yeah, well there was the tournament, and then I took some liberties the summer after," Harry said. "That's when I met Kato." He smiled. He had created Kato before then of course but Cedric didn't need to know that. He stayed there talking to the brunet until it was time for dinner.

That evening Hermione managed to rope him into a rehearsal session that he only listened to with half an ear. He was not looking forward to the Transfiguration practical.

…

 _11th of June, 1996. Tuesday_

The next day went much like the previous. Calm and collected Harry walked in for the exam and wrote it. He was done a quarter-of-an-hour before time was out. Some of the questions had needed a bit more information than the day before.

For the practical he was blessed as they asked him to make a double of a small ornate box before he needed to vanish an iguana. No complicated Transfiguration spells that he couldn't really do.

Wednesday was much the same. Once again Harry was done long before he needed and Neville and he sat meeting each other's gazes while doing ridiculous faces for the remainder of the time. They were laughing like crazy as they left the hall.

In the practical they had to replant a Chinese Chomping Cabbage and successfully clean up the pot of a Fanged Geranium. Spending time with Neville in the NEWT level greenhouses paid of for Harry. It was easy to handle the plants. It also helped that he could calm the sentient plants like he could do with any other living being.

The next day it was time for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Knowing that the testers didn't seem capable of telling that he was using illusions (which wasn't that surprising since he could fool even Moody's magical eye), it wasn't that difficult to do the practical. The written test had flown by so he wasn't the least bit worried about that. It wasn't until Professor Tofty asked him to perform a patronus charm that he got nervous. He knew for a fact that he couldn't create a real one.

Harry placed his hands together before he summoned Ven as he cast an illusion he made it appear as if the griffin was a stag and then he sent out a calming cloud from her.

"Excellent!" Professor Tofty said "Very well Potter you may go."

Harry walked out of the Hall and headed outside so he could collapse. He had made it but damn that hadn't been easy. He had to do it all on the fly. He had never had to do it like that before. It was a good thing that he could though. It was also good that he knew just how much that exhausted him.

Friday was Ancient Runes and Hermione stared at Harry as he joined her. He had asked for her books on the subject the year before. He hadn't been lazy with it even if he hadn't put as much of an effort into it as some other things. It was interesting after all.

After the test they joined up with Neville. Hermione was irritated because she had mistranslated something. Harry and Neville couldn't understand her. She was worried she would fail because of one miss when she probably aced everything else.

…

 _15th of June, 1996. Saturday_

Harry had left the castle early that morning so he could escape Hermione. He was not going to spend the weekend listening to her. He felt bad for leaving Neville, but he knew that the brunet was resourceful enough to get away from their studious friend on his own. He travelled out to the forest. He was wearing his bag like always. He wandered around until he ended up face to face with a spear point. He slapped it to the side before summoning an ice spear.

"You are not welcome in out forest human," the centaur said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "This is a forest connected to the Hogwarts grounds. You live here, but the forest doesn't care about your claim," he said. "I will fight you if I must, but I'd rather not." He watched as another centaur came walking out of the forest into the glade he was standing in.

"This is our forest human. Get out or die!" he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Your threats don't concern me," he said. "Threaten all you want. I am a warrior, and I know how to fight. You don't scare me." He backed away from them and opened his bag so he could pull his sword out. He narrowed his eyes before he pulled the bag off and placed it down on the ground. A spear headed his way, and he moved to the side. It flew past him. He sighed, and then he was moving forward. He slashed at the centaurs legs. He narrowed his eyes at the fallen half-men half-horses.

They were lying on the grassy forest floor. Blood pored out around them. Harry walked up next to them. He lifted a hand and a golden glow spread from his fingers it wrapped around their wounds and healed them. "Don't attack me again," he said. He started walking back out of the forest, picking his bag up as he went. At least he had taken a run through the forest before the centaurs had gotten all up in his business. He put his sword away and headed towards the lake. It was probably nearing midday by then. He called Winky as he reached the lake so he could eat before he went swimming. It was a beautiful June day. The sun was shining brightly and the water was actually quite nice. Just like the year before Harry didn't care what people thought. It didn't matter that he didn't have his friends around.

A few days earlier he had received a letter from Fleur. She had asked him if she could stay at his place while in Britain. Apparently Bill was coming home and he had asked her if she would come over too. Harry had happily invited the both of them. He would help her over the coming weekend, and then he would add her to the wards so she could move as she wished. Not long after that letter Moody had written to him. It wasn't much of a message really all it had said was: _Bill, Yes or No_. He was pretty sure he knew what the man meant so he had answered yes. Hopefully he was on the same page as Moody.

* * *

 _17th of June, 1996. Monday_

The second week of exams started with Potions. Harry followed the pattern he had set up the previous week. If his written work wasn't up to par he had no clue what they wanted from him.

They had to brew the Draught of Peace for the practical exam. Harry lined his ingredients up and then he prepared them much like he would do in regular class. Behind him Neville was doing the very same. The brunet had much the same opinion on potions that Harry did. He wasn't interested in continuing, but he would get a decent OWL. He was actually more interested in the strange kind of Alchemy that Harry had been hinting at lately. It was something his friend's cousin had talked about apparently.

Harry added the last ingredient and then he stirred slowly before he let it sit. As Professor Marchbanks said, "Step away from your cauldrons, please, the examination is over!", Harry bottled a sample for them. He felt pretty good about the potion. It might not be perfect, but Ra'shall would have been happy enough with him.

Tuesday was Care of Magical Creatures. The written exam was before lunch and was handled easy enough. He had even snuck in on the Muggle Studies exam right after. He had grown up in that world. Even if he had been away for a while, he figured he might as well get the grade. He would have suggested the same to Hermione if she wasn't so panicked already. As a matter of fact all the students born to non-magical parent and most of the so called half-bloods could probably clear that exam without taking the classes. He had red up on a lot during the summer and winter holidays though.

The practical in Care of Magical Creatures was outside in the afternoon. Harry chuckled as he found his knarl among a bunch of hedgehogs. They were cute little creatures, but they really didn't trust people. He went from the little quilled animals over to a table with several bowtruckles. He was handed a fire crab in a cage that he was supposed to clean out once he was done with the bowtruckle. He calmed the animal was he cleaned the cage out and then he placed the food down in the cage before releasing the spell. He could only hope that they wouldn't pick up on it. He was trying his best to use mind-magic so they wouldn't. Then he picked out what food should be given to an injured unicorn before he was told he could leave. It had been far more interesting than the one in Muggle Studies earlier in the day. He had needed to show that he knew how to handle certain appliances. Without electricity it hadn't been all that impressive.

Hermione was getting more and more frantic as they got further into the week. She was really worried about her Arithmancy test. At least it would be over the next day.

Wednesday was both Astronomy and Divination (and Arithmancy for Hermione). The written in Astronomy went well enough just like the written in Divination. Now Harry didn't care much for the subject but he wasn't going to do poorly just because of that. He had self-studied even Divination just so he could get a passing damn grade.

The practical in Divination went well enough as far as tea-leaves and palm-reading went. He couldn't see anything in the crystal ball and hadn't expected to either. He did everything that was just suspicious nonsense correctly though.

One really good thing that came from that day was that Hermione calmed down significantly. She was even pretty quiet as she went over her star chart. Harry had gotten time over and had started drawing on a copy of Skyrim's night sky. He wondered if he could attach an illusion of that to the library in his house. He would really like that. He would have to figure out how to make a set illusion more permanent first though.

That night they all headed up to the Astronomy tower for their practical exam. Harry tilted his telescope up and peered through it so he could add stars to his chart. He didn't really understand why Astronomy mattered so much. The stars were out there. On Nirn at least the different signs actually played in on people's abilities. His thoughts on the subject didn't stop him from completing the exam however. He and Neville headed straight to bed afterwards. They still had History of Magic the next day. It would probably be rather lengthy.

As it turned out the exam wouldn't be held until Thursday afternoon. Harry spent the morning zooming around on his broom. Tanya joined him during her free period, and they played around for a bit. She needed to be ready to take over the year after next. She was a good Seeker; she would manage just fine. He flew circles around her happily until she had to return to the castle to attend Potions.

Harry flew over to the lake and landed.

"Hello Harry."

The raven turned around only to stand face to face with Blaise Zabini. "Hey Blaise," he said. He had done his best to avoid the teen that year. He knew what the boy's intentions were and he wasn't interested.

"You have been avoiding me," Blaise said. "How come, hmm?"

Harry rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to grace that with an answer. He felt Blaise take his hand, and he reacted without thinking. The dark-skinned boy went head first into the lake with a splash. Harry snorted as he watched the boy struggle to get back up to the surface. Once he was up, however, the raven left. He wasn't going to stick around.

Lunch rolled around and then it wasn't much longer before they sat down for their last exam. Harry settled down with everyone else. He had gone through his notes beforehand just to get his mind in the right place. He looked down at the back of his exam papers. A deep breath and then he turned the papers as they were giving the clear sign. He started reading the questions like always. He took it one page at a time. His hand started cramping halfway though and he relaxed his fingers before switching hand. It wasn't something he did often, but he had learned to use his left hand as well as his right while fighting and he had realised that he could use that while writing as well. The Wand legislations and the Goblin Wars were just two of the subjects they needed to know about for the exam. He was doing his best to keep away from inside information on the Goblin Wars since that would come across as strange.

When he finally finished writing there was another ten minutes before the time was up. He went through every question thoroughly before placing the papers down as they were told to stop. He had done a decent job.

…

 _21st of June, 1996. Friday_

It was late and the examiners had gathered in the Staffroom together with the Heads of Houses. They would be leaving the following morning and just wanted to take some time to reminisce.

"Headmistress Umbridge doesn't seem to be doing so good," Griselda Marchbanks said.

"No, she has had some difficulties getting used to the position," Minerva said. She didn't mention the illusions that had disappeared the weekend before the examiners had arrived. She wasn't sure why that had happened nor did she know that Umbride personal illusions had gone nowhere.

"I would say that it seems to be more than a problem with getting used to the position," Tofty said. He lifted his cup of steaming hot tea to his lips. He took a sip.

Minerva didn't say anything. She would let them form their own opinion. She would prefer to have Dumbledore back.

* * *

 _22nd of June, 1996. Saturday_

The following day Harry was once again heading out early. He was leaving the school grounds completely this time around though. He walked into Gringotts glad that he wasn't there to secure a vault this time around. Some people were just so stupid it hurt. A bright smile spread over his lips as he saw her. Long silver-blonde hair and dressed in a nice blue summer dress. It was great to see Fleur again. Letters were nice, but it wasn't as good as actually meeting her face to face. She turned around a smiled back at him. "Kato dear it 'as been so long," she said as he walked up to her. He enveloped her in a hug. "Way too long _**lokzii**_ ," he said. "There isn't much we can do about that though." He moved away from the hug but didn't let go of her.

Fleur reached up and moved a strand of brown hair out of Harry's face. "So you will show me to your 'ome, non," she said.

"Yes," Harry said. "I called Winky home last week and she has handed me a list of things we need so I thought we'd go through that first. I can call her to take your bags if you want to. You'll have to pick things out for the room you and Bill will be staying in."

"It would be nice to be rid of ze bags oui," Fleur said. "We can do some shopping before we go 'ome."

Harry chuckled and called Winky. The little elf seemed happy to see Fleur again. She grabbed the blonde's luggage before popping away again. He offered Fleur his arm and they left the bank. The two of them wandered around for several hours buying things that were mostly sent straight on to the house so they wouldn't have to carry it around. Harry knew they would probably need to go out again, but he wanted Charlie with him next time.

Around noon Harry led Fleur over to a shop that was covered with a heavy drape. He led her inside as he pulled a box out of his bag. "Gred! Forge!" he called as he sent a ball of light to the ceiling. A smirk spread over his lips as he saw the colourful shelves. The twins were doing pretty well filling up on inventions. He placed the box down on the counter and enlargened it. It was a shipment of Hogwarts Lollipops.

"Hey Kato! What are you doing here?"

Harry looked up to a small landing at the top of a set of stairs. Fred was standing up there.

"Well you know there was a shipment, and I thought I'd come by to see how you are doing," Harry said.

Fred made his way down the stairs and walked up to the 'brunet' so he could hug him. "Well as you can see were getting there," he said. "We have a few more products that we want up and then we're ready to go. You'll be able to keep up with demand right."

"Oh, I'll have plenty of time this summer," Harry said. "And you know Winky she'll get involved whether I want her to or not."

Fred laughed then he held his hand out to Fleur. "A pleasure to meet you again Miss Delacour," he said.

"Pleasure is all mine Monsieur," Fleur said. "I'll 'ave to tell Bill to stop worrying about 'is brothers you seem to be doing very well for yourselves 'ere."

"Oh, we'll see," Fred said. "We haven't opened yet. The whole thing could go down the drain still."

"Awful attitude brother what did Harry say about that when he gave us the money to start," George said as he came walking out of a back room. He looked up from the box in his arms to his brother. He almost dropped the box when he saw the blonde and brunet standing with Fred. "Kato," he said happily, "and Mademoiselle Delacour. I didn't know we would have such important guests on this fine day."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I just came by to drop the lollipops off and see how things were going," he said. "Fleur and I are expected back in Ennerdale Estate soon. Winky will flay me if I leave lunch waiting."

"You better come back again soon," George said.

"Will do," Harry said. He led Fleur back out and tilted his head to the side. He had never taken someone else with him before. He would manage though. He focused and then he said, " _ **Gut wundun staad bo."**_ They landed in front of his house.

"My zis is beautiful," Fleur said as she looked up at the house.

Harry smiled. "Thank you," he said. He showed her inside. Just like in Lakeview Manor the dinning hall was straight after the entrance room with the kitchen on the left. On the right there were two doors that opened to corridors with several guest rooms. A staircase took you up to the living room. Past the dinning room there was a study area where Harry's stationary Arcane Enchanter would stand eventually. And beyond that was the door to the library. The master bedroom was on the second floor together with four more rooms.

They settled down to eat and then Fleur took to wander around the house. Harry connected to his wards and added her. He wanted to give her free reign. "I have to return to school," he said. "But you pick a room to your liking either down in the guest corridor or upstairs."

Fleur nodded. "I will," she said. "Bill will be arriving wiz you, non?" she asked.

"If I understood Moody correctly then yes. Otherwise we'll have to go pick him up at a later date," Harry said. He hugged her again before he headed out of the house.

…

The last week of school was uneventful at best. The fifth and seventh-yearers calmed down after the exams, and everyone got really lazy. The Quidditch teams gather together the evening before they were headed back and took farewell of Angelina and Alicia.

Harry headed down to the train with Neville and Hermione. It would be nice to be back out of school. He wondered if he couldn't squeeze a bit of adventuring in that summer as well. He had other things he had to do, but he wanted to get a chance at something fun. He'd have to talk to the goblins about it. He listened to Neville and Hermione's plans for the summer as hills turned into fields outside their window. ' _One more year,'_ he thought.

 **~End of Book 5**


	74. Panicked Poultry - Book 6

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks. I'm simply an author who loves playing around in fictional worlds. I do not make money from this nor do I want to. I write these stories for myself and for others to brighten their day.

Warnings: Male/male relationship with sex. Male/female relationship non-explicit. Killing, gore, and some torture.

* * *

 **Book 6**

 **Panicked Poultry**

 _29th of June, 1996. Saturday_

Harry looked out over the fields passing by. He was on his way home from Hogwarts. Next to him sat Neville. The teen would get quite the surprise when he got home. Facing him sat Hermione. She was going abroad with her parents again. They seemed to enjoy travelling.

Harry wasn't leaving Britain, at least not for a while. He might come up with some reason to leave later on. He liked travelling so he would try for that. He also needed to have a talk with Cedric.

The train started slowing down.

Harry grabbed his bag and stood up as the train pulled in to the platform. He helped Neville and Hermione get their trunks down from the overhead rack before they headed out of the train. He said goodbye to his friends before he headed over to Moody and his companion.

"Let's get going lad," Moody said as he reached the man.

Harry nodded. He took Moody's hand and then he reached out to grab the other guy. He whispered, " _ **Gut wundun staad bo."**_ He pulled the two men with him to Ennerdale Estate. "Why don't you take a look around Moody," he said.

"Where are we?" the other guy asked.

"This is Ennerdale Estate," Harry said. "Welcome Bill. I'm sure Fleur is waiting for you inside."

"Wh…What?" Bill stutered.

Harry turned to face the man. "I know you are William Weasley. Fleur arrived last Saturday. This is my home," he said. He smirked as he reached up and pulled his glamour necklace off. He chuckled at the redhead's expression.

"You are Harry Potter, but…" Bill didn't know what to think. Then the man's hair turned brown and his eyes turned amber. "Maybe you'll recognize me better like this," he said. Bill closed his eye. Now he really didn't know what to think. Harry Potter, Ron's classmate was Kato Peverell, Charlie's boyfriend.

"Why don't you come inside and I'll explain this?" Harry said. He grabbed Bill's hand and pulled the shocked redhead over to the front door of his house. "Fleur, we're home," he called as he walked inside. He pushed Bill down by the dinner table before he poked his head into the kitchen. "Hey Winky," he said.

"Master is home. That is good," Winky said. "Miss Flower and Winky has been decorating."

"That's great Winky," Harry said. He turned and Fleur had pulled the strange hood off Bill's head. She had bent down and was kissing him. Harry walked up to the table and sat down.

Fleur straightened up. She turned and smiled at the raven (he had changed back to his original colours as he entered the house). "'Ello 'Arry it's nice to 'ave you back 'ome," she said.

"I think we need to assure your boyfriend that his eyes are seeing the truth, and that I am Harry Potter," Harry said.

Fleur smiled. She sat down next to Bill. "Kato is an alias zat 'Arry uses to stay under ze Ministry's radar. Before the First task of the Triwizard Tournament 'Arry was sent to anozer realm by one of ze dragons," she said.

Bill looked at her confused.

"I'll show him Fleur don't worry," Harry said. He reached out and took the redhead's hand. Fleur placed her hands on top of theirs. "Let me take you to another world," Harry said. "Just close your eyes and follow me."

… Moody entered the house after a thorough search of the grounds. He had checked the wards and come to the conclusion that they were some of the best he had ever seen. Harry was sitting with Bill and Fleur Delacour by a heavy dark-pine table. Their eyes were closed as he was let into the dinning room by Winky. He nodded approvingly. Elves were far more reliable than most wizards and witches would ever understand.

He sat down by the table and watched the young ones.

Bill's eyes opened first. He blinked a few times before he looked over at the ex-Auror. "You know about this?" he asked.

Moody nodded slowly. "I do," he answered. "Harry told me about it back when I was teaching at Hogwarts." He leaned back in his chair. "I'm glad he chose to tell me. He doesn't trust many with the true story. Your family is an exception. As I understand it Charlie, Fred and George all know."

"That would be correct," Harry said.

"So Charlie knows," Bill said.

"Yes, I wouldn't have entered into a relationship with him locked in a lie. Kato is just a necessity for now. He was well aware before we started anything," Harry said. "He's coming here after he's quit his job at the reserve. He said he didn't want to continue working for them. As I understood it, the goblins offered him a job he was more interested in, and it would allow him to spend more time with me I guess."

"He left to go back there like two weeks ago," Bill said. "I didn't know he was going to quit."

"Maybe something happened when he got back," Harry said with a shrug. "He'll let us know when he gets here. He has a port-key." He smiled at Winky as she floated several dishes filled with food into the dining room. "Thank you dear," he said.

"Master make sure he eats properly now," Winky said.

"I will Winky," Harry said. Plates, glasses and silverware appeared on the table. "Please go ahead fill your plates," the raven said. He turned to Moody. "That goes for you as well Moody. Winky would be very disappointed if you didn't join in," he said.

Moody nodded slowly. He stood up from the chair at the head of the table and limped over to sit down next to the raven. Harry had moved as well so they were sitting in a quadrant.

…

After dinner Moody left to go home. He was certain that Harry would do just fine.

Harry moved up to the living room and settled down in a couch with his summer homework. He had some of it done already, but there was still a bunch of things he needed to do.

Fleur and Bill had retreated to their room.

"I still don't know how to wrap my head around all of this," Bill said.

"'Arry, Kato it's just names love," Fleur said.

"I know, but he was born the same year as my youngest little brother," Bill said.

"'E's aged five years since zen just stop worrying about it. Everyzing will work out just fine. Let Charlie worry about what 'is age is," Fleur said.

Bill chuckled as he walked up to her. "I guess you're right," he said. He enveloped her in a hug before he bent down to kiss her.

…

The following couple of days Harry spent mostly finishing his summer homework up and decorating the house. There were more things that needed to be bought and he sent a letter to Suzanne Veilleux concerning his orders of soap and candles. He now knew approximately how much he would needed over the course of a year. At Ennerdale Estate life was moving slowly. No one there was really all that bothered by what was going on out in the rest of the world.

* * *

 _4th of July, 1996. Thursday_

The front door was thrown open and hysterical laughter floated up to the living room. Harry raised an eyebrow as green eyes met two sets of blue eyes. Fleur stood up slowly, wondering what was going on with her boyfriend. It didn't take Bill long to make it upstairs. He was doing his best to pull himself together.

"What happened?" Harry asked. The older redhead had left for an Order of the Phoenix meeting a few hours earlier. It would stand to reason that he was coming from there.

Bill took a deep breath. "He's safe," he said in a flat tone and then he fell together laughing. He managed to make it over the sofa Fleur was sitting in and collapsed there. "Oh… Merlin you…you should have been there," he managed to get out.

Harry looked to his left. "Does this happen often?" he asked.

"Not as far as I know…"

Bill looked up. "Charlie!" he exclaimed happily. "Oh, you really missed this one. You should have been there. Everyone was freaking out and Moody… Alastor Moody, the Auror, he was just like: 'He's safe,' no matter what," he said before he started laughing again.

Harry sighed. He stood up and moved away from his boyfriend. A soft jade glow appeared around his left hand as he reached out to place it on Bill's shoulder. The calming spell took effect almost immediately.

As Bill's breathing evened out and he seemed to calm down. Harry let go of him. He could have just sent the spell at him, but he preferred to touch when he was calibrating a spell. He didn't need Bill to end up with no cares in the world right then. "Why don't we try that again Bill?" he said.

The redhead looked up at him and blinked. "What did you just do?" he asked.

"I calmed you," Harry said. "It won't harm you just let you gather your thoughts." He moved one of the chairs of a table over so he could sit down right in front of Bill. "Now something seems to have happened at today's meeting. I know you can't tell me what is going on. There is some kind of oath you have to take that won't let you talk about it. If you will allow me to, I would like to see if I can access today's meeting in your mind. I want to know if I can get past the thing blocking you from telling us."

Bill looked into the raven's eyes for a long while. "I have training against mind intrusions. The goblins demand it from their employees," he said.

Harry waved the information to the side. "Your shields won't hold me out," he said. "I'm a Master of the Mind. Even being a Master in both Occlumency and Legimency doesn't compare. What I can do is on a completely different track." He leaned back. "I won't do anything without your permission though. I don't like entering other's heads," he said.

"You just want to access earlier today?" Bill asked.

"Yes, and I'll bring all of you along for the ride," Harry said as he looked to the other two. "You'll be able to tell me if you don't want me to go somewhere. I can even make sure that they won't see anything but specifically what we're looking for."

"No," Bill said. "It's fine. You guys really should see this and I'm willing to try. I don't know what good it would ever do but…" he shrugged.

"I do, but we can talk about that after this," Harry said. He held his hands out to Bill as Charlie sat down next to him. The oranget reached out and placed a hand on his wrist as Bill placed his hands in his. Fleur reached out and placed her hand on top of theirs. Bill saw how the green of Harry's eyes lighten to a swirling pale jade. The world around him turned fuzzy and then he was sitting in a black space with the others. Harry let go of his hands, but it was like he could still feel the raven's palms in his. It was like when the man had showed his Skyrim. He guessed it was because nothing had changed outside of his mind or Harry's mind. He wasn't sure where they were.

"Focus on the meeting. It will make it easier for me to find it," Harry said.

Bill nodded and then he centred himself so he could focus on the memory they were after. It didn't take long for the dining room of Grimmauld Place to come into view. He could see himself settling down by the table. "So it worked," he said.

Harry nodded. "It did," he said as his eyes started moving over the people in the room. More arrived as time passed. He could see several familiar faces: Moody, Tonks or Kami as he had decided to call her, Shacklebolt, the Weasleys, Dumbledore, Severus, and of course Remus and Sirius, but there were also a lot of people he didn't know. One particular shady character caught his eyes. He'd have to remember to let Kreacher know that preventing him from stealing things from the house was completely acceptable.

The meeting started and Dumbledore greeted everyone. He went through the usual pleasantries before getting down to business. They talked about Voldemort and how there seemed to be no change in Death Eater activity. At the rate things were going the Wizarding World would never believe that Voldemort was back. Remus reported that the werewolves that worked for the Dark Lord already were unlikely to change their minds and most other werewolves were slowly making their way to Gringotts so they could receive the cure there.

Harry hoped that Remus would get himself to Gringotts soon. He deserved the cure just as much as anyone else who went there.

Eventually Dumbledore turned to Moody. "Now where is young Mister Potter Alastor? I thought you would bring him here," the old wizard said.

"He's safe," Moody said gruffly.

"Yes that is wonderful Alastor, but where is he. We need to know in case something happens," Dumbledore said.

"He's safe," Moody repeated.

"You can't honestly believe we will be satisfied with that answer Mr Moody," Mrs Weasley said. "What is something happens to the poor boy? He should have come home to us…"

"He should be here," Sirius said. "He's my godson." He turned to Moody. "Why didn't you bring him here like everyone agreed on?" he asked.

Moody turned his head to Sirius. "He's safer where he is now," he said.

"He would have been perfectly safe here Alastor," Dumbledore said.

Moody raised an eyebrow at the older wizard as his magical eye moved over the people in the room. "He's safer where he is," he said. "He'll make it back to school when it starts."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. He didn't understand why Alastor wouldn't trust him with the boy's location. Everyone in the room was trustworthy. There shouldn't be any problem in telling them. So why wouldn't Alastor say where Harry was. "Is he behind the Fidelius Alastor?" he asked.

Moody huffed. "He's safe," he said once more.

"Oh, for heaven's sake Mr Moody tell us where he is," Mrs Weasley said in an angry panic.

"If I told you I would have to kill you," Moody said flatly.

Harry snorted. That maybe was a little over the edge. He smiled at Charlie as the oranget wrapped his arms around him. "Mom is going to lose it," Charlie whispered.

Harry nodded. "I know," he said. His eyes moved over to Kami. She seemed pretty calm. He guessed it had something to do with the fact that Moody had been her mentor as she studied to become an Auror. She most likely trusted him more that several other people in the room."

"Just because you see Death Eaters around every corner doesn't mean that we can't know where Harry is," Sirius said irritably.

"He's safe," Moody said flatly. It was interesting how people fell apart when they weren't in control. Considering the mess he was looking at as people who had never met Harry started demanding where he was, it wasn't strange that he preferred working with the young man. Harry was far more relaxed and yet he was better prepared than any of these people.

"Alright everyone please settle down," Dumbledore said. It took a little while before the Order members did as they were told, but they managed eventually. "Bill where is Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

The redhead who had been doing his best not to burst out laughing for the past half hour looked up at the Headmaster. He and Moody had not gone over what he should say if they asked him. "Behind wards and hidden," he said, which was true. The wards were strong and very few people knew where the house was.

"Bill dear you need to tell us where he is," his mother said.

"Out of respect for the owner of the house I won't divulge the location of said house," Bill said. "He's a private person, but Moody is right Harry is safe."

"Harry is staying with some unknown person?" Sirius asked. "How is that safe?"

"He's safe Sirius," Moody said.

Harry sighed. He didn't like hurting people, but he could do nothing from Grimmauld Place. Sirius would just have to live with it. He would have to remember to write some cryptic messages to them and soon.

"Young Harry is the only one who can defeat Voldemort, Alastor," Dumbledore said. "He cannot simply go missing."  
"And I keep telling you he is safe," Moody said. "He'll be back in Hogwarts come the first of September."

Mrs Weasley exploded again. Other people were trying to get information out of Moody as well, but she was by far the loudest.

"Is it just me or do they act like hens with no rooster," Harry said.

Charlie burst out laughing behind him. "They seem to be in a bit of a state," he said. "I guess it is nice to know that they care about you enough to get upset when they don't know where you are."

Harry nodded. "I just wish they would listen to Moody," he said. "Then again the extent of 'He's safe,' isn't very informative. I don't get why the people I have never met are even getting involved in this argument though." He looked over at Severus. The Potions Master looked like he would love being anywhere but there. Harry couldn't fault him.

They watched as Mr Weasley pulled his wife back and did his best to calm her down. Dumbledore sent everyone, but Bill and Moody out of the room. "Please tell me where young Harry is," he said.

Moody looked up at him. His answer wouldn't change. "He's safe Albus," he said.

Dumbledore turned to Bill. "I would have to agree with Moody on this," Bill said. "He's perfectly safe."

Dumbledore sighed. He knew how stubborn Alastor was. He could only hope that the man truly had Harry's best at heart.

Harry left Bill's mind and let go of his hands. "Thank you," he said. "It's nice to know that they can't function as soon as something doesn't go the way they planed." He stood up and grabbed his chair so he could place it back at the table before he made it over to the sofa. He sat down and Charlie joined him.

"You said that you had some reason other than checking that memory out to get into my head," Bill said.

Harry nodded slowly. "I'll just cut to the chase and say that I'm trying to heal Frank and Alice Longbottom. Alice is a mess, but I think I can heal her mind if I take it easy. It's Frank that's giving me problems because he's got a slew of curses bound to his body and mind. I can't really deal with wizading curses especially not on a person."

"So you're hoping I can do that," Bill said. "I'm no healer."

"No and you don't need to be," Harry said. "If we can work close enough in symbiosis then I'll heal and monitor while you deal with the curses. The big problem there is that some of those curses you have to be in his mind to deal with so I have to be able to get you in there and to get you to channel your magic through your mind or through me. It would take a lot of training to get it to actually work."

"I'll think about it," Bill said. He turned to his little brother. "Now what is this I hear from Harry? You've quit your job?"

Charlie shrugged. "I got back to the reserve and I dropped a report with Boss. He called me up a few days later and demanded that I got Crystalbacks for the reserve. I told him that we can't just steal eggs from the pack. He wouldn't listen to me. 'Dragon's don't have packs. They won't care if you take a few eggs or a couple of females.' Wouldn't listen to a word I said so I told him I quit," he said. "Thankfully the Crystalbacks have goblin protection so they won't be able to just get some."

Harry nodded. "I made sure that they would," he said. "There are way too many greedy idiots out there. The goblins have basically given me the only right to deal with Crystalback related merchandise. Since they are their own nation they can do that. Wizards and witches are just going to have to accept their decision."

"Sounds good," Charlie said as he wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders.

Harry smiled at him and moved closer to him. His eyes travelled to the windows. It had stopped raining. He stood up and walked up to the glass. He ran his fingers over a panel and the glass disappeared. It was warm outside. A smirk spread over his lips. "Want to go swimming?" he asked.

Fleur perked up. "Oui, let's do zat," she said. She stood up and walked up to Harry. "It's warm out," she said. "We should 'ead down to ze lake."

Harry smirked. "Come on," he said. He headed over to the Master bedroom and pulled his shirt off quickly followed by the rest of his clothes. He headed back out of the room only to start laughing. Bill was ogling Fleur. "Oh, for Mara's sake Bill you've seen her before," he said. He reached out and took Fleur's hand. "We'll see the two of you down there," he said before he gutboed them away. He landed on the water surface. "Hold your breath," he said before he let them fall through.

"What just happened?" Charlie said.

Bill turned to his little brother. "Your boyfriend just left with my girlfriend," he said.

Charlie shook his head. "I guess we should go after them," he said. He walked over to the master bedroom and undressed before he walked over to one of the windows in the room so he could look down towards the lake. He found a spot by the water edge and apparated there.

Blue eyes moved over the clear water until he found Harry and Fleur. He headed down into the water until he was deep enough to start swimming. As he reached the other two, he grabbed onto Harry and spun them around so the raven ended up under water. He could feel how strong legs wrapped around his waist. Next to him Fleur was laughing. It was difficult to keep up with Harry clinging onto him.

"Come 'ere Bill," Fleur called suddenly.

Charlie stopped trying to get away from Harry and looked up. He shouldn't have. He was pulled down under the surface. He could feel himself sinking with the raven. Harry moved himself closer to his boyfriend and hugged him. He gave him a closed mouthed kiss and magic spread from his fingers to wrap around Charlie's face. The oranget breathed in. He reached out and rubbed his thumb over Harry's cheek lovingly.

Their feet hit the bottom of the lake and Charlie blinked. He looked around, but he couldn't see much.

Up above Bill had reached Fleur. "What happened to Charlie and Harry?" he asked her.

"Zey are down below," Fleur said. "Did you bring your wand?" she asked.

"No I didn't," Bill said. He looked own at the water as a bright light spread out below them. Suddenly they could feel hands grabbing on to them before they were pulled down. Bill tried to grab at the person holding on to him, but his hand was grabbed and pulled down behind his back before he could get a grip.

Harry didn't let go of the redhead until they had reached the bottom of the lake. Once Bill had realized that he could breathe just fine he had calmed down, but he still turned around and glared at Harry. The raven rolled his eyes. He walked over to Charlie slowly and then he started heading away from the Magelight he had cast. Bill and Fleur followed slowly. As they walked, they came upon houses. It looked like an abandoned mer village. Jade light left Harry before anyone else had a chance to react. A school of grindylows had been heading straight for them. They had all stopped moving as the light hit them. It was good to know that there were grindylows in their lake.

Harry rubbed the back of Charlie's hand with his thumb as they kept walking. His senses were on high alert. He reached out and cast a detect life spell. He made sure that the people around him could see what he saw. Spots of red light appeared in the dark lake. Harry stopped and held a hand out to Bill and Fleur to stop them. He made a sign with his hand that indicated people. Bill's eyes narrowed. Here people would have to mean either muggles or mers. The abandoned mer village they had found seemed to have been empty for quite a long time. Harry moved forward slowly. The closest red shape wasn't all that far off. He signalled for the others to wait behind before dropping down a ledge. He conjured light and walked up towards the shape. It was a child. A little Selkie. He walked up closer to her and crouched down. The movement through the water had her turning around to look at him scared. She didn't move away from him though.

Harry moved closer to her until he could touch her. He could tell that she was scared of him. He was careful though. He found that she was injured as he moved her around. Her fin had a nasty cut to it. Golden light spread from his hands and healed her. He needed to modify his waterbreathing spell again. He had to figure out a way to talk through it while under water. He looked the little girl over again when his eyes landed on a collar she was wearing. His eyes narrowed. He could feel the magic moving through the collar. She was a slave. He pulled her closer and made his way back to his companions slowly. Keeping their waterbreathing spells going was starting to strain him.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at the raven as Harry came back with the little Selkie.

Harry pointed up and the weight holding them down lifted. They swam up to the surface and Harry jumped up so he was sitting on the water surface.

"Where did you find her?" Charlie asked.

"She was hiding down there," Harry said. "She's wearing a slave collar." He reached out and placed his thump and forefinger on the collar before destroying it. "Now we have the problem that I don't speak Mermish," he said. He looked down at the girl he was holding before he dropped back down under water with her.

"Thank you," she said softly as she looked up at him.

Harry smiled at her. He kicked so his head would break through the water surface. "I need you to get me a translator from Clan Gordac," he told Bill. "We need to know what is going on." He was glad that the information that he had freely given to the Clans had actually made Clan Gordac friendlier towards him and the other Highstone Clans. They were especially interested in the language of dragons, and he had promised that he would make a lexicon for them.

Bill nodded. He swam towards the shore. And apparated to the house so he could put something on. Harry and the others moved closer to the shore as well while Bill was gone so it would be easier for the goblin he brought back to speak to the little Selkie. Harry didn't let go of her. He wasn't sure what would happen if he did.

Bill came back rather quickly with a female goblin walking beside him. Harry bowed his head to her. "Good day daughter of Clan Gordac," Harry greeted her. "I found a little Selkie down in the lake. She was injured and wore a slave collar," he informed her. "Will you talk to her? The more we learn the better?"

The goblin nodded. "I will," she said.

Harry lifted the little Selkie up out of the water and placed her in his lap. He held her as she spoke to the goblin. Whatever the little girl was saying it seemed to really anger the goblin. She pulled herself together and looked from the girl to the young human holding her. "You own land out in the lake am I correct?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "I do," he said. "There is an abandoned village within my wards."

"She told me that her people is being kept in a small enclosure to the east. She escaped through a hole in the net, but got injured as she did so," the goblin said.

"What are they being used for?" Harry asked.

A dark look was shot out over the lake. "Selkies may not be as beautiful as their Siren brethren, but to some wizards that doesn't matter," the goblin said.

Harry looked down at the little girl. "She has been hurt?" he asked.

The goblin nodded. "She is worried you will hurt her but hopes that you won't," she said.

"Let her know that Charlie is my mate. That should calm her some," Harry said.

The goblin nodded in understanding and spoke to the little girl once more.

Harry could actually feel the little one relax in his arms. "We need to find the rest of them," he said. "I don't mind offering them the safety of my wards."

"Much like the Veela and the Centaurs the mers of the world have written contracts with the goblins. Should they ever come to harm or need help all they have to do is ask for our aid," the goblin said. "I can take the word of this little one to the council, and they will send a delegation of warriors to deal with what is going on."

"Let them know I want to be a part of the delegation," Harry said. "I want to make sure that they know they can stay within my wards. That should stop this from happening again around here at the very least."

The goblin nodded.

"I'm going to need to learn Mermish," Harry said. He was a decently fast learner, but learning a whole new language would take time.

"I'm willing to offer you lessons for a fee," the goblin said. "My name is Ysra by the way."

"I would very much appreciate that," Harry said.

"I'll be here every morning at seven," Ysra said. "I expect you to be ready for our lessons then."

Harry nodded. "I will be," he said. He let go of the little Selkie, and she dropped into the water.

"You'll need to help her hunt," Ysra said.

"Sure," Harry said.

Ysra said some more things to the girl before she left. Harry watched the girl swim around for a while before he jumped back in. She needed to eat.

…

Later that day Harry was lying with his head on Charlie's stomach. His eyes were closed and the oranget was running his fingers through raven locks slowly. They had withdrawn from the living room when Harry had started dozing off. He had used more magic than he normally would that day.

Charlie was watching his boyfriend as the other man fell asleep. It was nice to have him back with him. Like always with Harry something seemed to always need to happen. He moved down as he pulled Harry up to lie next to him. Blue eyes closed slowly.

Tomorrow was another day.


	75. Saving the Selkies

**Saving the Selkies**

 _5th of July, 1996. Friday_

Charlie yawned as he sat up. Next to him the bed was empty. Harry must have gotten up already. He placed his feet down on the soft light green carpet in the room and stood up. A hand ran through messy tangelo-orange locks. He walked into their on-suite bathroom and stepped into the shower. He cleaned off before getting dressed so he could head downstairs. He grabbed an apple from the kitchen table and headed outside.

Harry was standing with his bow raised and the string pulled back. Something flew up in the air and the raven let go of his arrow. It shattered its target. Another arrow was on the string and ready within seconds.

"You're a good shot," Charlie said as he walked up closer to the raven.

"I'm rusty," Harry said. "I haven't used the bow in far too long. It's the same with most other things I know. I don't want to loose the ability to fight even if I might never need it the same again."

"You know how to fight with a sword as well right?" Charlie said.

"I do yeah," Harry said as he fired another arrow.

"Why don't you teach me and we can fence," Charlie said. "It will allow for the both of us to keep in shape."

Harry chuckled. "I guess I can do that," he said. "You're going to have to get used to bruises though." He lowered his bow and walked over to a bench. He placed the bow down and turned to Charlie. He closed his eyes and conjured a training sword. It looked like a real sword but it was blunt and made of wood rather than steel. He created another one and threw it over to Charlie. "My teacher taught me by attacking me. He believed that experience was the best teacher. He did give me pointers as he saw how I moved. I will do the same," he said. He moved forward swinging the blade in his hand. It barely touched Charlie before it was pulled back and ready to strike again.

The oranget shifted his grip on the sword in his hand. He tried his best to follow the raven's sword. He was so damn fast though. Charlie tried to move away from the next strike. He failed.

Bill made his way outside some time later following the frustrated cries of his younger brother. He raised an eyebrow as he saw Harry and Charlie going at each other with swords. Harry had moved back to let Charlie attack him. The oranget wasn't managing though and he could see that Charlie was getting tired. He might have been off training with the sword, but he had still exercised the muscles he used when fighting.

"You're slow little bro," Bill said.

"You fucking try to keep up with him," Charlie said irritably. He moved away from Harry and handed the training sword to Bill. "Here! You fight him."

Bill shifted the blade as he moved up to Harry. He soon learned that it wasn't as easy as he had thought to keep up with the raven. The other man was relentless in his attacks. When he walked upstairs later he was hurting.

Harry headed over to the master bedroom so he could take a shower. When he walked back out into the living room he headed over to Charlie and sat down next to him. He wrapped his arms around the oranget and a golden glow spread from him out over his boyfriend. "I can't make the muscle aches go away those are there because you're using muscles you aren't used to using. It will get better as you keep going," he said softy.

Charlie moved so he could lie down against Harry. He shifted the book he was reading. Harry pulled a book from the pile he had taken out of the library a few days earlier. He had wanted to go through them to look for curses.

"You're not going to heal me," Bill whined childishly.

Harry gave him a flat look. "You deserve the bruises you got," he said. "Acting all high and mighty." He raised his book in front of himself and started flipping through pages.

"Those books look pretty dark," Bill commented.

"They are from the Black family library," Harry said. "I'm trying to identify which curses Frank suffer from. I know a few of them, but several are completely unknown to me. The Black family is old so I figured that there might be spells in their library that doesn't exist elsewhere and Bellatrix might have learned them there. You know dear cousin Bellatrix."

"You are related to her?" Bill asked.

Harry nodded. "We're second cousins," he said. "Nymphadora Tonks is my second cousin once removed. "Sirius is her cousin and I'm related to him the same way I am her. Of course that also means I'm related to the Malfoy heir. And we're third cousins which makes me kind of happy we can't reproduce together. So you guys are related to them as well."

Bill grimaced. "Genealogy has never been one of my favourite pastimes," he said. "I'm glad I found a French witch." He smiled at Fleur as she sat down next to him.

Charlie just shook his head. "All of the older wizarding families are related somehow," he said. "I'm not really all that surprised. He turned around so he could rest his book on Harry's chest. The raven's hands moved down to run lazily through his hair and over his back.

"You want me to look through these books as well?" Bill asked.

Harry shrugged. "If you want to help," he sent his notes on the curses over to the redhead, "Those are the symptoms," he said.

Bill nodded. It wasn't like he could just leave the Longbottoms if he could help them. He summoned one of the books and opened it up. He placed it in his lap and wrapped an arm around Fleur. She was writing letters to her sister and friends.

The four of them passed the day in comfortable silence.

Evening came and eventually they decided to go to bed. Charlie closed the door behind him before reaching out to pull Harry close. Lips met in a passionate kiss. Nimble fingers reached up and unbuttoned a white shirt. A belt fell to the floor. Hands roamed over pale skin before Harry was pushed back to the bed. He landed with a thump. A chuckle escaped his lips. Charlie climbed onto the bed after him. Strong legs wrapped around a tan waist, and the raven turned them around. He bent down and kissed Charlie. He pulled a bottle to him and dropped it down on the bed. "I want you inside me tonight," he whispered huskily. Charlie smirked and sat up so he could pull the raven closer. "You sure?" he asked.

"Wouldn't have said it otherwise," Harry said. He blinked surprise when Charlie grabbed his wand. A gasp escaped his lips as a strange feeling moved up inside him. He hadn't even considered there being spells designed to help with sex between men. Charlie obviously knew what to do with the bottle though since he could feel fingers moving up inside him as he found a spot behind the oranget's ear that had the other man buckling up against him. He grabbed the bottle himself so he could help his lover. He warmed the lube up in his hands before he coated Charlie's cock with the slick substance. He pushed the oranget back slowly so he could shift.

A deep breath and the slow feeling of being filled. Harry rocked his hips slowly. "You can move too," he breathed after a while. The hands resting on his hips tightened their grip and they moved together. Lips met again and tongues danced. Harry wrapped his arms around Charlie. He could feel himself getting closer to the edge. He moved away from the kiss and smiled lazily his eyes clouded over with ecstasy as he came. "Beautiful," he could hear Charlie breath. He looked down at the oranget as he brought his lover to completion. He could understand what Charlie had meant.

They moved apart slowly and Charlie cleaned them up with a spell. They lay down side by side facing each other. Their legs tangled together. Charlie reached out and moved a lock of black hair away from Harry's face. "I love you balaur meu," he said.

Harry smiled. " _ **Zu'u lokaal hi**_ \- I love you too, _**dii yol**_ ," he responded. He wrapped his arms around Charlie and moved closer. "Just one more year," he whispered. "We can make it right?"

"Especially if you can come home for the Winter Holidays," Charlie said.

"Oh, if you will be here I'll come home as often as I can," Harry said. "School rules be damned."

Charlie chuckled. "We'll see if the goblins throw something at me," he said.

Harry nodded.

They fell silent for a long time.

"I want to have kids," Harry said suddenly.

Charlie's eyes blinked open. He had been on the verge of sleep. He looked down at Harry. "You want kids," he repeated just to make sure that he had heard correctly.

"Yes," Harry said. "I want to adopt. I want to help kids that don't have family or have family that doesn't want them."

"That sounds good," Charlie said. "So we'll start looking into that when? After you have taken your NEWTs or…?"

"Something like that sounds good," Harry said. "Gives me some time to deal with the Voldemort situation."

"The Voldemort situation," Charlie said amused.

"Yeah, I don't think he deserves more recognition than that," Harry said.

"As long as you're careful, I don't care what you call it," Charlie said.

Harry hummed softly. He was glad that Charlie seemed to be O.K. with having kids. It would probably not have worked so well between them otherwise. Soft snores filled the air as Charlie did fall asleep. Harry buried his face in the oranget's chest before he joined his lover in sleep.

* * *

 _6th of July, 1996. Saturday_

Wind tore through long white hair. Dumbledore looked down at the ring in his hand. He recognised the stone held by the golden band. The resurrection stone. He so wanted to see Ariana again. He placed the ring upon his hand realizing too late that it was cursed. He apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts and pulled the ring back off, but it was too late. The cures had moved to his arm. He pulled his wand out and sent his patronus to Severus. The man met him in the Entrance Hall.

The curse could not be removed, but it could be hindered. "How long do I have?" he asked.

"Fourteen maybe eighteen months," Severus said. "It all depends."

Dumbledore sighed. He would have to change his plans. Harry had to learn. "Thank you Severus," he said dismissing the man. There was so much he needed to do. So many plans that had to be set in motion. He looked down at the ring again. It wouldn't hurt now.

A ghostly figure appeared before him and a single tear ran down his cheek.

…

At the same time at Ennerdale Estate, Harry was sitting with Ysra learning the ins and outs of Mermish. This was only his second lesson, but Ysra could tell that he had an inherit ear for language. She didn't think that it would take him that long to learn Mermish even if it was a somewhat complicated language.

Their lesson ended but Ysra asked to stay since she knew that the goblin delegation being sent to deal with Mers' imprisonment was being deployed that day. She wanted to be there and they would come through Ennerdale Estate.

Harry invited her to stay, but he moved outside so he could train with his bow once more. When the goblin warriors arrived that was what he was doing. He raised his bow and took the last target out before he turned to bow to the leader of the warriors. He asked for time to dress appropriately and was granted a short amount.

Charlie sat up in bed as Harry fastened the last few straps of his armour. "You're leaving?" he asked with a yawn.

Harry turned around as he fastened his sword to his belt. "The goblin warriors are here. We're heading out now," he said. He walked around the bed so he could kiss Charlie. "I'll be back soon enough," he said.

"Good luck," Charlie said. He watched as Harry over to the door grabbing his helmet on the way. The bow was fastened to his back and the helmet put on.

"Well don't you look intimidating," Fleur said as she looked up at him.

Harry chuckled. "That's the point," he said. He headed downstairs and out the door.

Ysra was standing with the other goblins. Harry wasn't familiar with anyone in the group. They were all members of Clan Magun though. He fell in line with the leader of the group as they headed east. He learned that the goblins wore wards that would protect them from non-magical eyes. He promised them that no non-magical would notice him as they moved out from under his wards. Wards blocked their path after half-an-hour's walk.

"Be ready human," the leader of the goblins said. "We aim to kill."

Harry nodded. Normally he wasn't much for killing, but he could make an exception here. He hated rapists. He pulled his bow and placed an arrow on the string. The arrow left the string seconds after the wards fell. " _ **Wuld nah kest,"**_ he breathed out. An ice spear appeared in his free hand and he slammed it straight into a man's chest. He was there as a member of Clan Magun. He would follow Clan rules. He cast a detect life spell and looked around. He could see that people were heading towards the Selkies that they held captive.

" _ **Feim zii gron,"**_ he whispered and then he made himself invisible. He walked straight through the walls of the building he had been standing by so he could get to the mer. The men hissed as he appeared among them. "I am friend," he said in Mermish. He knew his accent was probably not the best, but what was he supposed to do after only two lessons. He kneeled down in the water surface and reached out towards the nearest mer. "I will not hurt," he said calmly. He grabbed the man's slave collar with two fingers and destroyed it. He could see the glee in the man's eyes. He moved on to the next one quickly. One by one he freed them before he headed over into the next room. He could hear screams from all around him. Most of those screams belonged to humans.

The only door to the room was thrown open. Harry kept hidden. He watched as a group of wizards came rushing inside. "Grab the whores. We can use them against the men," one of the humans said.

Harry kneeled down and released one of the women. He pulled his knife out of his boot and touched her so he could let her see him without anyone else noticing him. He held the knife out to her. She reached up and took it from him. "Thank you," she whispered.

Harry stood back up and raised his bow. As one of the filthy humans reached out to grab a girl he fired the arrow.

The man started screaming.

Harry became visible. "We are here to stop you from exploiting these people," he said.

The leader smirked. "We own them there is nothing you can do," he spat. He turned to the women. "Get out of there and come here," he ordered. His face took on a triumphant expression as the Selkies followed his order.

Harry wanted until the humans were surrounded. " _ **Kren al ruuslid,"**_ he said and a cloud of power left him. It spread out and every single collar in the room cracked and fell to the ground. He watched as the Selkie women tore the humans apart. They turned to him and he held his hands out. "I am friend," he said carefully in Mermish. He hoped that it was obvious that he didn't know the language very well.

One of the women walked back to him and held his dagger out. "Thank you," she said.

"You am welcome," Harry said and he could hear the mers giggle. He guessed he'd used the wrong form of be. He walked over to the door and threw it open. He walked out ahead of the female Selkies. Lavender light spread around his hand. His eyes narrowed. He made his way over to another building and tried to open the front door. It wouldn't budge. " _ **Tumah,"**_ he hissed. The door fell apart and he walked inside. His bow was switched to his sword as he walked through empty rooms. He felt the spell being shot at him and threw a shield up. Turning towards the man that had attacked him, he headed straight for him. He touched the man and effectively robbed him of control before he continued through the building. He found a woman hung up by her wrists in one of the back rooms. Her skin was peeling she was so dry. He helped her down carefully and carried her outside bringing the man with them. He headed straight for the lake so he could get the Selkie back into the water. He was careful as he lowered her down. Golden light spread from his hands out over her body. She regained her fin slowly. Her skin restored. Harry could hear someone walking down into the water behind him. A man with mud brown hair walked up so he was facing the raven. His eyes were locked on the woman in the human's arms though. He reached out and ran his fingers down her cheek. He spoke softly, but Harry could only understand a few words here and there.

Soft golden eyes opened slowly. They travelled up to the man standing with Harry and her eyes teared.

The raven conjured Ven and sent her to find Ysra. He was picking up on a few words, and they were worrying him. He moved the woman over into her mate's arms and moved to the side as Ysra arrived. "They are speaking of a daughter will you ask them what happened," he said.

Ysra nodded and looked over to the Selkies. She spoke to them for a long while before she turned back to Harry. "She sent their daughter out of the enclosure in hopes that she would be safer out in the lake. The human scum punished her for it," she said.

"We need to gather the Selkie together so you can speak to all of them," Harry said.

"I will get a hold of them you stay here," Ysra said. "It gives me somewhere to send them to."

Harry nodded. He walked out of the lake and took his belt off. He would be swimming back. He dried the armour up as he took it off. "Winky," he called and the elf showed up. "Can you take my armour back home please dear," he said.

"Winky can Master," Winky said.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said and the elf popped away with his weapons and armour. He walked back the water and stepped in. Selkies gathered to him slowly. They were watching him wearily as they entered the water. Ysra called to them from the shore as she arrived.

Harry could only imagine what she was saying. Eyes turned to him several times as the goblin went on. She turned to him eventually. "They will follow you now," she said.

Harry nodded. He started running and he could hear the Selkies moving around him. He dived into the water so he could swim with them. He knew there was no way he could keep up with them though. Hands grabbed onto his wrists and he was pulled down below the surface. He relaxed and let the Selkies pull him with them. Eventually people stopped around him. He reached out with his magic. The wards resounded and became visible. Harry moved through them and held a hand out to one of the Selkies that had taken him with them. She reached out slowly and took his hand. He nodded encouraging before he held his other hand out to the other Selkie. The man copied his sister. Harry moved his hands together before pointing beyond the two of them to the others.

The woman turned around. "Take our hands. Form a chain," she said. "He will pull us through."

It took a little while for the other mers to do as she said but eventually all of them were linked together. Harry started swimming back and as the mers passed through the wards the helped him. They could move around as they wished in the lake now, but behind his wards they would be safe. He started swimming towards his house. He smiled as the little Selkie he had saved swam up to him. He turned around with her and noticed that several mers had followed him. He swam closer to them with the girl. "Aunty," the little girl exclaimed. She took off from him and swam over to one of the Selkies. Pale green arms wrapped around her in a hug. "You saved her," the woman said. "Thank you."

Harry bowed his head.

"You will not try to harm us," one of the male Selkies said.

Harry shook his head. He turned as he felt the water above their heads move. The Selkies had taken off and he moved after them. He swam up between them and the human. "He is mine," he said in Mermish.

"You know … … language?"

"I learn," Harry said. "Humans are friends. They not hurt." He was really hoping he was getting the message across.

"We will speak for … … when you know more human," one of the women said before the Selkies left.

Harry breathed out in relief.

"That was a bit tense," Charlie said.

"Yeah."

"I take it went well," Charlie said. He placed a hand on Harry's waist.

"It did," Harry said. "A lot of people died. All humans. I hope this doesn't strain things with the Ministry. I wouldn't want to have to fight them."

Charlie nodded. Being a member of a goblin clan both had its ups and downs. He knew Harry would have to step carefully sometimes. It wasn't going to scare him off though.

…

Hours later the two of them were lying in the grass that led down to the water. They were looking at the sky as clouds moved past them slowly. They spoke of the past and the future. Things they wanted to do. Places they wanted to see. "I'm glad I met you," Charlie said after a while. "I don't know if I would have ever figured out that the reserve didn't have everything I wanted if you hadn't come along and put everything on its head."

Harry chuckled. "I was just me," he said. "There was a problem so I couldn't keep my nose out of it. When I can do something I will."

"A man of action not talk," Charlie said.

"That would be me. I can talk. I don't mind really, but when it doesn't lead anywhere I would rather take action," Harry said.

"Even when people scream at you and think you are a moron for doing what you do," Charlie said.

"What people think hasn't concerned me for years. I know what I'm doing. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I'll take your thoughts into consideration, and we can talk about things since we're _**onliinne**_ ," Harry said. "But other people will just have to deal. I don't want to hurt people so I will take their feelings into consideration of course. I just will do what needs to be done no matter what people think, if it is necessary."

Charlie nodded. He was more of a take it chill kind of person. Not that he would just go with the flow. He wasn't a sheep in the herd. He wasn't as outspoken as Harry though. He guessed it was good he didn't worry easily. His lover put himself in danger quite a lot. He believed in Harry's abilities though. And the raven returned the favour. They hadn't ended up in a situation yet where Harry didn't think he could handle himself. He knew that was one of the reasons the raven was interested in him to begin with. He could handle himself, and Harry was attracted to that strength. He couldn't say he wasn't.

They got up and made their way back to the house eventually. Harry hijacked the kitchen and started up on dinner.

Bill and Fleur were out on a date. They would be back when they felt like it so Harry didn't count on them being home. He engaged Charlie in cutting vegetables. Grilled root vegetables with salmon and lemon on the side. He pulled a salmon out of a fish barrel and placed it down on the counter. A quick knife cut the fish up. It was placed upon a bed of salt and put in the oven. Harry started preparing a salad as he made a light lemony dressing. The root vegetables were placed on a baking sheet and brushed with butter before they too went into an oven.

Charlie wrapped his arms around Harry as he watched the raven cut tomatoes. The red fruit landed in the bowl filled with lettuce. Bell pepper and spring onions followed. Harry cut feta cheese up and picked a piece up and fed it to Charlie. "That's good," the oranget said.

"Good," Harry said. He lifted the cutting board that the cheese was on and dumped the cheese in the salad. The root vegetables were pulled out of the oven and placed on two plates. Then Harry walked over and brought the salmon out. "How much do you want?" he asked as he served himself.

"That looks good," Charlie said. He grabbed the salad's bowl and headed over to the dining room.

"Come here," Harry said as he came walking into the room. "We'll head upstairs I have an idea." He walked up to the living room and placed the plates down on a table before he walked over to one of the windows so he could open it. He picked the plates up again and climbed out on the nook of the entrance hall. He was glad he had asked the goblins to make it flat up top. He sat down out there.

Charlie laughed as he followed. The view from up there was really nice. He shook his head. It would be Harry to come up with an idea like this one.

When Bill and Fleur got back later that evening the two men were still sitting out there on the nook. Harry's hands were fanned out over Charlie's chest as the oranget rested in his lap. A slow smirk spread over Harry's lips as he heard Fleur. She was being very convincing in there. Charlie closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. He did not want to think about his brother's sex life.

"Hush you," Harry whispered softly. "They will behave and use their bedroom."

"They better," Charlie muttered.

The two of them stayed out there on the roof well into the night watching the stars in the sky.

* * *

The following day and several days after that Harry and Bill spent a significant amount of time in the library going through old Black Family tomes. They didn't just read them. Every book was sorted into subject and placed on shelves in accordance to how dangerous they were.

Bill found several curses and counter-curses that he wanted to look into deeper at some point. He had found whole books filled with spells he had never seen before most likely because they were locked to the Black family. He had spoken to the goblins at Gringotts and they had allowed for him to look into what Harry had since it could increase their knowledge as well. He was called to another Order meeting as well. It had been repetitive. People were still trying to find out where Harry was. He opened another book and scanned through it. A grimace appeared on his face. It was disgusting. He didn't want to know what else they had done to Veelas in the sixteenth century. He placed the book down in a pile that Harry had to go through because he just couldn't decide what to do with it.

"And cursed book," Harry said as he moved away from a book. It was spewing thick dark smoke.

"I don't have the counter for that," Bill said.

"Oh, it is probably in the book," Harry said. He turned to the door and said, " _ **Qulek."**_ The door locked tight. "I'm guessing that wizarding magic won't work to protect us against this, but that doesn't mean that we can't protect ourselves. He placed a hand on Bill's shoulder and a spell spread over the redhead's face. Harry's skin shimmered blue before he picked the book up again. It kept spewing gas as he moved through the pages. He held the book over to Bill as he found what he was looking for.

"I can't read this," Bill said. He couldn't focus on the text through the black smoke.

" _ **Su baar,"**_ Harry said and the smoke cleared around them.

Bill read through the page. It was a really nasty curse. "Tumultuamentis Fumus," he read. He continued down the page as he picked his wand up. He started moving the wand around in an intricate pattern. "Purisospi Novos," he said as he pointed the wand and the book. It stopped spewing smoke, and Harry cleared the air for them. He unlocked the door again. "That was interesting," he said as he dropped the waterbreathing spell he had protected them with before unlocking the door.

Bill snorted. "I could do without life threatening interesting," he said.

"And you are a Curse-Breaker," Harry said disbelievingly.

"'E caught you love," Fleur said as she came walking up to the table.

"At home then," Bill said. "I could do without ending up in life threatening situations at home were we're supposed to be able to feel safe."

"Fair enough," Harry said. He found it interesting that Bill and Fleur thought of Ennerdale Estate as home. It gave him an idea. He picked a pile of books up and walked over to a shelf leaving the two lovebirds to themselves.

…

 _11th of July, 1996. Thursday_

"So what's happening today?" Charlie asked.

They had finished breakfast and were sitting together after Fleur and Charlie had cleared the table.

"Bill and I will be heading to St Mungo's to see Frank and Alice," Harry said. "I need him to get a feel for the things we have to work with when it comes to Frank. It is all well and good for me to tell him. Without seeing for himself he won't really know what the problems are."

"So I'll be all alone here," Charlie said.

"Oh poor Charlie is living off his boyfriend and can't stand it when said boyfriend has to go to work," Bill said teasingly.

Charlie turned to him and stuck his tongue out. "I can pay for myself," he said. "Harry won't let me."

"The house doesn't cost me anything now. It's already built," Harry said. "Why would I make any one of you pay? I like having people around." He stood up and walked over to Charlie. "I'm sure you can find something to do," he said. He bent down and kissed the oranget.

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Charlie said. "See you later."

"See you soon _**dii yol**_ ," Harry said. As he turned towards the door his hair turned brow. "Come on Bill or I'll leave you behind," he said.

The redhead got up from the table and kissed Fleur before he headed out after the now brunet. Fleur would be leaving for work not long after they left. He reached Harry and they travelled to the hospital. Harry guided him up through the hospital until they reached the Closed Ward. He opened the door and they walked inside. "Right down there," Harry said and pointed. "Don't touch them." He walked over to Healer Strout to check on their current condition as Bill headed over to the two patients. He didn't do anything but study until Harry joined him.

The 'brunet' pulled the curtains closed before h let his hair and eyes turn back to their original colour. "I want to build trust with them and I want that trust to be with me not Kato," Harry told Bill softly. "Hello Alice," he said calmly as he walked up to her. "How do you feel today?"

Vacant blue eyes looked up at him. A soft smile spread over her lips. She recognised him these days. He moved over to Frank and sat down. "Hello Frank," he said calmly. He reached out slowly and placed a hand on the man's arm. "How do you fell today Frank?" he asked. The gray eyed man tilted his head to the side and met the raven's eyes. "This is William he's Fabian and Gideon's nephew," Harry said. He pulled up a chair for the redhead. "Sit down but keep your movements slow," he said calmly.

Bill nodded. He sat down next to Harry.

"William is going cast a few detection spells," Harry told Frank. "He won't hurt you, and I'll be right here." He looked back to Bill. "You can go ahead. I'll make sure he keeps calm."

Bill gave a short nod before he pulled his wand slowly. As he pointed it at Frank he could see panic rise in the man's eyes. A jade glow spread from Harry and the panic subdued. He cast several detection spells at the hospitalized man. The readings he got back were insane. It was a miracle that Frank was still alive. He noticed several curses that he should be able to deal with right away. He just had to make sure that they weren't too tangled in other curses. He moved a bit and traced a curse he knew quite well. It was meant to seal doors with not to be placed on people. He started chanting the counter curse softly. It was a complicated string of counters, but he knew how to do them quite well.

Next to the redhead, Harry was monitoring Frank's health. He could feel as one of the curses lifted. His own magic went in to make sure that nothing would harm Frank.

Bill's eyes opened and he turned to look at Harry. "That's all I can do for now," he said. "It must have been cast by more than one person. I have never had that much difficulty removing it before."

Harry nodded. "He's stable," he said as he moved his hands away from Frank. "There are so many left."

"Yeah," Bill agreed. "That's a lot of work. I'll have to take what I know now and look into what else is here. The tangles are going to be worse though."

"Maybe I can untangle them," Harry said. "I haven't tried that yet. Mostly I have been puzzling Alice memories back together. There is so much to do for her that I don't know how long it will take. Once I leave Hogwarts I'm going to ask Lady Longbottom if I can move Frank and Alice to Ennerdale Estate. It will be easier to help them away from this sterile environment."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Bill said. "It's a lot of work though."

"I know," Harry said. "Nothing really worth it is ever easy."

Bill nodded slowly. Harry was right they would help them. It wasn't right to leave the two like they were when they could help.

"I'm going to stay a bit longer," Harry said. "If you want to go back home you can." He moved over to Alice and placed a hand on her arm. "Hey Alice. Shall we take another trip down memory lane?" he asked. He wasn't sure if she could feel him and see what he saw when he went in to her mind to help her. He hoped that she could.

Bill watched as Harry's eyes closed. A soft bluish aura started glowing around him. His raven hair lifted to sway with the magic around him. Bill swallowed. There was so much power in that single person. Most of the time it wasn't something you would notice, but right then and there the power could be felt. It was like Harry had a well of power to draw from that usually lay to deep for anyone else to tell that it was there. Only when he used it did the magic flow from the well.

Eventually Bill couldn't take it anymore. What Harry was doing with Alice was really personal. He didn't want to intrude. He'd go home and keep Charlie company. The redhead walked out of the Closed Ward and down to the first floor so he could head out of the building. There was so much he had to look into.

The next coming couple of days would be straining. To learn how to deal with certain curses he would have to cast them. Luckily the goblins had specially made dummies for that.

Harry came home two hours after Bill and collapsed on one of the couches. Charlie sat down next to him and moved him so he'd be more comfortable.

…

Weeks passed by. Harry's birthday came and went. A soft smile spread over his lips as he read the letter that had come with his present from Neville. The brunet was really happy. His Gran had told him about Kato helping his parents. He said there wasn't much of any visible improvement yet, but they both seemed calmer – not in as much pain as before.

Harry had sent the brunet the Alchamy Lab that Mara had made. He had also written a letter promising that he would be able to guide him in how to use it.

News came that Dolores was being placed in St Mungo's for trying to cures a man that had bowed to her. She had been diagnosed as burnt out. Fudge had done his best to clear things up with the public and Dumbledore was back as Headmaster of Hogwarts. The Minister claimed to have worked under false information about Dumbledore's abilities.

Things seemed to be going back to normal.

Harry's grades arrived, and he checked the paper unconcerned.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

Pass Grades: Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades: Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:

Astronomy: E

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: O

Defence Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: E

Herbology: O

History of Magic: O

Muggle Studies: E

Potions: O

Study of Ancient Runes: E

Transfiguration: O

He guessed Hermione would want to see it. Charlie had grabbed the grades and looked at them. "You're just too much," he'd said. "You can't even use half of the magic here."

"I'm good at tricking people," Harry had answered.

Unknown to anyone else Dumbledore travelled to find an old colleague. It took some convincing to get the man back to Hogwarts, but the knowledge that Voldemort was back seemed to kick the old Slytherin in gear.


	76. Lucius' Request

**Lucius' Request**

 _2nd of August, 1996. Friday_

Narcissa walked into her husband's private study. One of the elves had come to fetch her saying that Master was injured and little Master was crying. "Find me Kato now," she ordered one of the elves as she saw the state of her husband and son. She fell down to her knees next to Draco. He was clutching his left forearm. He was pale and shaking.

…In a Manor House somewhere in Britain a dark-haired woman walked up to a pale snake-like man. "It is safe My Lord. No one has touched the vault," she said as she bowed.

"Good Bellatrix," the man hissed. "It is nice to see that some of your family knows how to deal with things satisfactory." Lucius would never recover from the destruction of his Diary. It truly angered him that one of them was gone – and by the Potter brat's hands none the less. He would have to make sure the boy got what he deserved eventually.

Bellatrix smirked. She ravelled in the pain of others. Seeing the otherwise so poised Malfoy Lord shake in pain had been wonderful. She couldn't understand how her sister could be with such a week man.

…

"Master Harry there be elf here from Malfoy Manor asking for Master Kato's presence," Winky said as she appeared in front of Harry and his company.

"The Malfoys what the hell do they want?" Bill asked.

Harry shrugged. "Don't know but I better go check," he said. He stood up and his hair turned brown. Charlie stood up with him and kissed him soundly. "Be careful," he said.

"You don't have to worry about Lucius, love," Harry said. "He knows I could crush him if I wanted to." He hurried up to the house so he could get some clothes on before going to Malfoy Manor. He was guided up to the Master bedroom and let inside. Narcissa was sitting next to her husband and Draco was sitting by the foot of the bed. "What happened?" Harry asked.

Narcissa shook her head. "He was called to the Dark Lord," she said. "And then he came back home for Draco and now he won't wake up."

Harry walked up to Draco and grabbed his left hand. He pulled the sleeve up and placed his had on the snake and skull. He soothed the pain that Draco was feeling. "The two of you are going to have to leave the room," he said. He put his hair up and kicked his boots off. He climbed onto the bed so he could sit down next to Lucius. "Really leave your presence here right now is very distracting." He reached out and placed his hands on Lucius chest. Several of the gems in his belt started glowing brightly as a golden light spread from the 'brunet' to the blond.

Narcissa reached out and pulled her son with her out of the room. "Father will be O.K. right?" Draco said. He had never seen anything like what the Dark Lord had done to his father.

"What happened dear?" Narcissa asked.

Draco swallowed thickly. "I have to either kill Dumbledore or find a way to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts or the Dark Lord will dispose of us. I have to redeem our family," he said. "No one but family can know though. He said so."

Narcissa nodded slowly. She sat down in an armchair in Draco's room and pulled her son down in her lap. Her baby was in danger. Her eyes closed and she held Draco close – hoping, praying that Lucius would be alright.

Harry reached up to Lucius head. He had healed the man's body now. He had no idea what state Lucius' mind was in though. "Here we go," he whispered. He delved into the blonde's mind. It wasn't as bad as Alice's mind. Memories were strewn around though. Lucius might be a bit confused for a while, but he should be able to fix everything back up if his mind was healed. He was gentle with his magic, and he avoided looking as much as he could. He did not enjoy breaching another person's privacy.

The vortex in Lucius mind eased out and calmed.

Slowly Harry left Lucius mind and slipped off the bed. He headed out and found Narcissa. "I have done what I can for him now. He is lucky I have spent the last six months trying to figure out how to heal Alice and Frank Longbottom. He should wake up and hopefully he will be lucid. He might be confused for some time to come. He'll need to do the last part himself though. He can't push himself," he said. "You should return to him. He deserves having you there when he wakes up."

Narcissa looked down at her son.

"I need to speak to Draco," Harry said. "Don't worry it is nothing serious."

Narcissa nodded slowly. She stood up and kissed Draco on the forehead before she headed out of the room.

Harry sat down on the floor in front of Draco. He was silent for a couple of minutes. "The Mark you now bare could kill you Draco," he said calmly.

Scared silver eyes looked down at him. Draco didn't say anything though. The memory of him receiving the Mark was still far too fresh in his mind. All those people. They had laughed at him when he'd started crying. Weak they had called him. He'd like to see them go through what he had at his age. He wiped the tears from his face angrily.

"I can prevent the Mark from killing you and ease the pain that the Dark Lord will cause you when he calls," Harry said. "I have already done this for your father."

"Why?" Draco asked.

"I have my reasons. Because of your position I cannot tell you what they are at this time," Harry said. He moved closer to Draco. "Let me help," he said as he held a hand out.

Draco offered the brunet his left arm slowly. His shirt was peeled back again and Kato retrieved a quill and inkwell from somewhere. "This will hurt a little but nothing like what you have already gone through today," Harry said. He wrote the words needed to protect the young blond down slowly. He spoke the words softly before adding the least few words. His head rose as the wards let him know someone else had entered the Manor. He stood up slowly. The wards really liked him after he had gifted magic to them. Normally only the Master of the wards could feel them. "Someone just entered the Manor," he said. Lavender light spread down over his fingers. It was an enemy. He could see the red shape coming closer.

He walked out of Draco's bedroom only to end up face to face with a dark haired woman. Beautiful like any Black even if her stay in Azkaban had diminished it somewhat. She looked a lot like her younger sister Andromeda. "Madam Lestrange," Harry greeted her coldly. He knew he could not attack her within the Malfoy wards. She was considered family. Luckily for him she could not attack him either.

"And who might you be," Bellatrix said. "One of Lucius lapdogs perhaps."

"Perhaps," Harry said. "Are you here on cousin Voldemort's orders or have you come out of concern for your family, hmmmm?"

"The Dark Lord has no family," Bellatrix hissed.

"I would have to disagree," Harry said. "I am Kato Peverell by the way. In case he is interested. Though… if he wants to speak to me he will have to go through Lucius." He heard how the door behind him opened.

"Oh, little Draco," Bellatrix said. She took a step forward and Harry caught on to her wrist. "You harm him and you will suffer," he hissed in her ear.

"Kato dear let go of Bella will you."

Harry let go of the crazed woman and turned around to bow to Narcissa. "As you wish Lady Narcissa," he said. "I will take my leave of you now. Please contact me again if I'm needed." He headed down to the Entrance Hall and went back home.

Fleur was standing alone by the lake when Harry returned. "Where are the guys?" he asked.

"Zey went to spend some time wiz zeir family," Fleur said. She looked back out over the lake. "Zis place really is beautiful," she said.

Harry nodded slowly. "You know there is plenty of room within the wards," he said. "You and Bill could have a house built out west if you would like."

Fleur blinked surprised. She turned to look at Harry. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course _**lokzii**_ ," Harry said. "It would be nice to have family close by. There is a nice spot up by… you know what I'll show you," he said. He held a hand out to her and she took it. They moved from the beach almost 320 yards west. They landed in an open area much like where Ennerdale Manor stood. It was closer to the water though. "What do you think?" Harry asked Fleur.

"Zis is wonderful," Fleur said.

"It is far enough away from the manor that we all get privacy, but since it is all under the same wards. You know kids and so on can run to see each other as they wish," Harry said.

Fleur laughed. "I will 'ave to talk to Bill," she said.

"Of course," Harry said. "You know I have been thinking about getting horses too," he said. "You ride right?"

"I do yes," Fleur said. "'Orses would be nice."

"We're going to need more elves," Harry said. "At least one more. This place is too big to handle with just Winky."

Fleur nodded slowly. She was studying the area that Harry had showed her. It really was beautiful. She kind of liked the idea of living within Harry's wards. Ennerdale Estate was home.

…

"What do you zink?" Fleur asked Bill later that day.

They were back in the spot that Harry had shown her earlier. A soft smile had spread over Bill's lips. "You like it?" he asked Fleur.

"Oui," Fleur said.

"It is a beautiful spot," Bill said. "I don't know about the cost of having a place built though. How big should it be? What do we need?"

"'Arry said he would create a model for us just in case all we 'ave to do is get 'im," Fleur said.

Bill nodded. He raised his wand and sent of a blur of silver.

"Impressive lion," Harry said as he showed up. "Did you ever use the scroll by the way?"

"Thank you and yes I did. It was a lion as well," Bill said.

Harry chuckled. "Leader of the pack huh?" he said. "Strange that I seem to be the one leading."

"Even a lion knows that the dragon is mightier than him," Bill said. "And you are a dragon."

"True," Harry said. He turned to the open area and threw his illusion out. "You can walk into it. I think I got everything. You'll have to let me know if there is something missing," he said. He stayed outside as the other two walked into the house. It was much smaller than the manor, but Harry figured that they wanted something a bit cosier. He had wanted quite a lot of things and that had led to a rather big house. If they wanted to entertain a lot of people they could always come over to the manor.

Fleur came walking back out of the house with a bright smile on her face. "It is perfect 'Arry," she said.

"I don't get why there are so many bedrooms though," Bill said as he walked outside.

"Eh," Harry said. "Bill are you going to have kids?" he asked. "They need bedrooms too."

Fleur was standing with her arms crossed over her chest. "Bill mon amour," she said.

The redhead's ears turned red slowly. "I guess you have a point there," he told Harry.

The raven rolled his eyes. "So this is good?" he asked.

"Oui," Fleur said.

"Yes," Bill echoed.

"Good then I'll take the design to the goblins so they can make a cost plan for you," Harry said.

"You don't have to," Bill said.

"They will give me a discount Bill and I'd like to see you show them the house," Harry said.

The redhead gave up. He knew better than to argue with Harry. He wouldn't win.

They made their way back to the manor walking this time. Harry found Charlie and the two of them headed out of the house. He wanted to see a movie and he didn't care what it was. They could grab whatever was on. Charlie had laughed but he had agreed that it was a good idea.

* * *

 _4th of August, 1996. Sunday_

A dark clad figure made its way into a dirty neighbourhood. The face covered by a heavy hood. It didn't take long before she was joined by another figure similar in size. The second person sent of a bolt of light. "Just a fox," a deep female voice said. She looked up at the first figure. "Cissy wait," she called before taking off after her sister.

They reached the only house on the dank street with light shining through the curtains. The first woman reached out and knocked on the door.

"You cannot trust him Cissy," the second woman said.

"The Dark Lord trusts him does he not Bella," Narcissa said.

"Yes, but I…" Bellatix didn't get to say what she thought as the door opened a sliver and a dark haired man with black eyes looked out at them.

Narcissa threw her hood back, and he opened the door up for her. "Narcissa what a pleasant surprise," he said as he let her and her companion inside.

"Thank you for seeing me Severus," Narcissa said.

"But of course Narcissa," Severus said. He cast a glance at the still hooded figure next to the blond. He could guess who it was. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked as the two women looked around his tiny sitting room.

Narcissa sat down in one of the armchairs and looked down at her hands. Her sister moved up behind her and lowered her hood. She waited until Severus was seated as well before she said, "We are alone aren't we?"

"Of course," Severus said.

"Severus," Narcissa said. "I'm sorry to come here like this but I believe you are the only one who can help us. This is not supposed to spread beyond family, but…"

"Then it should stay in the family," Bellatrix hissed. "There is no need to spread it further."

"Bella please," Narcissa said. She turned back to Severus. "I am here to ask for you assistance Severus. The Dark Lord has given my son a task – a task I am unsure if Draco can handle. I ask of you to protect him… and if it should come to it aid him in his quest. The Dark Lord does not wish to let information about his quest leave our family."

"Then you should not speak of it. The Dark Lord's word is law," Severus said. He looked at the sisters for a moment. "It so happens that I know what Draco has been asked to do. I can try to help him."

Narcissa smiled faintly. "Will you promise me please? Will you make an Unbreakable Vow?" she asked.

"Oh, you heard him he will try," Bellatrix said. She was about to go on a rant when Severus said, "Yes." She fell silent. She watched as Severus rose from his chair so he could kneel down before Narcissa. They clasped right hands and Severus turned to Bellatrix. "You will need your wand," he said. She pulled it out looking astonished. Slowly she moved around the armchair her sister sat in and placed the tip of her wand against their clasped hands.

Narcissa spoke, "Will you, Severus, watch over my son Draco as he attempts to fulfil the Dark Lord's wishes?"

"I will," Severus answered.

A thin tongue of brilliant flames danced out of Bellatrix wand and surrounded their clasped hands like a red-hot wire.

"And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?"

"I will."

"And should it prove necessary will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord ordered Draco to perform?" Narcissa asked.

Severus hesitated for only a second before saying, "I will."

A third tongue of flames left Bellatrix wand and wounded itself around their clasped hands before the flames dug down into their hands.

"Thank you, Severus," Narcissa said. She stood up slowly. "I am sorry to have bothered you like this, but with the condition Lucius is in there is little else I can do."

"He has yet to wake?" Severus asked.

Narcissa nodded. "I hope though," she said.

Her sister spotted a somewhat disgusted look on her face. Lucius had destroyed something their Lord valued. She held nothing but despise for him. That her sister had to live with the man was horrifying. She left the disgusting muggle area with her sister. If they didn't have direct orders not to do anything that would draw attention to them she would destroy the entire neighbourhood.

* * *

 _9th of August, 1996. Friday_

A week after Harry had been over to Malfoy Manor to heal Lucius he was called back. He walked into the pale entrance hall and headed up towards the inhabitants' private rooms. Halfway to the Master bedroom he walked into Bellatrix. "Madam Lestrange," he said politely.

"You… what are you doing here?" Bellatrix asked.

"Lord Malfoy asked for my presence," Harry said.

"And like a good little dog you do as you are told," Bellatrix said.

Harry smirked. "If I'm a dog then so are you. Don't you bark when your Master tells you to. Though... I guess you wished you were his bitch," he said.

Bellatrix pulled her wand on him and fired of a spell. The wards kicked in and pushed her back while the spell disappeared.

Harry didn't pay her any mind. He walked past her down the corridor. As he reached the Master bedroom, he knocked on the ornate door. Narcissa opened it. "Thank you for coming," she said as she moved aside so he could walk in. "He is asking for you." She walked out of the room. Lucius had asked to speak to Kato alone.

Harry walked up to the bed. He was actually surprised Lucius had asked for him to come there. Someone of Lucius standing would normally not show that much weakness to anyone but possibly family. And while he was related to Narcissa, Lucius didn't know that. He sat down slowly. Lucius eyes were closed. He reached out and placed his hand on the man's wrist. His magic travelled out to check the blond over. There were a few things he had missed lat time that he fixed up. As his own eyes opened again Lucius was watching him. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Lucius breathed in slowly. "My mind is a mess," he said. "Narcissa told me that I would have to work on that."

Harry nodded. "I can help, but I didn't want to mess around with your mind without your permission," he said.

"She said you were trying to heal the Longbottoms," Lucius said.

"I am," Harry responded. "It is going forward. My experience with Alice was what saved you. Her mind has gotten stuck in disarray. Yours should still be rather easy to shift around. I must ask what happened."

Lucius snorted. "I was careless with an item important to the Dark Lord," he said.

"The diary," Harry said without thinking.

Lucius eyebrows furrowed. He might be a bit slower than normal, but there was no way possible that Kato would know about the diary unless he had been involved. 'I'm a Peverell.' The Dark Lord was his cousin many times removed, but the Peverell line had only branched into two families. He had known things that happened at Hogwarts. 'Harry is my cousin.' He was only available on weekends and holidays. "Kato Peverell is not your real name," Lucius said.

"And this is when I could try to convince you you are having problems with your mind and don't know what you are talking about. I could easily make you forget this and the things you used to puzzle it together," Harry said. He had known the moment he let the fact that he knew about the diary slip that Lucius would figure something was up. He didn't mind really. In some ways he found it beneficial for him. "So who do you think I am then Lucius?" he asked.

Lucius tilted his head to the side. The information he actually had only led to one person. It shouldn't be possible, but it still was the only logical answer. "Harry James Potter," he said.

Harry nodded. "As strange as that is," he said. He guessed that Lucius was as calm as he was because he was still recovering. His eyes turned green and his hair turned back to black. He didn't enjoy lying to people. Withholding information he was perfectly fine with, but he didn't like lying. He had always planed on telling Lucius so why not now. He would need a bit of a reacurance that the man wouldn't tell anyone though.

"How?" Lucius asked. "If this is truly what you look like then how? Harry Potter was born after Draco."

Harry looked to the ceiling. "I spent five years in another realm," he said. "No time passed here while I was away. I leaned a lot, but I also lost the ability to use normal wizarding magic. I grew up. Everything I have told you as Kato that wasn't related to Harry is true. I don't generally lie since I hate liars. The mother I have mentioned Katla; she kind of adopted me when I got there. That's why I can't see her now. She isn't on this planet." He shrugged. "I'm doing what I can with what I have. I made Kato so that the Ministry wouldn't find out about me. Time travel is looked down on after all, and if I told them that I have been to another realm they would lock me up somewhere," he said.

Lucius nodded slowly. He could sort of see what the young man meant. He raised a hand to his head. His mind was still so messy. "And your connection with my family?" he asked.

"Narcissa and I are second cousins," Harry said. "Family means a lot to me, but I don't really have any close family. Second cousins are as close as I get. Narcissa and her sisters and Sirius…" he trailed off. "Nothing I have done is to exploit you or your family. Kato is me as I want to be, as I am. Harry Potter is the role I play right now. I wear a glamour while at Hogwarts so no one will realise. I truly do want to help you. I don't generally do anything I'm not O.K. with."

"You are related to Narcissa?" Lucius said.

"Through my grandmother Dorea," Harry said. "She was a Black. The aunt of Narcissa's father."

Lucius tried to focus. He knew this. He had found out years ago.

"I can help sort your mind out Lucius," Harry said. "You're lacking the calm you need to do it yourself. I can do that bit. That way you don't need to have me messing around in your head. I'll just make it easier for you to sort things out yourself."

Lucius reached op with a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It would be nice to be able to think straight again," he said.

"Good," Harry said. "It will make it easier for you to decide what you want to do now as well." He moved over and helped Lucius sit up properly. He took his boots off and climbed up on the bed. He sat down with his legs crossed facing the blond. He reached out and placed his hands on Lucius' knees. His eyes closed and a jade light spread from his hands.

Lucius sighed and leaned back. He retreated to his mind. It was much easier to focus now. Slowly he sorted through his memories. He had no idea how long he was in there. Unknown to him Harry had mumbled a set of words as he slipped into his mind.

Tiid klo ul

Time slow eternity

Time would stand still for them as long as the effect was active.

Harry was breathing calmly as he made sure that Lucius stayed calm. He wanted to allow for the blond to stay objective. He honestly hoped that Lucius wouldn't just cut contact with him. It was weird how close he had gotten to the aristocrat. If he had told his twelve-year-old self that he would have pleasant conversations with Lord Malfoy, young Harry would have thought him crazy. That all was before Katla and Ra'shall, though. Things had changed.

Lucius opened his eyes almost two hours later. He studied the young raven sitting in front of him. He had always known there was something. Now he knew what it was. It seemed unbelievable yet the proof was sitting right there. He did not doubt that Potter… no Harry had left Earth. The things he knew just didn't exist on Earth. His wards would not like the young raven so much if he wasn't being honest. No he had made his decision. He would ride this out. Malfoy's wanted to come out on top and with the things he had seen this young man do he knew he would win. He reached out and placed a hand on the raven's shoulder.

Harry's eyes opened slowly. "Do you feel better now?" he asked.

Lucius nodded as he moved back. "At least now my shields will hold up properly again," he said.

"Would you like to get up?" Harry asked. "You haven't left this room for a week."

"Yes that would be preferred," Lucius said.

Harry stood up. His hair turned brown again. "I will be waiting in your study," he said. He walked out of the bedroom and headed down to the study. Telling Lucius who he really was had always been on the agenda. He was getting to close to just brush them off. He truly cared about the Malfoys. It was strange considering the way they tended to act. He could see part of way they did it though. And he wasn't impossible, he could forgive… Sure Lucius wasn't the nicest man, but he had changed some since Kato met him. To Harry that didn't matter. The man was family and unless he did something trully horible now he would remain in the raven's good favour.

An elf arrived and offered him some tea. He walked over to the window and looked outside. Draco was flying. He shook his head as he watch the blond. He was too stiff. He couldn't go out there and show him how to do it though. Draco would definitely recognise Harry's flying style. The blond wasn't stupid. He lifted the tea to his mouth and drank.

The door opened and someone walked in behind the raven. He turned around slowly. Lucius looked far better now. He walked up to the desk. His eyes moved over to the stiletto. "Where did you find that?" he asked.

Harry looked over to the dagger. "In a room filled with things at Hogwarts," he said. "You get to it by walking past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet three times, thinking of the room you want I believe. Maybe it will only show the room of hidden things I'm not sure."

Lucius nodded. "You will be at Hogwarts this year?" he asked.

"Yes," Harry said. "I will probably not go back for the seventh year though."

"I have a favour to ask of you," Lucius said.

"Ask away."

"Will you look after Draco and protect him?" Lucius asked. "He has been given a mission by the Dark Lord I do not know if he can complete. Will you take him away from they school and bring him somewhere safe if it becomes necessary?"

Harry looked out the window. "He is not going to appreciate that," he said. "I swear that I will do my best to watch over Draco. Should it become necessary for his protection I will bring him to the safety of my home. I swear this as I consider him family."

Lucius seemed to relax. "Thank you," he said.

"I won't be able to openly aid him," Harry said. He smirked. "There are other ways to deal with it though."

"You truly would have made it well in Slytherin," Lucius said.

"Resourceful, cunning, highly self-preservative though I will help others as well and quite clever," Harry said. "I guess I have some ambition as well. I'm just not interested in a position of power. The Hat wanted to place me in Slytherin. I disagreed with it for childish reasons. As you grow up you realise how foolish it is to only recognise traits from one House at Hogwarts. You need to balance them to truly make it out in the world."

"A wise realisation," Lucius said.

Harry chuckled. "I guess," he said.

"You will stay for dinner?" Lucius asked.

"I would if my boyfriend wasn't waiting for me at home," Harry said.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. He had not expected that. "Some one I know?" he asked.

"Know of," Harry said. "Charlie Weasley." He could see a darkness moving over Lucius eyes. "What do you have against the Weasleys, Lucius?" he asked.

The blond sighed and sat down by his desk. "You know Draco is an only child," he said. "He wasn't meant to be."

Harry nodded. "And there are the Weasleys with seven healthy powerful children," he said. "I can understand the resentment I guess. It isn't something they can do anything about though."

"Father had other reasons and he expected me to share his views. I created other ways to muster that resentment," Lucius said.

Harry nodded. "Hopefully Draco won't have the same problem," he said.

"We can hope," Lucius said.

"Let's see if I can manage to insult cousin Bella on my way out as well," Harry said. "I'm glad that the wards like me." He bid Lucius adieu before walking out of the study. He had left the blond with a lot to think about once more.


	77. Cursed Cup

**Cursed Cup**

 _10th of August, 1996. Saturday_

Harry walked in to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes the day after he had promised to look after Draco. Brown was hair put up with the dragon hair clip that Charlie had given him. The oranget was following closely behind him. He had wanted to see how his little brothers were doing. Harry would be buying the supplies he would need for that year later that day. He had realised something before they headed out though. "We can't act as a couple in the Wizarding World Charlie," he had said. "The talk when you start dating Harry right after Kato disappears just isn't something I want us to have to deal with."

"I understand," Charlie had said. He could tell that Harry wanted to just tell everyone else to go fuck themselves, but he couldn't. When they travelled abroad it didn't mater. People that met only Kato and then later Harry would just think they were the same person and that was fine. In Britain that wouldn't happen. He looked over at the 'brunet'. He wanted to just hold his hand.

"I would have to be blind not to see that."

Charlie turned to his little brother. He had no idea where the guy had come from, but that was Fred for you. "Keep it down," he said.

"Really Charlie," Fred said. "I know he's attractive what's wrong with liking him."

Charlie gave his little brother a flat look.

"Why don't I show you our hidden products?" Fred said not the least bit bothered by his brother's glare. He grabbed onto Charlie and dragged him to the back of the store. They walked into a dark room.

Charlie squinted and studied the shelves. "What is this?" he asked.

"Oh, some protective wear and such," Fred said. "The Black Dragon supplies us with a lot of it, but we do some ourselves as well." He turned to the door as George led Harry inside.

The 'brunet' rolled his eyes and walked up to Charlie. He wrapped his arms around the oranget and kissed him deeply. "Hmmm, well I guess he'll do," he said as he moved away from Charlie. He turned to look at the astounded flabbergasted twins. He could feel Charlie's arms wrap around his waist. "It would you know bother me more if Charlie and I didn't get together last summer." He could see how lights went up for Fred and George.

"Wait," "our brother," "gave you," "those hickies last year," the twins said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes he did," he said. "Don't spread it around. We'll let people know. I don't want to associate him with Kato though. It will just create problems."

"Sure Captain whatever you say," Fred said. "We're just glad to have you as a brother-in-law," George followed.

Harry sighed. "Save me," he whispered.

"You wanted to come here," Charlie said.

"Yeah, there must be something seriously wrong with me," Harry said. He headed back towards the door and walked back out. The shop was buzzing. It was nice to see that the twins were doing well. He jumped up on the counter and watched as people moved in and out of the shop. The Weasleys came in around midday. He could see Ronald moving around picking thinks up until George caught him. It was obvious that the twins weren't going to give things away for free. Fred walked up behind him. "We're going to run low on Colouring Rocks soon," he said. "People really like that stuff."

"I'll mix some up for you if you can get me the potion," Harry said.

"Coming right up," Fred said before disappearing upstairs for a couple of minutes. He came back with a bottle and handed it to Harry. "You'll have a new batch tomorrow," the raven said as he placed the bottle in his bag.

Charlie tilted his head as he looked up at a couple of boxes promising some very vivid daydreams. "One would think you don't need those," George said.

"I don't," Charlie said. "It's just interesting to see what you are creating." He turned around. "Hi mom," he said.

"Oh, Charlie how nice," Mrs Weasley said. She reached up and touched his hair. "You have to let me cut this. It is starting to look a right mess."

Charlie moved back. "No thanks mom," he said. He preferred it the way it was, and he knew that Harry wouldn't be happy if she cut it.

"Charlie!"

"Omph," Charlie looked down at his little sister. "Hello Ginny. You'd think I wasn't over just a few weeks ago," he said. "So how do you feel? It's your OWL year coming up now."

"A bit nervous but nothing much," Ginny said. "I get to be on the Quidditch team this year it's going to be awesome. Captain is really skilled." She lowered her voice. "He's hot too," she said.

Charlie didn't know what to say. Yes Harry was hot. He wasn't going to get into how the raven dealt with his sister though. That was something Harry would have to decide on. He cared too much about his sister to get involved, and he knew Harry could handle himself. "Well that's good I guess, but I thought you had a boyfriend," he said.

"Well yeah," Ginny said. "Doesn't mean I can't look though."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Don't let mom hear you," he said.

"Eh, of course not," Ginny said. She lifted her Pygmy Puff up to her face. The purple fluffy fur spread out over her face.

"We should get going Charlie. I have a meeting with the goblins and we can check if they have something for you to do," Harry said as he walked up to the oranget. "Hey," he said as he saw Ginny.

"Hi," Ginny answered. Her eyes travelled up and down the man in front of her. ' _Hello sexy,'_ she thought. He was wearing a tight blue tanktop that showed his muscles off and low riding grey cargo pants. His hair was put up and his big amber eyes almost glowed.

"Yeah, I know," Charlie said. He hugged Ginny. "I'll see you later sis," he said.

Ginny's eyes followed them out of the shop. Why did her brothers have to have so good looking co-workers or friends or whatever the brown haired Adonis was.

"What are you looking at sis?"

She turned around and looked up at Fred or George; she wasn't sure which twin it was. "Oh, it's nothing," she said. It was obvious to her that he didn't believe her.

Harry and Charlie were completely unaware of what was going on inside WWW at this time though. They had almost reached Gringotts. Harry made his way up the marble staircase outside the massive bank building. He turned as he reached the top. His eyes rolled. Charlie caught up with him. "Maybe you should try not checking my ass out," he said. "I said keep it down not act obvious."

"I can't help it," Charlie said.

"I'm going to have to start telling people that Kato has a girlfriend," Harry said.

Charlie grimaced. He wasn't so sure he liked the idea.

They entered through the heavy bronze doors and headed up towards the private offices. Harry greeted goblins as they passed them. The walked across the floor of the main hall and entered a quieter corridor beyond the normal hustle. A door further down the corridor opened and two persons came walking out.

"Finally," Harry whispered.

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Hey Tonks," he said.

"Charlie," Tonks smiled at him. "How's life treating you?" she asked.

"Alright," Charlie said. "I'm a bit bored since I'm between jobs right now, but hopefully I'll find something to do soon. How about you?" he asked.

"Oh, it's alright now that Remus finally agreed to stop being a stubborn fool," Tonks said. She turned to Kato. "Hi I'm Tonks," she said.

"Kato Peverell," Harry said.

"You guys are?" Tonks fished.

"Colleagues and friends," Charlie said. "We did a job down in Namibia last summer. Kato's got good contacts with the goblins so when I resigned at the reserve he offered to help me find something new."

"That's great," Tonks said. "Well I'm going to drag this guy off and have lunch whether he likes it or not. You have fun, and I hope you find something that suits your taste."

"Have a good day," Charlie responded. He turned to Harry as the two disappeared. "Finally?" he asked.

"Remus was a werewolf. He was the one I thought of when I brought the bloody cure back here," Harry said. "And I noticed how Kami acted around him last Yule. He was interested, but I guess he was using the damn werewolf as an excuse not to see her. He's too dangerous or something. Not a very valid excuse when there is a cure."

"Kami?"

"Yeah, Kami Chameleon," Harry said. "She calls me Leo."

Charlie shook his head and chuckled.

They entered Gogil's office a moment later. "I'll be frank Gogil," Harry said. "There is an item in this bank that holds a piece of a soul. I'm searching for items like that so that I can deal with them. To the best of my knowledge the soul pieces belong to one Tom Marvolo Riddle. It may or may not be a part of the reason Mr Riddle isn't dead."

Gogil's face had taken on a look of disgust. While soul magic was not necessarily frowned upon by goblins it was still not something that they accepted with open arms. "Can you specify where the item is Harry?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Give me a minute," he said. His eyes closed and he focused his magic. His mind travelled along the path showed to him. His hands opened up palms up so he could show the other two in the room what he saw. A chained dragon outside a high security vault. He travelled inside and up to the object that held the soul piece. "The badger would indicate that it belonged to Helga Hufflepuff," he said. He opened his eyes and met Gogil's dark orbs.

"It was stolen," Gogil said. "From the Smith family in 1946 or so."

"The Lestranges have a stolen object in their vault. We have the right to extract that one object. I will contact their manager," he said.

"There is a good possibility that they don't know the object is stolen," Harry said.

Gogil blinked. "Well then I guess we don't need to let them know," he said. He left the office to go and find the goblin in charge of the Lestranges vault.

"We can just enter?" Charlie asked.

"I haven't secured the vault so yeah, we can just enter," Harry said. "If I had secured it then it wouldn't be quite this easy." He reached out and took Charlie's hand. In there it wasn't like anyone could see them in there.

Gogil returned with another goblin. The older more austere-looking goblin looked Harry up and down for a long while. "What are you planning on doing with the cup?" he asked finally.

"Remove the soul piece and hopefully return it to Hogwarts together with the other Founders' items I have found. I believe these items belong to the Houses of Hogwarts and to the school as a whole. It will be my wish that they are displayed either in the common rooms or in the Great Hall. I will offer to place protection upon them myself when the time comes to present them," Harry answered.

The old goblin nodded. "You do not wish to keep these items for yourself?" he asked.

"No I have no desire to keep them," Harry said honestly. "They don't belong to me."

"Then I will take you down to my clients' vault so we can fetch this one stolen item from there," the goblin said. Harry stood up and followed the goblin slowly. Charlie fell in line next to him. They headed over to the underground railway and entered a cart. They travelled far down and through a magical waterfall. The cart stopped by the chained dragon Harry had seen. He walked up to the beast. "I thought I made it clear this wasn't something that we can have happening around here," he said as he placed a hand on the dragon's side. "She's starving."

" _ **Stiildus kruziik gein zu'u los ni het wah aax hi - calm ancient one I am not here to harm you,"**_ Harry said calmly. " _ **Zu'u fen wahl bek hi ofaal atruk wah naak - I will make sure you get something to eat."**_

A big red eye opened to look at the human next to her. He held power unknown to this world. He was dovah. She would not attack him. Her eyes travelled over to the second human and she raised her head.

Charlie met her gaze. He did his best to stay calm. He knew Harry wouldn't let her harm him, but it was still a bit unnerving to stand before a massive dragon with no real protection. He bowed slowly. " _ **Drem yol lok,"**_ he said remembering some of the words Harry had taught him.

The dragon looked down at him. This one did not hold power. He smelled of the powerful one however. " _ **Daar los hin leret onliin - this is your nest mate?"**_ she asked slowly.

" _ **Geh,"**_ Harry answered.

" _ **Let him know I will not, aax, harm him,"**_ she said.

" _ **May I ask your name ancient one?"**_ Harry asked.

" _ **Gramkunsot,"**_ she answered.

Harry nodded slowly. "I believe it is time for me to make sure that the dragons here know how things should be," he said calmly in English. He reached out and rubbed her side. " _ **Zu'u fen kos zek - I will be back,"**_ he told the dragon. " _ **I only need to pick up an item first."**_ Slowly he walked over to the vault and placed hi palm against the door. Now it would be interesting to see if his initiation into Clan Magun had given him the right to open vaults. The doors opened slowly, and Harry smirked. He walked inside slowly and looked around. His eyes caught the golden sheen of the goblet he was looking for. A had rose and a rusty orange wisp circled his hand as he pulled the cup to himself. He walked back out of the vault and closed it. "I took only the item agreed on," he told the goblin that took care of the vault. "You may search me for any other item should you wish."

The old goblin did take him up on that offer. Unseen, magic left him and searched the young man. He found nothing that should belong with his clients. "You stay true to your word young man," he said.

"I have taken the same oaths as you," Harry said. "And just like you I will uphold them." He walked back up to Gramkunsot. The chains holding her were severed.

"You cannot simply release her," the old goblin said.

"Oh, yes I can," Harry said. "I happen to be in charge of dragon related maters as far as Gringotts is concerned. She needs food, and she needs to be taken care off. If the goblins will not do that then I will have to. Winky!"

The small elf showed up next to him. "We're going to need something big enough to feed a hungry dragon dear. Could you get that for me?" he asked.

"Winky can," Winky said before popping away. It was a bit complicated to get a whole cow or sheep or pig, but she could manage. She had to look around for quite a while before she found something that would suffice. She popped back with the pig and placed it down in front of the dragon. "Here Miss Dragon," she said. She backed up to Harry as the dragon struck down on the pig.

" _ **Thank you little slaag, little elf,"**_ Gramkunsot said.

"We are going to have to set something up that will actually get the dragons here the amount of food they need," Harry said.

"Winky will speak to Gogil right away," Winky said.

"Thank you Winky," Harry said. He walked back up to Gramkunsot. He rubbed her side slowly. "Charlie come over here I'm going to challenge the leader of this place. The goblins have sort of forced them into a pack here so there will be an alpha. I don't want you standing between him or her and me," he said.

" _ **Kinbok do daar tah bo luft zey - leader of this pack come face me,"**_ Harry called. " _ **I am the Dragonborn. Zu'u jur hi - I challenge you."**_ He moved away from Gramkunsot. He could feel Charlie wrapping his arms around him. "You be careful now," he said. He wouldn't tell Charlie to leave though. He knew the oranget could handle himself. His eyes closed as he waited. He was focusing on the sounds around them.

"What are you doing?" the old goblin asked.

"I'm challenging the leader of the dragons around here," Harry said. "Not all of them are chained up like beasts."

"You are insane," the goblin exclaimed.

"That may be," Harry said. "But here they come." He could hear beating wings coming closer. He placed a hand on top of the arms wrapped around him.

" _ **Dir mun hi krilon jur zey - die human you dare challenge me,"**_ a big silver gray dragon roared.

It was another Ironbelly. Harry breathed in, and as fire spread out towards him, he roared, " _ **Yoltaas toor goraag shul."**_ He moved forward and a shield spread out around him and Charlie. " _ **Krii lun aus,"**_ he shouted. " _ **Give up,"**_ he said.

" _ **Neh - never,"**_ the Ironbelly roared.

Harry sighed. " _ **Then I'm sorry,"**_ he said. " _ **Iiz diinaan slen nus zokro."**_ A cloud of ice left him. As it hit the dragon the silver-gray scales froze. The wings stopped moving and the dragon fell.

" _ **Sometimes death is inevitable,"**_ Gramkunsot said. " _ **You did what you had to."**_ She lifted her head. " _ **Dovahkiin nu rel kiibok ok zothunrot - the Dragonborn now rules follow his decree,"**_ she roared.

Harry closed his eyes. " _ **I will come around to release every dovah that is locked up. I know the goblins have harmed you. They did not know better. I know that is no excuse. We will find a way to make it right. I will not have you attacking them or the humans that come down here though,"**_ he roared. He turned to Gramkunsot. " _ **I'm going to need some help moving around,"**_ he said. " _ **Will you help me?"**_

" _ **It has been a long time since I last stretched my viingge, my wings,"**_ Gramkunsot said. She moved out and her wings unfolded. She flapped them a few times. " _ **My muscles hurt,"**_ she said.

Harry moved over to her and placed his hands against her side. Golden light spread over her. It centred on her wings and spread out. " _ **Ahhhh, that is much better Dovahkiin,"**_ the old dragon said. " _ **I will take you and your mate around now."**_ She shook her body around. " _ **Climb up little one."**_

Harry walked forward and climbed up on her back. He held a hand out to Charlie. "Come on love she said that you can come as well," he said.

Charlie smiled. "Oh, dragon flying again," he said. He walked up to Harry and took his hand before climbing up behind the raven. He wrapped his arms around his lover tightly. "I guess we can go now," he said.

Harry chuckled. " _ **Mu vis lif nu - we can leave now, Gramkunsot,"**_ he told the dragon. She spread her massive wings out and took to the air.

They landed several times freeing dragons as they went. Most of the dragons were Ironbellies but they also found Welsh Greens and Longhorns. The freed dragons followed them as they went deeper. They landed in a big cave deep below the vaults.

Harry slipped off Gramkunsot and landed on the damp cave floor. " _ **Zu'u Dovahkiin,"**_ he said. " _ **I know you have been wronged by the goblins. You cannot simply leave here though. The humans without magic would go crazy out there. I want you to be free, but we have to find a way to get you out without them noticing. As it is right now, I'm going to make sure that you all get enough food down here until I can get you out."**_ He walked over to one dragon after another healing them as best as he could. "You're going to have to carry me out of here at this rate," he told Charlie as he wobbled.

The oranget caught him. "You are exhausting yourself," he said. "Winky will not be happy with you."

Harry chuckled softly. "I can't just leave half of them hurt," he said.

Charlie tightened his grip on the raven. "You need to rest balaur meu," he said.

"O.K. love," Harry said.

"I'll use the port-key. Say goodbye to your friends," Charlie said.

" _ **Bye-bye I'll be back soon,"**_ Harry said to the dragons. " _ **Don't be eating no goblins or humans."**_

Charlie pulled the raven with him as he activated the port-key to Ennerdale Estate. He felt how Harry collapsed against him as they landed. "Hey love," he said.

"Hmmmm," Harry hummed.

"I guess you won't be walking," Charlie said. "Come on let's get you into a hot bath." He shifted the raven around so he could lift him up. He could feel Harry's arms shift so the raven was holding on to him.

"What 'appened?" Fleur asked concerned as Charlie made his way up the stairs.

"He exhausted his magic reserves. Other than that he's fine," the oranget said. "I'm going to have him take a bath and then he go straight to bed." He walked into the master bedroom and paced Harry down so he could help him get out of his clothes.

"I can get undressed my self _**dii yol,"**_ Harry mumbled.

"Oh, I'm sure you could," Charlie said. "But I'm going to help you so you don't fall over." He picked the raven up again and carried him into the bathroom. He placed him down in the sizable tub before he started filling it with water. "Is that good?" he asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Would be better if you got in here too."

Charlie chuckled. "Sure give me a sec," he said.

"Better not take any longer," Harry said. He reached out for Charlie as the oranget joined him. "C'me here love I wanna cuddle," he said.

Charlie moved closer to Harry so they could cuddle together. He summoned the raven's soap so he could clean them up. He took the dragon hair clip he had given Harry out of the raven's hair before picking the soap out of the little wooden box that kept it good. He lathered it up and ran his fingers through raven locks.

Harry hummed happily. "You're amazing," he said.

"That's good," Charlie said. He started massaging his boyfriend's scalp slowly.

The two of them spent almost two hours in the tub relaxing before moving over to the bed. Charlie sat down with Harry's dovahzul notes. He was doing his best to learn the language. He had the sounds of several words down already. Next to him Harry had fallen asleep. The raven was hugging him tightly.

* * *

 _11th of August, 1996. Sunday_

Harry was sitting by the dining table the next day. He was tired but he wanted to deal with the soul in the cup. He placed it down on the table and got the soul gem out of his bag. He placed it down next to the cup. " _ **Rii vaaz sil,"**_ he said slowly. The soul piece left the cup and joined the rest of the soul in the gem.

"That's good," he said.

"Harry what are you doing?" Charlie asked as he entered the dinning room. "You should be resting." He walked up to the raven and grabbed him. "Come on I'll get you back upstairs.

"I needed to deal with the cup. I didn't want his soul in my house trying to poison our minds," Harry said.

Charlie sighed. "Yeah, O.K. I guess that's good," he said. "As long as you don't leave bed again until you're better."

"Mhhm," Harry said. "Don't go," he begged as Charlie placed him down in bed.

"Alright I'll stay," Charlie said. He climbed in next to the raven. "I guess I'll have to make sure you don't do this again."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said. He cuddled up closer to Charlie.

"Will you teach me more?" Charlie asked.

"Sure we gotta have something to do," Harry said. "Don't hate me if I fall asleep."

"Oh, I won't," Charlie said. He hugged Harry close as they started the next lesson.


	78. In Amazonas

**In Amazonas**

 _14th of August, 1996. Wednesday_

It took Harry a couple of days to recover. His magic regenerated and his head cleared up. He and Charlie returned to Gringotts to have another talk with the goblins. It turned out that they had another mission related to dragons. It was in the Amazonian Rainforest.

"Hot and humid this time around great," Charlie said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, don't you complain you'll enjoy yourself," Harry said. "And I can be there for the first two weeks like last time around."

Charlie nodded. "I know," he said.

"This one is specifically for the dragon though," Gogil said. "You are going there for them. With you only there for a short time Kato, you will have to make sure that your partner can handle things after you leave."

"I'll have to show that they aren't allowed to harm Charlie and get in good with the females. He's learning dovahzul pretty fast so there won't really be any problems there," Harry said.

"It's easier when you only need to understand how to pronounce things," Charlie said. "I doubt I could get a hold on the magic."

"It would take longer that's for sure," Harry said. He turned back to Gogil. "I would like to rope another person in. He's recently left Hogwarts and wants a job where he can travel. Together Charlie and I can make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, and we could do with another set of hands."

"I would have suggested bringing at least one more person, but a rookie, are you sure about that?" Gogil said.

"We've discussed it and I agree with Kato," Charlie said. "As a rookie he has to start somewhere to get better."

"We'd rather he went with us than anywhere else. We can make sure he won't get himself killed," Harry said. "I still have to talk to him of course. I would like to have a contract for him on hand when I meet him."

Gogil turned to his colleague. They spoke for a while in Gobbledegook. The contractor just wanted the dragons out of the way. He didn't care how they did it. The dragons were harming the temple they were trying to plot and research. They flooded the tunnels and the amount of rain falling was crazy even for the Rainforest. He told Gogil as much. As long as they got people there to deal with the blasted dragons he didn't care what they did.

Gogil was unsure if Harry would actually do what his colleague wanted. The human wouldn't kill dragons unless he really had no other choice he knew that. They were making the young man the boss of the expedition though. That would be their problem not his. "You might want to hire the helping hand yourself," he told Harry. "It will make him safer than if you let him be hired through Clan Tarnok. I can work out higher payment for you to make up for that, but it will be more of a gamble for you and less for your rookie."

Harry nodded. "Sounds fair enough to me," he said. "Oh, before I forget I was thinking that maybe we should offer a lighter version of added security as well as the maximum one to the vaults. Something that the normal Witch and Wizard can actually afford. It would be adding a couple of security words to the vaults, but not locking them to the family or a specific goblin like I'm doing with the others."

Gogil smirked. "Perfect," he said. "I can spread the word and we can make a list of people who would like this added security to their vaults."

"I can probably handle at least five vaults a visit with less security. It will be nowhere near as straining for me," Harry said. "Let's say fifty galleons a vault. It is still some money but not anywhere near as expensive as the high security add on."

"It means that there still will be people who can't afford it," Charlie said.

Harry nodded. "But those people are less likely to actually get stolen from in the first place since they don't have anything," he said.

Charlie nodded. "I guess that's true in a way," he said.

"It will work itself out eventually Charlie," Harry said. "So," he said as he turned back to Gogil, "will you write up a decent salary for a rookie. They hired us for about four months, right?"

Gogil nodded.

"Then we're hiring him for the same amount of time," Harry said. "I'm going to need one hell of a port-key for this to work. I need to go between Amazonas and Hogwarts."

"That can be handled as long as you don't try travelling too often," Gogil said.

"The weekends," Harry said. "I can't be more specific on when exactly until I have my schedule."

"That is up to you," Gogil said. "You will have to remember that travelling that far will offset you some and you have to keep track of the time difference."

Harry nodded. He just wouldn't change his own watch. That would be enough for him.

"Here you go," Gogil said. "That is a rather generous pay for someone who has no field experience. However him going with you now will give him experience so it will be easier for him to get other jobs after this." He handed over the contract to Harry.

"Thank you Gogil," the 'brunet' said as he took the paper. He stood up and bid the old goblin adieu before he and Charlie left the office. "Next step is getting in contact with Cedric," he said as they walked out of the bank. They would return the following day for the port-key they needed to get to Coari where they would start out.

"I'm going to need some equipment for this," Charlie said.

"I guess that's a part of what we need to do now then," Harry said. "I am pretty sure I'll be fine with what I have. We should probably get some things for Cedric though. You know what I'll head over to the owl-office and send an owl off. Hopefully we can get him to meet us here today."

Charlie nodded absent-mindedly; he was trying to figure out where the best place to go for equipment was. He knew Harry would find him no matter where he disappeared off to so he could just go on ahead. He went through a couple of shops before he actually found something worthwhile. He needed a machete, but he would probably have to leave Diagon Alley for that. He wasn't going to leave without Harry. He wandered around for a while ending up back in the twins' shop. He was talking to Fred when Harry found him again. "We'll have to find a place where they sell machetes," he told the raven. "I'd preferably get a magical one…"

"I can probably enchant it better than anything else you can get your hands on Charlie," Harry said. "Let's just find a high quality machete alright."

Charlie blinked. He had forgotten that Harry had told him a bout the Arcane Enchanter. He knew his boyfriend was right though. It would probably make things easier as well.

"Come on I can pay for them," Harry said.

"Kato."

"You can pay me back later," Harry said.

Charlie shook his head in amusement, but he did follow the 'brunet' out of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. They headed over the Leakey Cauldron so they could walk over to the non-magical part of London. Thankfully they were both wearing clothes that could easily pass for normal in the non-magical world. As they left the magical world, they also stopped acting like they weren't together. Charlie reached out and took Harry's hand. "We're going to have to hide this in front of Diggory aren't we?" he asked.

Harry nodded slowly. "Possibly," he said. "Or we'll tell him the truth in the long run of things. There are several people I'll do that with. None of them are going to get as much information as you have. Well none has that I guess. Fleur, Bill and the twins know more than what I'll tell most people."

"I'd prefer that," Charlie said.

It took them a while to find it, but eventually they entered a shop that sold daggers and the like. They had a long talk with the seller before settling on a pair of well designed machetes. Wooden handle and sharp. The seller hadn't been all that enthusiastic about selling to them until he saw just how they handled the machetes. There was not toying around with them. Both young men check the products over before deciding that they had found what they wanted. They paid for them and let him wrap them up so they couldn't just be used as soon as the young men left the shop.

Harry took the packages as soon as they found a quiet alley and packed them down in his ever present bag. They stopped by some more shops on their way back to Diagon Alley. Cedric Diggory was waiting for them when they entered the Leaky Cauldron once more. Harry walked up to him and held his hand out. "You must be Mr Diggory," he said. "My name is Kato Peverell, my cousin Harry told me you were looking for a job that would take you travelling."

Cedric nodded. "I am, yeah," he said.

"How does the Amazonian Rainforest sound?" Harry asked. He took out the contract and placed it down in front of the teen. "We leave tomorrow." He turned to Charlie. "This is Charlie Weasley. He and I are heading this little trip. You'll be assisting us. We are going to meet up with someone when we get there that can show us around."

Cedric's eyes widened. He wasn't sure what to say. He looked down at the contract. It was for four months long and paid far more than he thought he would ever be able to get on a first job. It looked too good to be true. He signed it not even thinking twice.

"Great," Harry said. "You are going to need clothes that can take a beating and several pieces of equipment." He turned to his companion. Charlie pulled out a list of things that would most definitely be necessary. He handed it over to Cedric.

The brunet looked down at the note. "I can't afford this," he said.

Harry hummed. "Don't you worry about that," he said. "We'll get you equipped properly." He stood up. "Come on no time to waste."

…

By the time Cedric made it back to his parents' home his head was spinning. He was fully equipped to leave now. He had learned that his bosses were quite different personality-wise. One was forward and on to the problem as soon as it came up while the other was more relaxed. Neither of them slacked off though.

It would be very different from school to work for those two. Four months wasn't much, but eh wouldn't be using his own money at all during that time as far as he could tell so he would have some money to move around with when he got back. He could probably rest over Yuletide and hopefully pick up something new after that. If he was lucky Kato and Charlie – they weren't ones for sticking to last names – would be picking something new up. As he understood it, they were both dragon experts though so he might want to branch out.

He was just glad he had something to start with.

* * *

 _15th of August, 1996. Thursday_

The following day Cedric met his bosses outside of Gringotts. They were both dressed for business.

"When will we get there?" Kato asked Charlie as Cedric walked up to join them.

"Eight in the morning," Charlie said.

"Sounds good," Harry said. He looked over to Cedric. "Ready to head out?" he asked. "The port-key-lag the first day will be pretty bad so we aren't expecting to get that far."

Cedric nodded. "I'm ready," he said.

"Good," Harry said as he took the port-key out of his bag. He held it out and waited until the other two held onto it before activating it. He carried a second port-key with him that would take him back and forth as he needed later. They just had to set up a point for him to travel to and from in the rainforest. That meant that they would need a base camp. He activated the port-key and they left Britain behind.

They landed in a sizable office. Cedric placed a hand to his head. Everything was spinning. He felt a hand land on his shoulder and his head cleared up somewhat at least. "I can't do much more than that," he heard Kato say. "Thanks," he mumbled. He was guided out of the office and onto a street. It was busy with people.

"Charlie!"

The oranget turned towards the voice. "Hey Laurina," he said.

"Don't tell me you are the people we're taking out in the jungle," Laurina said. She looked over at the two brunets. "Kato nice to see you again," she said.

"Laurina," Harry said as he shook her hand.

"And who is the youngling?"

"Cedric Diggory," Harry said. "Cedric this is Laurina Elovyn. She and her husband are guards slash guides." He turned to Laurina. "You were sent back for a couple of people who would deal with the dragon problem they've been having over by the temple?"

Laurina nodded. "I thought of you, but I wasn't sure they'd be able to get a hold of someone so elusive," she said.

Harry chuckled. "Oh, I'll be around," he said. "I do have other things to do though so I'm going to have to set up a port-key point."

"Let me know when you have done that. The goblins up there are impossible won't let us do anything of the kind," Laurina said. "Come on Ralis is picking up some supplies and then I guess we can head out."

"We arrived just now so we'll have to take it a bit slow today," Charlie said. "The lag from the travel and all."

"That's alright we can pick things up tomorrow and get there by nightfall," Laurina said. "Unless the youngling is too fresh to handle it. Then it might take longer." She was well aware that Harry would make it no problem. And Charlie would be fine.

"We'll see," Harry said. "For now we might as well get going."

They followed Laurina over to some stands where her husband was doing some shopping. He looked up at them as they approached. "Well at least the people we're going to guide aren't dunderheads this time around," he said as he looked them over.

"Nice to see you too Ralis," Charlie said. He wasn't affected by the man's rude disposition. He knew the guy was that way.

"You better be prepared for a hike through the jungle," Ralis said as they walked away from the market. He turned to them and held a hand out let me see that," he said and indicated to the machete hanging by Charlie's side.

Charlie removed the weapon from his belt and handed it to the dark-haired man.

Ralis looked the machete over slowly. It was enchanted that much he could easily tell. It was decent craftsmanship as well. "You didn't go to a magical place for this one," he said. Witches and Wizards always thought they could get away with lower quality steel just because they could use magic on the weapon.

"No," Charlie said.

"And who enchanted it?" Ralis asked.

"I did," Harry said. "And considering my own weapons I have quite the experience doing things like that."

Ralis nodded. He'd seen the raven's sword and bow. He did not disagree with the man. He was good at what he did. "I assume we're just heading straight out," he said as he handed the machete back to Charlie. "You all have what you need."

"Of course," Harry said.

"Then lets get going," Ralis said.

It was interesting to wander straight out into the thick vegetation of the Amazonian Rainforest. They were lucky that others had walked the paths they travelled before them since it mean less work for them, but they also had to be very careful. The forest was filled with dangerous animals. The jaguar being the foremost hunter. They were all pretty attentive though so nothing was likely to sneak up on them – especially with Harry checking ahead of them with his magic ever so often.

Cedric followed Kato. He was walking between the brunet and Charlie. He guessed it was good that they knew the people they were travelling with. He wasn't so sure about just wandering straight out in the forest though. He really hoped that the others knew how to handle any dangerous creatures they might encounter. Sure he had taken Care of Magical Creatures back in Hogwarts, but he hadn't expected to wander straight into jungle. Hadn't other people been through before them? Why was the forest still so dense if there was an entire team up at the temple? He had loads of questions about just about everything. He kept his mouth shut though.

He could feel water running down his back. He didn't know if it was sweat or water from the nearby forest. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"You O.K." Kato asked.

Cedric nodded slowly. "I'm fine," he said.

"We've been walking for almost three hours," Kato said. He turned to Charlie. "I think we should take a breather. Cedric needs it even if he won't admit it."

Charlie nodded. "Let Laurina and Ralis know," he said.

Harry turned back around. "Laurina can we take a bit of a rest?" he asked.

The dark-skinned woman turned around. "Of course we can," she said. She reached out and grabbed Ralis hand. "Slow down love," she said. "The youngling needs to catch his breath." She stopped and locked back at Kato and Charlie. Lavender light spread from the amber-eyed man. He stood up slowly. " _ **Kaan drem ov,"**_ he whispered a bluish light left him and travelled out among the trees around them. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"There is a feline right over there," Harry said. "It was moving towards us. The thu'um will keep it calm for a while, but the only way to really get a predator like that off you tail is to confuse them enough for them not to be able to follow." He walked over to the trees. "I'm going to go take care of that. He opened his pack and pulled a goblet out. He filled it with water and handed it to Cedric. "You drink," he said before he took off into the green undergrowth. He was back only moments later. "There now she won't follow us," he said.

"You didn't kill her, did you?" Cedric asked.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Kato tries not to kill anything unless it's the only solution left to him," Charlie said. "And Kato is pretty good at finding alternative routs."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, when I don't completely obliterate things because they're threatening people I care about," he said remembering the dragon he had frozen back when Charlie and he had first gotten to know each other.

Charlie stood up and walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around the 'brunet' and kissed him. "Don't you think too much about that," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm fine," he said. He looked down at Cedric. "How are you doing?" he asked. "You are better off being honest with us than anything else."

Cedric sighed. He looked down in the goblet he'd been given. It was empty. "My legs hurt," he said. "I guess I'm not all that used to walking."

Harry nodded. "We should probably take a bit of a rest and get some food into everyone anyway," he said. He took his bag off and settled down so he could make food.

…

Hours later they settled down for the night.

Cedric's muscles hurt. So far all he had seen was jungle, but he knew that more was coming. There would be dragons and according to their guides they had done pretty well that day. He knew the next day would be no easier, yet he didn't mind. This was what he wanted to do. Sitting by a desk and dealing with papers here and this form there would have driven him insane. He loved the adventure. And it was an adventure. They had seen Golden Lion Tamarins not long before they had settled down the small orange monkeys had travelled overhead, and there were birds in so many different colours and types that it was just breathtaking. He was smiling as he fell asleep.

* * *

 _17th of August, 1996. Saturday_

Grey eyes widened as Cedric stepped out of the forest and into a big open area. They had been travelling through the thick vegetation the entire day yesterday and now they had reached their destination. It was an old stone temple. It looked like it had caved-in in several places. His eyes turned to the sky as a roar tore through the air.

"Here they come," Laurina said.

"Right on time," Harry said. He walked forward. Another roar tore through the air and he could feel the power travelling with it. Overhead the clouds gathered and became heavy with rain. The raven smirked. " _ **Lok vah koor,"**_ he shouted. The clouds dispersed again. "Stay back," he said. He could tell that a dragon was on its way. Nineteen feet long with a forty feet wingspan. The dragon that hung in the air above them was beautiful with her dark-blue scales and greenish fin-like ears and ridge. The membrane of her wings was lighter than the rest of her.

Harry stood tall. He looked tiny next to the dragon though. Her wings spread, and she roared. Clouds gathered over head and rain started falling. Harry breathed in. " _ **Strun bah qo,"**_ he roared to the sky.

Cedric jumped as a bolt of lightning struck the ground only a few feet away.

"Don't worry. Kato won't hurt us," Charlie said calmly.

Cedric wasn't the only one that turned to him in fear. Lightning could kill them.

Harry on the other hand had walked up to the dragon. " _ **Zu'u los Dovahkiin - I am Dragonborn,"**_ he said. " _ **Zu'u los het wah dremyah voth hi ahrk hin fron - I am here to negotiate with you and your kin."**_ He raised a hand as a bolt of lightning headed straight for him. He caught it in the palm of his hand.

"That's not possible," Laurina said. "You can't control the lightning."

"Kato can," Charlie said. "He can do a lot of things that should be impossible."

"Why is he doing that?" Cedric asked.

"He is showing the dragon just how powerful he is," Charlie said. "He will do more before this is over. Hopefully she will simply listen to him and not fight him. She is the leader of the local dragons. If Kato can get on her good side, we're a lot closer to working with them. If he has to fight her, he will have to prove himself a lot."

Charlie's wish came true. Harry didn't have to fight the dragon. The 'brunet' did perform several more shouts before the dragon lowered her head and touched her snout to his forehead. She breathed out on him, but there was no fire or ice in her breath.

" _ **Hi los aan suleykaar dovah ziin-ogiirre - you are a powerful dragon two-legs,"**_ she said. " _ **Zu'u valokein hi - I welcome you to the land of the Lok lom, the Sky water. Zu'u los Lokluv - I am rain."**_ She looked beyond him. " _ **You have brought your onliin, your mate with you."**_

Charlie walked forward slowly. " _ **Drem yol lok sahrot dovah - greetings mighty dragon,"**_ he said slowly.

" _ **He does not hold the power you do Dovahkiin,"**_ Lokluv said.

" _ **I am teaching him the language for now Lokluv,"**_ Harry said. " _ **Maybe he will have the strength to learn how to use the power as well, but I'm not sure he can."**_

Lokluv chuckled. " _ **Will you and your mate come with me**_ ," she said. She lifted from the ground her big wings beating up a storm.

Harry turned to Charlie. "She wants us to come along with her," he said.

Charlie nodded. He had caught most of that. "How about Cedric?" he asked.

Harry bit his lip. "Laurina can you look after Cedric for a few? The dragon only invited me and Charlie for now, and I don't dare bring someone else along," he called.

"Sure," Laurina said. She looked over at Cedric. He seemed relieved. She couldn't fault him. These dragons weren't small and cute like the Crystalback, and Kato was a force to be reckoned with. He was dangerous. "Come here I'll show you around the site," she said.

Cedric nodded. "Thanks," he said.

While Laurina showed Cedric around, Harry and Charlie travelled deeper into the forest. They found a small lake with several dragons gathered around it. One of the younglings turned to the two humans as they entered the glade and struck out towards them. " _ **Vuth,"**_ Harry ordered. The dragon stopped dead in its tracks.

" _ **Daar ziin los un yunaar - theses two are our guests. You will not harm them,"**_ Lokluv said. " _ **Dovahkiin ahrk ok onliin - the Dragonborn and his mate walk safe here. This is my word and you will follow or fight me."**_

Harry bowed to her. " _ **Nox hi - thank you,"**_ he said. He walked up to her with Charlie following closely behind him. They spoke to Lokluv about a place for them to set nest fist. Then Harry asked for her permission to bring another human with them. He referred to Cedric as a youngling in need of teaching basically and Lokluv allowed the teen in.

The problems that the goblin crew seemed to have with the dragons turned out to be necessary. The dragons couldn't survive without the water they summoned by making it rain. Harry had quickly made sure that their tent was warded against the water.

"They have to move," the goblin foreman said.

"It is their home sir," Harry said. "You can't force them to move. We can build a ward that will keep the rain from falling here."

"You were supposed to get rid of them," the goblin foreman said irritably.

"No I was hired to find a solution to the problem to get rid of the dragons," Harry said.

"Then I'll get someone how rids me of these beasts…"

" _ **Hi dreh tol mey, ahrk zu'u fen vaaz daar staad wah malur,"**_ Harry roared. "You do that fool, and I will tear this place to pieces."

The goblin stepped back. His eyes were wide in fear. He could see the air around the human burning.

"The dragons stand under my protection. I have presented you with a perfectly viable solution," Harry said calmly. "You will take this offer or start a Clan War with Clan Magun. I doubt Clan Head Ivor will stand behind you in this. You may find that your clan would rather rid itself of you than fight us. They make good money with me." He turned around to walk back down from the temple. "I will start preparations for a weather ward," he said. He knew the goblin wouldn't dare do anything at this point without contacting his Clan Head first. Ivor was a reasonable man. He would see things Harry's way.

Cedric was watching Kato. "Did he have to threaten the guy?" he asked Charlie.

The oranget nodded slowly. "Kato knows what he is doing. He is more in with goblin customs than I am. As a member of a Clan he deserves to be treated a certain way. His outburst might have been to remind the foreman of that," he said. "He wouldn't hurt anyone though, and he probably wouldn't destroy this place."

"Doesn't mean I can't make that arrogant bastard think I destroyed it," Harry said as he walked up to them. "There is almost always a better way to deal with things than killing beings. I hate it when that is the first solution that comes to people. The dragons haven't attacked them. They call the rain like they have always done. I have spoken to several goblins and they say they have been attacked once and that was after they attacked the dragons." He shook his head. "The Rainwing is unusually non-violent for a dragon."

"I have noticed that too," Charlie said.

"Let's build ourselves a ward shall we," Harry said. "I'm going to need branches about five feet long or so. I need a lot of them. I don't want to take living wood."

"Sounds like Cedric and I will have to wander around a bit," Charlie said. He placed a hand on the young brunet's shoulder. "Come on let's find some branches." He led Cedric off as Harry started going over the local area. He found several branches to start with. He sat down by the tent and pulled his dragonbone dagger out of a boot. He ridded the branch of bark quickly. The fact that he was using wood would mean that he needed several sticks, and he needed to strengthen them or they would juts break under the pressure of the Tu'um he wanted them to hold. He set his Arcane Enchanter up and placed the first branch on it once he'd carved the words he needed it to hold into the wood. He placed his hands on the bird and tree as he focused his magic.

…Cedric lifted another branch up. He wasn't sure why they were gathering those, but he guessed they would be used for something important.

"We might as well go back we can't carry much more than this," Charlie said as he turned to the brunet. "It's this way," he said. He led the teen back to the tent and entered.

Cedric's eyes widened as he saw Kato. The older brunet was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of a strange table. From his hands little light spots spread light out over the table. Then a wave of light spread from his hands down over the table before it gathered in the stick. Amber eyes opened and looked up at him. They glowed softly in the darkness of the tent. Then they blinked as Charlie tit a lamp.

"Why are you sitting here in the dark Kato?" the oranget asked.

Harry shrugged. "My candlelight ran out," he said. He stood up and walked over to a pile of sticks and dropped the one he was holding down before he walked up to Charlie. They shared a kiss. "I should probably start on supper, huh?" he said as they moved apart. He turned to Cedric. "Come on one of you has to learn how to cook," he said. "Otherwise I'll have to send Winky here and that wouldn't turn out well."

Charlie pouted. "Are you giving up on me?" he asked.

"I have been trying all summer and you're still burning things Charlie," Harry said. "Besides you keep distracting me. I want food not a snogg session right now."

Charlie rolled his eyes. He picked Harry's knife up and sat down next to the Arcane Enchanter. He could fix the branches up for Harry as the other two made supper.

…

It took them several days to prepare the base for the ward. Once they were done they walked over to the temple and spread the sticks out in a circle around the structure. Harry walked into the centre. He turned to Charlie and waved him over.

"What is it?" the oranget asked as he reached him.

"You should probably be right here in case I collapse once I'm done," Harry said.

Charlie nodded. "If you're going to put it that way," he said. He walked up behind Harry and wrapped his arms around him.

Harry closed his eyes. " _ **Lok vah koor**_ ," he shouted. He held the power in the air as he turned to shout it once more. He repeated the shout five times in the same star that covered the Arcane Enchanter. " _ **Feymah,"**_ he shouted as he let go of the power hanging in the air. He would have stumbled back if Charlie hadn't stood right there. "I want to walk away from here if we can manage that," he said softly. He raised his head and moved away from Charlie. The oranget wasn't far behind him though. They made it all the way down to the forest and in among the trees between the temple and the dragon nests before Harry stopped and turned to Charlie. He grabbed the oranget's shoulder and closed his eyes. "My head is spinning," he said calmly.

Charlie picked him up. "I'll get you back don't you worry," he said. "I'd call you stupidly stubborn if I didn't know you need to show strength in front of that idiot, and he doesn't understand how much power what you just did took."

"Thank you love," Harry said.

"Don't you worry," Charlie said. He carried Harry over to the tent and placed him down in their bedroom. "You need to stop doing things like this," he said.

Harry smiled softly. "I'll be better pretty fast this time around," he said. "I haven't fainted yet."

Charlie chuckled. "I guess not," he said. "Sleep now balaur meu." He walked out of the bedroom and headed over to one of the dragons. Slowly and a bit stuttered he asked if he could see her teeth. He would be spending the next few days observing the dragons and writing down facts about them. It was funny how he had come across two new species of dragons just by meeting Harry. He probably wouldn't have gone to Africa if Harry hadn't opened his eyes, and he wouldn't be there in Amazonas if he had never met the raven. He showed Cedric the ropes with dragons and let him know that the Rainwings were far calmer than was normal. Their respect for Kato kept them from being aggressive as well as their nature. Even the Crystalbacks were more aggressive than the Rainwings.

Harry did get back up on his feet just a few days later. He started teaching Cedric a few important words in dovahzul. Just so the younger brunet wouldn't get hurt in case he or Charlie wasn't around.


	79. Haav Hogwarts Hahsok

**Haav Hogwarts Hahsok**

 _31st of August, 1996. Saturday_

"I'll see you soon," Harry said before he kissed Charlie. He had to go back to Britain. The train was leaving the next day, and he didn't want to be port-key-lagged then.

"I know," Charlie said. "You take care of yourself and make sure that the castle doesn't fall to pieces."

Harry snorted. "I doubt anything could make that happen," he said. It had been wonderful staying in Amazonas, but he had some things he had to deal with. He had promises to keep. "I'll see you Friday," he said before he backed off and activated his port-key.

Charlie smiled softly. He sighed as he turned and walked away from the port-key spot they had set up. It was less than a week 'til he'd see Harry again, but he missed him already. It wouldn't stop him from working with the dragons. He knew it would be a bit harder without Harry around, but it wasn't like he hadn't managed without the raven before. He sat down next to Cedric. They had quite a lot to do. He only hopped that they were teaching the teen enough.

As Charlie thought over what he could teach Cedric, Harry landed in the British branch of Gringotts. He gutboed back home and walked inside.

"'Arry!" Fleur exclaimed as he entered the kitchen. She was up from her seat and over to him in seconds, hugging him tightly.

"Hey _**lokzii**_ ," Harry said. "How is life treating you?" he asked.

She pulled away from him and smiled brightly. "We 'ave travelled around London and been up to…" she went on to tell him exactly what she had Bill had been up to. Harry looked up from her halfway through her story and saw a red-faced Bill standing halfway down the stairs from the living room. He walked Fleur over to the table and sat down with her. He let her talk. She obviously needed to talk to someone. She started switching between French and English. Bill finally joined them by the table. He hid his face in his hands.

"Fleur," Harry said finally. "I don't need to know what positions you and Bill fuck in thank you very much."

Dark-blue eyes widened as Fleur turned her head to look at him. Then she looked over at Bill. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I keep forgetting zat you Eenglish are prudes."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Me a prude please Fleur," he said. "You are going to give poor Bill an aneurism though. Tone it down a little _**lokzii**_. I have my own Weasley. I know. You don't need to tell me."

Fleur placed a hand over her mouth and giggled as Bill groaned. "I don't know which is worse," he whined. "Fleur talking about our sex-life or you bringing up Charlie."

Harry hummed. "Stop worrying so much. It's just sex," he said calmly. "Basically everyone has it. I don't know why people have such a hard time talking about it."

"It's private," Bill said.

Harry shrugged. "I guess," he said. He stood up and yawned. "I should eat something and go to bed. I'm going to burn myself out travelling between the way I'm going to." He kissed Fleur's forehead and walked into the kitchen. He threw some porridge together and ate it before he headed up to the master bedroom.

He walked over to the bathroom and took his clothes off throwing them in a hamper as he went before he walked into the shower. He turned it on. He wanted to clean off the rainforest from his body. He needed to adjust his glamour again as well. He retrieved the necklace once he was done with the shower and turned to the mirror. A black eyebrow rose slowly as he saw Charlie's handiwork. He shook his head. He would let that heal as it wanted to. He activated the glamour and started making changes. His hair became as long as it actually was, and he made himself about 5'6" which was three inches shorter than his real height. He let his muscle definition shine through more not that he was built with big muscles. He would make minor corrections all throughout the year like always so he didn't have to be that picky about it now.

The necklace landed on his bedside table before he dropped into bed. It was weird how much port-key travel took out of you. It made you way more tired than he would have thought. His eyes closed slowly. He wished Charlie was there.

…

 _1st of September, 1996. Sunday_

Harry packed the last of what he needed. He was glad that he had prepared everything before he and Charlie had gone to the Amazon Rainforest. It made life much easier for him now. He sorted everything down in his bag, and then he headed down to the kitchen. Winky placed breakfast down in front of him. "Thank you dear," he said before he started eating.

Bill and Fleur came down as he finished up. "You two give Winky something to do while I'm gone now," he said. He hugged Fleur.

"I don't need to go with you, do I?" Bill asked.

Harry shook his head. "I'll arrive too early for anyone to be there to pay attention to me," he said.

"Thank you for letting us stay here," Bill said.

"It's a big house I don't mind having people over and I'm used to living with family," Harry said. He walked over to the entrance hall. "Goodbye," he said then he was gone. He landed on platform nine-and-three-quarters. Just like he had counted on there was no one there. He headed inside and settled down in a compartment. He knew that his friends wouldn't come to join him. They had Prefect duties to take care of.

He settled down with a book and started reading. He could hear as people filled the platform outside. He was glad he had arrived early. He hated the crowds outside the train. His compartment door was thrown open suddenly, and he moved his book as a pair of chocolate brown arms wrapped around his neck. "Harry," an exited female voice said. The raven looked up at the man that had followed her. "Mr Hope, it's good to see you" he said.

"Mr Potter, I hope we aren't intruding," Mr Hope said.

"Oh, no not at all sir," Harry said. He pulled Tanya up in his lap. "What happened to your neck?" the girl exclaimed.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "My boyfriend has ideas," he said. He looked up at her father. He knew that being gay was fine in the Wizarding World as a whole but you never knew about specific individuals. The man didn't seem fazed though. "So I'll leave you with Mr Potter now. Don't get into too much trouble," he said and Tanya jumped up to give him a hug. "See you at Yule," she said.

"Bye-bye," Harry said as the man left. He looked down at the girl that had retaken her position in his lap. "So how has your summer been?" he asked.

Her eyes lit up and she started talking. She had been to visit family and she had gotten a dog. Though, she was convinced her father had gotten him so he would have some company when she wasn't home. "Do you take Ancient Runes?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "Not officially," he said.

Tanya's brows furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It means that I got an E in my OWLs without taking the subject with a teacher," Harry said. "So I can attend with my peers this year even though I haven't taken the subject before now."

"Cool then you can help me right?" Tanya asked.

"I can certainly try," Harry said.

"And you take Care of Magical Creatures," Tanya said. "I remember you saying that."

"I do," Harry confirmed.

"Is third year dangerous?" Tanya asked.

"Not if you listen to the teacher," Harry said. He wondered if Hagrid was back.

The train had started moving and several of Tanya's friends found their way to their compartment. They stuck around for a while before running off, Tanya amongst them.

Harry settled back down with his book. When the compartment door opened again it was Neville. The brunet looked happier than Harry had ever seen him. "Someone is feeling good," the raven said.

Neville nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Hermione is on her way." He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. "Thank you Harry," he said.

A black eyebrow rose questioningly. "For what?" he asked. He had a hunch, but he didn't want to assume anything.

"You mentioned my parents to your cousin right," Neville said. "He has been healing my parents. Dad looked at me. You know actually looked at me for the first time ever this summer."

Harry smiled. "That's great," he said.

"According to Gran there might be a possibility that they'll be able to talk to me for real. She hasn't met with what's his name… Kato in a while so she doesn't know for sure," Neville said.

"He left the country on a job a few weeks back," Harry said. "He said he'd be back in September some time, but he wasn't sure when. It depended on what his client was like."

Neville nodded. "That's great," he said. He was smiling brightly, and his happiness rubbed off.

Hermione entered the compartment and she smiled at Harry. "You look like you've been working out," she said. "You haven't forgotten your homework right?"

Harry rolled his eyes. He opened his bag and pulled his grades out. "There, happy?" he asked. He watched smiling as Hermione's eyes widened as she read through what he had achieved. "Muggle Studies?" she asked and looked up at him.

Harry shrugged. "I figured that since I have lived with them I should be able to sit the exam and get a passable grade. I would have pointed it out to you, but you were so stressed up over your Arithmancy exam that I didn't want to interrupt you," he said.

"So you got eleven OWLs and all of them are Exceeds Expectations or more," Hermione said. She smiled up at him. "I'm so proud of you," she said.

"That's way better than what I got," Neville said. "You managed an E in Divination. How did you do that?"

"I studied on my own," Harry said. "You didn't actually need to know how to do any of the hocus-pocus to get an alright grade."

"But you aren't continuing?"

"Of course not," Harry said. "I have wasted enough time on that particular subject." He packed his grades back down again. "How did it go for you two?" he asked.

"All Os except for Defence," Hermione said. "If we could have just had a decent teachers the study groups were good, but a teacher would have been better."

"But you got and E?" Harry asked.

"Yes I did," Hermione answered.

"And I did alright," Neville said. "O in Herbology and E in Defence, Transfiguration, Charms, Care and Potions. I don't really care about the rest."

"Sounds great," Harry said. He turned to the compartment door as it slid open. He smiled at the young girl. "I'm supposed to deliver these letters to Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom," she said. She blushed as Harry reached out for them. "Thank you," he said. He handed one over to Neville and opened the other up.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"An invitation to lunch with Professor H.E.F. Slughorn," Harry said.

"Who is he?" Neville asked.

"Got no clue," Harry said. He recognised the name though. "I think he's taught at Hogwarts before though."  
"Which subject?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure," he said. He looked up at Neville. "Should we go?" he asked.

The brunet nodded slowly. "I guess we should," he said.

Harry turned to Hermione. "It that O.K.?" he asked. "We're just running off leaving you."

"I'll be fine," Hermione said waving them off.

Harry nodded. He walked out of their compartment first. Neville followed him, and they made their way up the train until they reached compartment mentioned in the letter. It became clear that they were not the only people invited as they reached it. An older rather round man greeted them as they entered. "Ah, you must be Harry Potter," he said as he took the raven's hand. "Wonderful to meet you Lily was a priced student of mine. Such a shame what happened," he said.

Harry smiled pleasantly. "A pleasure to meet you sir," he said. He stepped to the side and sat down so professor Slughorn could greet Neville as well. "Mr Longbottom then wonderful to meet you please take a seat so I can introduce you to the others."

Neville sat down opposite Harry and raised an eyebrow at the raven.

Harry rolled his eyes playfully before he glanced around the compartment. Zabini was there and McLaggen, great two guys he was not on good terms with the third guy was not someone he knew. An eyebrow rose as he saw Ginny. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Now, do you know everyone?" Slughorn asked the new arrivals. "Blasie Zabini is in your year, of course."

Blasie looked up at Harry his eyes narrowing. An elegant eyebrow rose as he saw the hickies travelling up the raven's neck. Harry was unfazed. He didn't care what Zabini thought.

"This is Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you have come across each other?" Slughorn continued.

The blond gave them a nod, but he tried his best to be as non-threatening as possible. He could remember pretty well what had happened last time he and Harry met.

"Then we have Marcus Belby. I don't know if you have…"

"No actually we haven't," Harry said as he reached out to shake the nervous-looking boy's hand.

"Ah, good, good," Slughorn said. "And this charming young lady tells me you do know her." He turned to Ginny.

Ginny smiled sweetly, but Harry could tell she wasn't really enjoying herself.

"Well now, this is most pleasant," Slughorn said cosily. "A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch, the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on Liquorices Wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things … pheasant Belby?" He offered the thin boy what looked like half a cold pheasant. "Now I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles," he said after Belby had taken the pheasant. He reached into his basket and took out a platter filled with rolls and offered it around. "Outstanding wizard, outstanding, and his Order of Merlin most well deserved. Do you see much of your uncle, Marcus?"

Harry turned away from Belby as he started choking on the pheasant he had just taken a good chunk out of.

Neville leaned back and grimaced.

"Anapneo," Slughorn said calmly as he pointed his wand at Belby. The boy's airways seemed to clear out at once.

"Not … not much of him, no," Belby gasped in response to Slughorn's question.

"Well, of course, I daresay he's busy," Slughorn said, giving Belby a questioning look. "I doubt he invited the Wolfsbane Potion without considerable hard work!"

' _That's where the name comes from,'_ Harry thought. He wondered if Potion Master Belby felt cheated now that there was a full on cure though.

I suppose…" Belby said. "He and my dad don't get on very well, you see, so I don't actually know that much about…" His voice trailed off and Slughorn gave him a cold smile before he turned to McLaggen instead. "Now, you Cormac," he said. "I happen to know that you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting Nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?"

Harry tuned McLaggen out. He knew enough to tell that people had been invited because of who they knew now. He honestly didn't care about McLaggan or Zabini for that matter. It wasn't until conversation turned to Neville that he refocused.

"And Neville how are your parents doing?" Slughorn asked. "Terrible thing what happened and they were so talented too."

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to curse the man or not. He had no tact whatsoever.

"They are actually doing better. Gran, Lady Augusta Longbottom, found them a new Healer, and he is making progress with them," Neville said. "Hopefully they will actually be able to live a somewhat normal life eventually. That's what the Healer says at least."

"Oh, my now who could this be?" Slughorn asked. "I might know them."

"Kato Peverell I do believe his name is… right Harry?" Neville said.

"That's right," Harry said.

Slughorn tuned to him. "You know this man as well Harry?" he asked.

"We're distant cousins," Harry said. "I'm basically the only family he has in Britain. I happened to mention Neville's parents to him and he promised to look into it. I'm just glad it seems to be working out for the better."

"Oh, wonderful," Slughorn said. "It is nice to know that you are creating strong bond already. And now Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived. I remember so well that terrible night… well… when Lily and James died – and you survived rumour was that you must have power beyond the ordinary…"

' _If only you knew,'_ Harry thought. He could do things unknown in this world. He had enough smarts to keep what he could to himself though. "Yes, people seem to think so," he said.

"Oh, no need to be so humble," Slughorn said.

Zabini gave a tiny cough that was clearly supposed to indicate amused skepticism.

"Yeah, Zabini because you're so talented … at posing…" Ginny burst out.

"Oh, dear," Slughorn chuckled comfortably as he looked around at Ginny who was glaring daggers at Zabini. "You want to be careful Blasie! This young lady performed the most marvellous Bat Bogey Hex as I was passing her carriage. I wouldn't cross her."

Zabini raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

' _Poor boy didn't get what he wanted,'_ Harry thought. He smiled politely at Slughorn as the man went on and answered calmly without giving any information about himself away whatsoever. He leaned back as conversation turned from him to people Slughorn had taught in the past. He couldn't care less to be honest. Eventually he had enough. "I'm sorry sir but Neville and I left a lady waiting for us back in our compartment. I feel like we're keeping her hanging," he said as he stood up. "It has been a delight to meet you, but our friend most definitely deserves to know we haven't disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"Ah yes, yes of course," Slughorn said. He looked out the window. "I hadn't realised it was getting so late. I'm sorry to keep you all for so long."

Harry bowed, but he was out of the compartment before Slughorn could say anything else with Neville following closely behind him. "Thank heavens," the brunet said. "I thought he'd never shut up."

Harry chuckled. "I know what you mean," he said. "I could care less about who he knows and what they have done."

They entered their compartment again and Hermione looked up at them. "You were gone long," she said.

"Yes, we had the outstanding honour of meeting or new Potions Professor Horace Slughorn. Wonderful man, loves the sound of his own voice, and highly enjoys boasting about all the people he has helped gain a higher position in society," Harry said.

"You aren't impressed?" Hermione asked.

"Not really. Especially not when he started his conversations with both me and Neville talking about our parents," Harry said. "He's got very little tact. I felt like a collection piece and forgive me if I highly dislike being collected."

"But if he is our Potions Professor then what about Professor Snape?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "Either to busy playing spy with Voldemort to have the time to teach or he has been moved to Defence," he said.

"You-Know-Who, but Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I forgot to tell you, didn't I," Harry said. "I mean it is kind of obvious after the break out from Azkaban. But I leaned last Yule that Voldemort is back."

"How?" Hermione said.

"How he got back, got no clue," Harry said. "How I know, Sirius told me." He turned to Neville. "We learned our third year that Sirius Black never killed any non-magicals. And he didn't kill Pettigrew either since the man was perfectly alive two years ago. Sirius is my godfather so I spent Yule with him, and he doesn't agree much with anyone when it concerns me. He told me Voldemort was back."

Neville nodded slowly. He had very little reason not to trust Harry so he wasn't going to question him. Besides it fit. It made more sense to him that it was You-Know-Who that had headed the prison break out.

Hermione studied Harry for a long while. He seemed so calm about it. "Harry are you alright?" she asked.

The raven looked over to her. "I'm fine, 'Mione," he said. "Don't worry about me."

Hermione nodded. She wasn't so sure though. How could he be so calm? They were talking about the man that killed his parents after all. She looked down in her book. She guessed that maybe he was calm because he had already dealt with his emotions.

The sky darkened outside, and Hermione and Neville changed to their school uniforms while Harry just put his cloak on. The train started slowing down. Hermione and Neville left to deal with their Prefect duties. Harry headed off the train and headed up to the carriages. He walked up to the thestrals and petted one of them.

"You can see them too?"

Harry turned around. There was a girl with dirty-blonde hair and protuberant grey eyes standing next to him. "Yes, I can," he said.

"You're Harry Potter," the girl stated.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I know that," he said amused. "And who are you?" he asked.

"Luna, Luna Lovegood," she said as her eyes trailed off.

Harry shook his head. This girl was something different. He walked up to the carriage and held a hand out for her. "My Lady," he said formally.

Luna giggled. "I'm not a Lady," she said. She did take his hand and allowed him to help her inside the carriage though.

Harry followed her inside and the carriage started moving.

"Thank you," Luna said.

A black eyebrow rose in question. "For what?" Harry asked.

"Convincing the older students to teach the younger ones," Luna said.

"Well I guess you're welcome then. Though I didn't do much," Harry said.

"The dragon was nice," Luna said. "Can you make other things?"

Harry closed his eyes as he entered her mind. He needed to know how she knew he had made that dragon. He froze almost immediately. ' _This is different,'_ he thought.

A young woman much like the blonde sitting in front of him in the carriage walked up to him. "You don't have a right to be here," she said.

Harry nodded slowly. "I can see that," he said. "I need to know who you are though."

"I am a part of you. I am a shadow of your subconscious, a blemish on your fragile little psyche. You know me. You just don't know it," she said.

Harry closed his eyes. "Sheogorath," he said. "I do know it. I do not belong to you though."

She smirked. "I haven't been known as Sheogorath since the Oblivion Crisis. You must have been on Nirn. They are so unsuitable for change over there," she said.

"Does the girl know?" Harry asked.

"Not entirely," the woman said.

Harry nodded. "I have no reason to hinder a Daedric Prince," he said. "You do what you will. This just answers a question I have had for a while now. I will not sell my soul to Oblivion. I doesn't matter who the Prince is."

"That is up to you human," she said. "Though I guess it is hard to tell if you are human or dragon. So close to the beast inside you."

"Dragons are no more beasts than any other being," Harry said.

"Good, good you see more of the world than most," she said. "I appreciated what you did last year. It was beautiful to see."

Harry shrugged. "I'm faltered my Lady," he said.

She laughed.

"I guess you will not give me away," Harry said.

"Oh no, I'm having far too much fun," she said.

"Thank you," Harry said. He stepped out of her mind. He now had the answer to a question he had wondered over for a while now. The Daedric Princes did exist on Earth which meant that Earth was connected to Oblivion. He smiled at Luna as the carriage stopped.

"Did the wrackspurts get you," the blonde asked.

Harry titled his head to the side. "I guess so," he said. "I'm sure they could be dealt with if you could just find the Wabbajack though." He was glad that Rhavaniel had told him things about the Prince of Madness.

Luna's eyes widened just a bit. "Yes, yes I'm sure I could," she said.

Harry stepped out of the carriage as it stopped. He helped the girl down and walked with her into the castle. "Good luck," he said.

She smiled back at him.

Harry wondered how many people she would manage to sink her powers into. He wasn't going to get involved. He knew better than to fight a Daedric Prince. Especially the Mad God. He'd watch though. It was interesting to see people deal with madness. He frequently used it to his advantage. He guessed that was why she hadn't gotten angry with him. He hadn't intruded either which probably was a good thing for him. He may be powerful, but against the Mad God he didn't stand a chance.

He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. He knew Hermione and Neville would find him. His eyes moved up to the high table and looked over the teachers. Hagrid was sitting up there so he guessed he would be their Care teacher once more. He didn't mind. There was basically no animal the man could introduce them to that he couldn't deal with. He smiled at Hermione as she sat down next to him. "Went well?" he asked.

She nodded.

Not long after the doors to the hall opened and McGonagall walked inside with the tree-legged stool and the old patched hat that would be used to sort the new students. She disappeared for a moment before she came back with a line of little boys and girls. She stepped to the side and the hall fell silent.

" _Before I was now as you see_

 _When Hogwarts was a child_

 _And the founders were not three_

 _The four of them they gathered strong_

 _And built this castle great_

 _Together they would right all wrong_

 _And rid the world of hate_

 _Gryffindor he took the brave_

 _And showed them how to fight_

 _How to go about to save_

 _The world from its blight_

 _Hufflepuff she reached out_

 _And she took the loyal_

 _Those who knew what it's about_

 _To be unafraid of toil_

 _Slytherin took only those with great ambition_

 _The ones who could use any means_

 _To achieve their mission_

 _Ravenclaw she picked the wise_

 _For she knew that without them_

 _They would not see the lies_

 _Together they taught they young_

 _Until that awful day_

 _When Slytherin he walked out the door_

 _And left us all in disarray_

 _Then Gryffindor he said that, "We need a way,_

 _To sort our young though we are gone_

 _And no longer have a say."_

 _Then he ripped me from his head_

 _And they pored into me_

 _The knowledge that the Founders spread_

 _So that I can sort thee_

 _So come here don't be shy_

 _I know what I am doing_

 _I do not harm I do not pry_

 _I'll see what you're pursuing,"_ the Hat sang.

Harry leaned back as McGonagall started reading names from her list. He wasn't all that interested in who was starting. He wouldn't be spending that much time with them. Dumbledore stood up once they were done and gave his usual pre-feast speech before the tables filled with food.

They ate and then Dumbledore stood up once more. "The very best of evenings to you!" he said smiling broadly at them all.

"What happened to his hand?" Hermione gasped.

"I have no idea," Harry said. It looked blackened and shrivelled. From across the hall he couldn't tell what had happened to it. There was too much disturbance from the student body.

They weren't the only ones who had noticed though. Whispers swept through the room.

Dumbledore merely smiled and said, "Nothing to worry about," as he shook his purple and gold sleeve down over his injury. "Now … to our new students, welcome; to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you and Mr Filch, our care taker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items sold at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Like that is going to stop anyone," he said quietly.

"Those wishing to play for their house Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for a new Quidditch commentator anyone interested should do likewise," Dumbledore said. "We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn."

Slughorn stood up and polite applauds travelled through the room.

"He is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post as our Potions Master," Dumbledore continued confirming what Harry had deduced on the train. "Professor Snape, meanwhile will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"I guess we aren't getting rid of him then," Harry said as he turned to Neville.

The brunet grimaced. "I might just skip Defence," he said.

"You can't do that," Hermione said. "Not if you know is back."

Harry leaned back. He didn't need the class to deal with the madman, but he guessed he should still stick to his original plan though it might be harder with Snape teaching. According to Lucius he was quite the Mind Master. ' _Doubt he is Master of the Mind though,'_ he thought. It was going to be interesting to see if he could fool the hooked-nosed man.

Once the groans from the Gryffindors and the applause from the Slytherins had died down, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Now I know it might be hard to accept, but you need to know. The Ministry is doing its best to stick its head in the sand and pretend the sun will always shine, but you need to know the truth. As of last Halloween the Dark Lord Voldemort is back," he said.

You would have been able to hear a pin drop in the Great Hall it was so quiet.

Harry closed his eyes. This was unnecessary as long as Voldemort was doing nothing. They didn't need to know. He turned Dumbledore out as the old man started talking about safety precautions. He wasn't going to follow any of them anyway. He headed up to the common room with everyone else eventually.

' _Tomorrow is going to be interesting,'_ he thought as he unpacked some night clothes. He was going to bed early.


	80. Private Lessons

**Private Lessons**

 _2nd of September, 1996. Monday_

It was early and the sky was grey, the clouds heavy with rain. Harry was on his way back from his morning run. He needed to clean up before breakfast. He had found a giant in the forest. He wondered what the great beast of a man was doing in there. Thankfully he knew that Illusions worked just fine on giants too.

He walked into the shower and turned the water on. He wanted to know what his schedule was going to be like. Thankfully he wouldn't need to wait much longer. He hoped that it would allow for him to disappear early on Friday. If he was really lucky he wouldn't have any lessons Friday, but he doubted that would happen. He dried up as he walked out of the shower and got himself dressed. He made his way down to the Great Hall and sat down by the Gryffindor table with a book. Slowly the Hall filled up with students. He noticed as Luna walked in. The strange blonde seemed to be off in lala-land. Perfect for the Mad God.

Harry closed his book as more people walked in and actually consecrated on breakfast. Hermione and Neville arrived and sat down with him. Once they were done eating they stayed seated as other years walked off. Since the sixth years needed to let their Head of House know just which subjects they would be continuing before a schedule could be made they had to stay behind. Professor McGonagall made her way over to them eventually. Hermione was cleared for all the subjects she wanted. She had chosen to drop Astronomy, History and Care of Magical Creatures. "Defence is first up," she said.

Harry nodded.

Neville was next up and he was going to take Defence, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures. He was cleared for all of them thanks to his hard work the year before.

"So Potter, Potter," she said as she consulted her notes as she turned to Harry. "Defence, History of Magic, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures … and Study of Ancient Runes are all clear." She looked down at him. "I'm surprised that you aren't continuing Transfiguration, Charms or Potions as you received Outstanding in all three subjects," she said.

Harry had known this would happen. "I'm simply picking the subjects I feel like I can get the most out of Professor," he said truthfully. He knew that he would hurt her feelings, but she couldn't teach him anything really.

"I see," McGonagall said. "Well, even though you have not taken the subject Professor Babbling would be happy to have you with an Exceeds Expectations." She handed him his schedule and moved on.

"Harry why aren't you taking any of those subjects?" Hermione asked. "They are really useful."

Harry hummed. "I'll be fine without them Hermione," he said calmly. "I can only fit so much into my schedule without going mad."

"But you don't need History," Hermione said.

"You never know Hermione," Harry said.

"But…"

"Lay off him 'Mione," Neville said. "If he wants to be illogical then he can be."

Harry rolled his eyes. He would tell them… eventually and it would all make sense then. They headed up to the Defence classroom. They stopped outside with the rest of the students that would be attending the class. There was a decent amount of students there. Harry even saw Ronald. He wondered briefly what subjects the redhead had actually managed in.

The classroom door opened and Severus ordered them inside.

Green eyes scanned the classroom as they entered. Every teacher that had taught the subject had done something new to the room. It was gloomier than usual. He wondered if Severus had problems with light. Pictures lined the walls and all of them seemed to demonstrate a different horrible curse. ' _Neat, Rhavaniel would like that,'_ he thought. He sat down with the rest of the class and looked up at Severus.

"I have not asked you to take out your books," the hook-nosed man said after he had closed the door. He walked across the room in a few quick strides. "I wish to speak to you and I want your full attention," he said as he stopped by the desk. His black eyes moved over the room lingering a fraction longer on Harry's face than anyone else. Something was strange. He couldn't put his finger on it though. "You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an OWL in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the NEWT work, which will be much more advanced."

Harry wondered what would happen if he suddenly showed amber eyes. Could he give Severus a heart attack? It probably wasn't the best idea. All the work he had done the past few years would be for nothing.

Severus started walking around the room as he spoke. "The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than the one before it. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, and indestructible."

Harry raised an eyebrow. While Severus little speech was nice and all it could technically be applied to basically any form of magic so it wasn't all that impressive.

"Your defences must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the Arts you seek to undo," Severus said a little louder. "These pictures," he indicated to a few as he swept past them, "give fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse." He pointed to a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony. "Feel the Dementor's Kiss or provoke the aggression of the Inferius," he continued as he indicated to two pictures neither of which seemed all that pleasant.

Severus walked back to the head of the classroom. "You are I believe complete novices in the use of non-verbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?" he asked.

Hermione's hand shot up in the air quickly and Harry's followed behind hers. He was a bit calmer about it though.

Severus looked around the room before he turned to the two of them. "Mr Potter," he said.

"The advantage is that your opponent only has the wand movement to go from which may give you a split second advantage. It is however not all that effective unless you can learn how to hide your wand movements in case you are dealing with someone experienced," Harry said. He had endured lectures from Moody on the subject even though it was completely useless information to him.

"That is correct," Severus said. "If not a bit simplistic."

Harry could hear the Slytherins snigger. He didn't care. Severus was trying to push his buttons. It wasn't going to work.

"Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting," Severus said.

Harry hid a smirk. He could think of several ways of shouting that would give him way more of an advantage than being silent would. Of course he did practice quiet casting with dovahlu as well. He just thought it would upset people more if he shouted right then and there. Once again not a viable option but fun to think about.

"Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some lack," Severus said as he took a step back. "You will now divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."

Neville wandered over to Susan Bones who happily paired up with him which left Harry with Hermione. He turned towards her and pulled his fake wand. She stumbled back as his spell hit. He really was only pushing her back and had to keep a highly trained eye on her spell-casting so he would only send the Illusion once she managed to shield herself. She managed soon enough and they switched. Harry could do it on his first try if he wanted to. He didn't want to come across as quite that good though. Hermione however seemed to have more problems casting than she had done defending. It could have something to do with her not wanting to hurt him.

Only a few minutes after they had started Severus swept in. "Tsk, tsk, you have to try harder," he said. "Here let me show you." He turned on Harry so fast the raven had to throw his earlier plan out the window. His shield was up and strong before Severus had even spoken the spell. It knocked the man back.

Harry breathed in calmly. He had been so close to going further out of pure instinct. He could easily have killed Severus, and that would have created all kinds of problems. At least the man lay off him after that.

He wrapped an arm around Hermione as they walked out of the classroom. "What is wrong?" he asked.

"Why couldn't I do it?" the brunette asked. "I could shield just fine."

"You didn't want to hurt me," Harry said. "Your emotions play in when you use non-verbal."

"But you did just fine," Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I knew I wasn't going to hurt you even if I hit you," Harry said. "So I have Care now, but you are going off to Ancient Runes. You let me know if there is anything I need to deal with, yeah?"

"I still don't understand how you managed that," Hermione said. "You didn't even take the subject."

"Self study Hermione," Harry said. "Don't worry I'll keep up." He walked off with Neville. It wouldn't surprise him if the two of them where the only ones heading down to Care. He mentioned as much to Neville.

"Hannah and Ernie said they would take it. I spoke to them this summer," Neville said.

"Really?" Harry said surprised. It made him happy actually. It meant that he wouldn't leave Neville all to himself when he left. They made their way out to Hagrid's hut.

"Hey Neville!"

They turned around and waited for the two blondes.

"Hey Potter how are things going," Ernie asked as he held his hand out to Harry.

"I'm doing good. A bit nervous about whatever insane idea Hagrid might have come up with this time around, but otherwise I'm fine," Harry said as he shook the Hufflepuff's hand. "How about yourself?"

"Oh, you know after the grades arrived I could finally relax this summer. I had never imagined that I would be that tense about it," Ernie said.

"Oh, Helga it is beautiful!" Hannah exclaimed.

Harry turned around. He smiled. "Hello Fawkes," he said. He walked up to the magnificent phoenix. Fawkes was sitting on a perch outside Hagrid's hut. "Are we studying phoenixes today huh?" the raven asked and Fawkes drilled.

"Good mornin," Hagrid rumbled as he walked out of his hut. "Dumbledore lend him to me. What do ye think?"

"Amazing start Hagrid," Harry said. He lifted Fawkes up and walked over to the others.

"He lets you just touch him like that?" Ernie said.

Harry nodded. "He saved my life in our second year," he said. "I have seen first hand just what phoenixes can do. I would have died if it wasn't for Fawkes." His thoughts turned to the chamber and he turned Hagrid out. He wondered if the Basilisk's corpse was still down there. He bit his lip. He wondered f he could force the path open even though he didn't speak the language of the serpent anymore.

He refocused on the lesson and listen as Hagrid told them about phoenixes. Fawkes was stroking his head against his chin slowly. He drilled a sad song. "I'll see what I can do Fawkes," Harry said softly. He could tell that the beautiful bird was sad his human was dying.

Fawkes took off towards the Headmaster's office once the lesson ended. Harry smiled over to Hagrid and gave him a thumbs-up. It had been a great lesson. He went with the others back up to the castle and they settled down in one of the study halls. Hagrid had given them homework. He had made it a collaboration though since there were so few of them. They had the period before lunch together and then they would meet up after fifth period.

"I'll look into material we can use while you guys are in class," Harry said. "I know I have a book that holds more information than this one."

"That's surprising isn't Scamander's book supposed to be the best?" Hannah asked.

"In Britain yes," Harry said. "My book is from Africa though. Cousin Kato was down there and he found some books when he was there."

"That's neat," Ernie said. "So you aren't taking Transfiguration or Charms?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm not," he said.

"Not good enough are you Potter," Draco's all too familiar sneer could be heard from behind the raven.

Harry turned around and stood up. These days he stood as tall as they aristocratic blond easily. "I don't see how you have any part in this conversation, Malfoy," he said. "But if you need to know I received eleven OWLs all Exceeds Expectations and above. Not quite as good as Hermione but definitely not something to be disappointed in. I chose not to take Charms or Transfiguration for personal reasons." He had dived into the blonde's head and noticed quite soon that he had been trained in Occlumency. It didn't stop him, but he wasn't going to invade Draco's head. If the kid only knew what his father had asked of Harry. "We should head down to lunch now so you guys aren't late for Charms," he told the others.

Neville helped Hannah up and the four of them headed out of the study hall.

After lunch Harry didn't go up to the tower though. He knew exactly where his book on magical birds was and it wasn't in school. He headed off the grounds invisible and gutboed away. He wanted to pay another visit to Alice and Frank. Mondays would be one of the better days for that even if they gathered to do some homework right after Care every time.

He stopped by Ennerdale Estate and picked his book up before he pulled the glamour necklace off and headed to the hospital. He spent several hours helping Alice. There was so much that needed to be done for her. When it came to Frank he was just waiting for Bill to be ready. They would still have to work with the man for several sessions, but once they started it wouldn't take that long.

* * *

 _3rd of September, 1996. Tuesday_

The following day they had Herbology first off. Madam Sprout seemed very happy to have both Harry and Neville back that year. They had a nice go through of what they would be doing that year so they could prepare themselves. She had given them the full list because she expected them to be fully prepared with notes written before every lesson.

Then they all had a free period. Harry and Neville found Hannah and they started up on their work with phoenixes. It turned out that Ernie had Muggle Studies. He could catch up with the other two when Harry had History though.

The raven was all alone for that one. He walked into Binns classroom and sat down. The man started speaking making Harry think that he held his lectures even if there were no students. He decided quickly that he was going to send a letter to The Education Department at the Ministry and ask what he needed to know and do for an O in History of Magic. Binns wasn't going to be of much help to him.

He was heading back down to the Great Hall for lunch when another Gryffindor student stopped him in the corridor. "For you," he said.

"Thanks," Harry said as he accepted the roll of parchment.

"See you around," the guy said.

Harry responded before opening the roll up.

 _Dear Mr Potter,_

 _I have a matter of importance to speak with you about. If you_

 _would please come up to my office on Saturday at eight p.m._

 _I hope that you are enjoying your first week back in school._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

 _P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops_

Harry sighed. ' _Fuck you,'_ he thought. That meant he couldn't go see Charlie that weekend. He made his way up to the Owlery. He had to let Charlie know he wasn't coming and why. "Hey girl," he said to Hedwig as she came hopping down to him. "You know who to take this to." He tied the letter to her leg. He had been looking forward to seeing the oranget again. But oh no Headmaster Dumbledore needed to speak to him and couldn't leave it to a fucking school day. It better be important.

He made it down to the Great Hall. His bad mood was spreading out around him like a cloud. Now he really wished he had someone at Hogwarts that he could rant to. Neville showed up with Ernie and Hannah and they joined him by the Gryffindor table. "Something the matter?" Neville asked.

Harry threw the note Dumbledore had sent him over to the brunet.

"Why does he want to see you?" Neville asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'll let you know when I know," he said. He placed his arms on the table and rested his head on them. "I had plans," he muttered.

"For Saturday?" Neville asked.

"The whole damn weekend," Harry said. He looked up at Neville. "I wanna blow something up. We're going to have to go upstairs we can go over the Alchemy Lab up there anyway," he said.

"Alchemy Lab?" Hannah asked.

Harry nodded. "It's more like an alternative way of making Potions," he said. "It's something my cousin introduced me to. I figured that since Neville really likes plants it might be easier for him to use the Lab than to use a cauldron since it has more to do with the inherit magic in ingredients than it has to do with how you stir it."

"Sounds interesting," Hannah said.

"Do you want to come?" Neville asked.

Hannah shook her head. "I promised that I would work on the Charms stuff with Susan this afternoon," she said.

"Oh, O.K."

Conversation flowed as they ate though Harry didn't say much. Once they were done he led Neville up to the seventh floor. He walked back and forth in front of an empty wall a couple of times and then a door appeared.

"Whoa, what the… where did that come from?" Neville asked.

"It is a room built into the castle," Harry said. He pulled the door open and it showed a room filled with pots and dummies and other things that would be very satisfying to attack. "It can become whatever you need. All you do is walk back and forth in front of it three times thinking of the room you want and it appears." He walked inside and threw an ice spike disguised as some kind of spell of at an urn. He had to be careful with what he cast, but he did manage to get rid of most of his frustration. Neville joined him eventually and the brunet was actually having quite a lot of fun.

After a while Harry moved down to sit cross-legged. The room changed around them and became an indoors garden. "Bring the Lab out, Neville," he said.

The brunet took the small box out of his bag and set it up in front of himself.

"So these labs are good because your failures don't explode. It is self cleaning all you have to do is touch this," Harry said and pointed at a white circle on the Lab box's side. "When you want to fill a vial with potion you hold it out over the centre and it will automatically take the potion in the lab and fill the vial or bottle. Now you can add ingredients to several different points depending on what you are after. You are going to have to experiment on your own though." He opened his bag and brought two ingredients he knew what they would do out.

"But that's just garlic and lavender," Neville said.

Harry smirked as he grabbed the head of garlic and broke it apart. He peeled several cloves and placed them down on the table he grabbed the lavender and pulled the dried flowers off the stems before adding them to a bottle. He had seen Ra'shall do this often enough that he could do it easily. The cloves were cut in four and added to another bottle. Then he made sure that there was water in all off the containers before he lit a fire in the small furnace.

Nedra was extraordinary. She had done an amazing job. All he had done was add magic to it. All alchemy labs back on Nirn had a specific brand of magic to them he had studied it when he learned enchanting. He gathered the potion up in a bottle and handed it to Neville. "That will make you resistant to magic cast at you," he said.

Neville blinked. "With only a garlic and some lavender?" he said.

"Sure why make it more complicated than it needs to be," Harry said. "You can go ahead and experiment all you want. All I ask is that you never just drink something you make."

"Sure can do," Neville said.

Harry smiled as the brunet started fooling around with the lab. That's what he had wanted. He didn't understand why wizards had to make things so complicated. He needed to ask Nedra to make a few more labs though. He didn't like doing it, but he loved watching other people work with the labs. He and Neville didn't leave until it was time for dinner. They met Hermione by the table. "Hey what's wrong?" Harry asked her. She looked a bit upset.

"Malfoy beat me in Potions," the brunette said. "Professor Slughorn showed us several potions he expected us to be able to do by the end of our NEWTs and then he said that the person that made the best Draught of Living Death would get a vial of Felix Felicis. I worked so hard, but I just couldn't manage."

Harry thought what she had said over for a while. "You can't beat yourself up too much for that," he said. "Malfoy probably had private lessons with Snape growing up. I'm not surprised that he does better than you. As I understand it you have to think outside the box when it comes to NEWT potions. It's one of the reasons I chose not to take it," he said calmingly.

Hermione nodded slowly. "I guess," she said. "That just means I have to work harder." She had a determined look on her face.

Harry looked over at Neville and looked tragic. The brunet laughed. "It's your own fault," he said.

Harry chuckled. He sat down properly by the table and filled his plate. They had double Defence the next day. He needed his strength – to not hurt Severus.

The week progressed, and Harry had his first ever Ancient Runes class. He did as well as he had expected. It was way better than Divination. He actually learned a few things. Maybe Runes could give him some ideas of things to do with dovahzul.

* * *

 _7th of September, 1996. Saturday_

Saturday rolled around eventually. Since Harry had most of Friday to dedicate to homework thanks to Dumbledore he was past done with everything they had been given. He was bored though. At least he could spend a couple of hours helping Alice. He would meet up with Bill the following day so they could start dealing with the mess attached to Frank.

That evening he walked over to the griffin statue that guarded the Headmaster's office. "Acid pops," he said. The half bird moved out of his way and he stepped up on the spiral stair case as it brought him up. As he reached the heavy wooden door, he grabbed one of the brass knockers and knocked.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice said from the other side of the door.

Harry reached out and pushed one of the doors open so he could step inside. "Good evening, sir," he said as the Headmaster came into view.

"Ah, good evening Mr Potter. Please sit down," Dumbledore said.

Harry walked forward and took a seat. "You wished to speak to me, sir?" he inquired.

"Yes, yes Harry," Dumbledore said. "First I must ask where were you this summer?"

Harry blinked. "I was safe," he said. "The owner of the property doesn't want people to know about it yet. I'm sure Mr Moody told you sir."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "He did," he said. He obviously wasn't going to get anything else out of the teen. He sighed softly. "I owe you an explanation." he said. "Have you been having any nightmares lately?"

"No sir," Harry said not quite sure what the old wizard was after.

"Ah well that is good," Dumbledore said. "You see when I saw the scar on your forehead fifteen years ago, I guessed it might be the sign of a connection between you and Voldemort."

Harry nodded slowly. He could faintly remember the man speaking of that before. Of course he had already figured this out, and he knew that the connection was long gone. It was interesting to get to know what Dumbledore thought about it though. "You have told me this before, sir," Harry said.

"Yes I have. It is important to start with your scar. For it became apparent, shortly after you rejoined the magical world, that I was correct. Your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or when he was feeling powerful emotions."

Harry nodded. "I guess so," he said. "But I haven't felt him at all lately."

"It is my belief that he has somehow learnt of this connection and is guarding against it," Dumbledore said. "That however does not mean that he cannot chose to take those protections down, and that is why I have requested that Severus be teaching you Occlumency, the art of guarding your mind." He peered over his half-moon spectacles at Harry.

"O.K." the raven said.

"You will be meeting with him tomorrow evening for your first lesson," Dumbledore said. "For now however there are more important matters at hand. A little more than five years ago after you first faced Voldemort you asked me a question. You asked me why Voldemort tried to kill you as a baby."

Harry closed his eyes. That had been much longer than five years for him. "I remember sir," he said.

"I chose not to tell you then thinking that you were much too young. I believed that the knowledge would be far too much to bear," Dumbledore said. "A year later after you faced Voldemort for the second time I chose once again not to tell you. I shouldn't have kept the truth from you. Not when you at eleven was already asking me the question that I knew I would one day have to give a terrible answer to." He looked saddened. "I will answer that question now for you have long since been ready to hear the answer," he said.

Harry tilted his head to the side. This ought to be interesting.

"Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because of a prophecy made shortly before your birth. He knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents. He set out to kill you when you were still a baby, believing he was fulfilling the terms of the prophecy. He discovered, to his cost, that he was mistaken, when the curse intended to kill you backfired," Dumbledore explained. "A copy of the prophecy resides in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry. We are trying to guard it as best as we can though there is the slightest chance that he has already seen it."

"And what, we will go there to view it?" Harry asked.

"No," Dumbledore said. "The orb in the Ministry is merely a record of the prophecy, but the prophecy was made to somebody."

Harry looked up at the old man. "You heard it Professor," he said.

"I did," Dumbledore said. "On a cold, wet night over sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head Inn. I had gone there to see an applicant or the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all." He had risen from his chair and was making his way over to a black cabinet that stood next to Fawkes. "The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that she would not be suitable for the post. I turned to leave," he said as he brought out a silver bowl filled with some kind of liquid. He placed his wand to his temple and pulled out a few strands of silvery magic. He dropped them into the bowl before probing the liquid in the bowl with hi wand.

A slivery figure rose from the bowl. Harry could easily make out Sybill Trelawney. It had been obvious from what Dumbledore had already told him that it would be her. She opened her mouth and spoke in a harsh hoarse tone, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…" She sank back into the bowl.

Harry watched the slivery liquid swirl for a while. He had the power to deal with Voldemort he knew that. He was born as the seventh month died if you counted by the calendar they used in Britain, but so was Neville. He was marked though not his friend. He definitely had power the Dark Lord didn't know. ' _Either must die at the hand of the other…'_ he thought the words over. Well he guessed that no one could have killed Voldemort as long as the pieces of soul he had spread around were dealt with and Dumbledore must think he had one in him. He had of course. It just wasn't there anymore so he wasn't so sure that the prophecy was still valid. "It could have been Neville," he pointed out. "He was born the day before me."

"Very true," Dumbledore said. "It is my belief that Voldemort chose to go after you because you were both half-bloods though."

"Or he went after me first because it was easier and never got to Neville," Harry said.

"That is another possibility," Dumbledore said.

Harry rubbed his brow. "So now what. I have to either kill him or be killed by him. Do we have any plans whatsoever?"

"Ah, and this is where we truly reach the point of this meeting," Dumbledore said. "I wish to offer you private lessons. Starting from the next time we meet."

Harry nodded. "I understand," he said.

"You are willing to take these, with a lack of a better word, lessons then?" Dumbledore asked.

"They are meant to help me against Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"That is the intent yes," Dumbledore said.

"Then I would be a fool to say no," Harry said. He received a smile in response.

"Until next time then," Dumbledore said.

"Good night Professor," Harry said as he stood up.

"Good night Harry," Dumbledore said.

Harry headed out of the office and down the stairs. So he guessed he didn't mind being forced to stay. Knowing why Voldemort was after him was quite good for him. The more information he could get out of Dumbledore the better. The old man was so tight-lipped it was insane. Not that he had tried getting information out of him lately.

Occlumency lessons with Severus didn't sound all that interesting though. Of course he needed to know if the man could get into his head through his shields. At least it would be somewhat controlled circumstances. He walked straight up to his dorm and collapsed in his bed. He still wanted Charlie damn it. His head whirled with thoughts and he travelled into his mind so he could sort everything out. It was all new information, but it didn't change anything.

He fell asleep still fully dressed. Since he had slept in armour before it mattered little to him.

* * *

 _8th of September, 1996. Sunday_

The next day Harry met Bill in St Mungo's. The redhead could tell that Harry wasn't in the best mood, but he didn't pry. As long as it didn't affect their work, it didn't matter right then. The settled down by Frank who was asleep still. "We're entering his mind this time," Harry said calmly. He had pushed everything else aside so he could concentrate.

Bill nodded. "You really think this will work?" he asked.

"I do," Harry said. "Don't worry I won't let you hurt him." He placed on hand on Frank's chest and held the other out to the redhead. Bill was grasping his wand in the hand that he didn't place in the raven's. Harry closed his eyes and Bill followed his example. A step forward and they were standing in Frank's mind.

"He was fully capable of using Occlumency," Harry said. "You can see the shields sometimes. We are going to have to make sure that we don't break what is left of those down." He turned to the manifestation of Bill. "You can use your magic in here just like you would normally do. Let me deal with the logical problems of doing so."

Bill nodded. He wasn't sure how Harry would make this work, but he would trust in him. He had to. If he started doubting the raven they most definitely wouldn't manage. He found a curse he knew and started on the counter. He had been learning a lot of new curses lately. The books Harry had saved from the Black House were filled with things that were unique. He had never seen anything like them before.

After the first curse Bill found another three that he dealt with that day before he called it off and rightfully so. Harry looked like he could use some rest. He helped the younger man out of the hospital and back to Ennerdale Manor. He made sure that the raven went to bed, and then he let Winky know that Harry would need food as soon as he woke up.

The nap did Harry good. A few hours after Bill had dropped him off in bed he was up again, and he was feeling much better. He walked out if his bedroom and over to Fleur sitting in an armchair in the living room. "How are things going?" he asked.

"We're doing well," Fleur said. "'Ow are you? Bill said you seemed irritable."

"I'm not with Charlie this weekend," Harry said. "I was supposed to be."

Fleur giggled. "Oh poor 'Arry," she said. "You will survive I'm sure."

"We'll see," Harry said. "I just don't like it when my plans change out of nowhere." He kissed the top of her head. "I better head downstairs before Winky comes up here and drags me down," he said. He moved away from the armchair and Fleur got up to follow him. She kept him company as he ate.

Harry didn't head back to Hogwarts until it was time for dinner. He ate fairly quickly before he settled down outside with a book. He didn't feel going up to the tower when he had to head back down to the dungeons only an hour or so later. He kept himself busy with a Runes book until about ten minutes before his lesson with Severus then he headed down to the man's office. He knocked on the door and waited.

It didn't take long for Severus to open in and move aside with a sneer so he could walk inside. The shadowy room was lined with shelves filled with jars and bottles. Severus obviously hadn't given up on his potions just because he had become the Defence Professor. The jars were filled with various slimy animal and plant parts suspended in some kind gelatinous liquid.

"Well Potter you know why you are here," Severus said. "The Headmaster has asked me to teach you Occlumency."

"Understood sir," Harry said.

"Now, Occlumency is a branch of magic that seals the mind against magical intrusion and influence," Severus said.

"And the Headmaster thinks I need this why exactly? He didn't specify," Harry said.

Severus turned to him with a dark look and then he said, "Surely even you could have worked that out Potter. The Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency, and he can therefore enter the mind of anyone he so chooses. For instance the Dark Lord can almost always tell when someone is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so can utter falsehoods in his presence without detection."

"Like yourself then sir," Harry said. "Unless you are lying to Dumbledore though I assume he is nearly as skilled as the Dark Lord." He could see Severus eyes narrowing at him, but the man didn't say anything.

"Take your wand Potter," Severus said as he turned to the boy. He was done speaking and it was obvious that the brat didn't care. "You may use your wand to attempt to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of."

' _You would like me to take your head of or turn your brain to mush 'cause I could do that,'_ Harry thought. He didn't dislike Severus enough for that though. The man was pleasant enough to Kato.

"Legilimens," Severus said.

Harry tilted his head to the side and went with the man into his mind. He had clouded everything over. There was nothing there. He had done that to mimic what he found in Lucius head when he travelled there. He could tell that Severus was both impressed and frustrated. Nothing he did got him any closer to Harry's memories. Then the man did something that actually hurt. Harry narrowed his eyes and he made a memory move through the mist to meet the man. ' _Take this,'_ he thought as he showed his very last memory of his mother. Severus moved out of his head and he followed. Green eyes looked up at the dark-haired man.

"Get out of here," Severus hissed. He heard the door open and then close behind the boy. He had no idea how the brat had done that, but he was capable of things far beyond his years. He shouldn't even if he had trained in Occlumency for any reason before then be as good as he was. There was nothing in there. He sat down in a chair. His Lily. He forced himself not to cry.

Harry on the other hand was feeling just a tad bit bad about what he had just done. He knew Severus had cared about his mother. He wasn't enjoying the headache he had been given though, and he needed something that would ensure that Severus didn't want to continue teaching him.

He headed up to the tower. He was tired from earlier that day still.


	81. Old Memories and a Curse

**Old Memories and a Curse**

 _13th of September, 1996. Friday_

The school-week passed by in a blur, thankfully. Classes and homework were done and finished for every class. Harry was doing just fine in all his classes especially after he had received a reply to his letter regarding what he needed to do before his NEWTs in History. He could self study it all no problem.

Thanks to the way he had dealt with Severus, he now didn't have any more occlumency lessons with the dour man and Dumbledore hadn't called on him again so once Friday rolled along he was out of the school after Ancient Runes. He made it off the grounds before he activated his port-key.

" _ **Drem yol lok, dovahhe,"**_ he said as he walked up to the small lake where the Rainwings nested.

"Harry?"

The raven walked around a dragon. " _ **Dii yol,"**_ he said with smile as he saw Charlie. He was enveloped in strong arms within seconds. "You should be more careful about with which name you use by the way. Cedric doesn't know," he said.

"He is over with Laurina right now," Charlie said. He shifted so he could kiss Harry. Amber eyes closed as the 'brunet' deepened the kiss. They had to be making quite the picture snogging with a bunch of dragons around them.

They let go of each other eventually and Charlie asked how things had been going. He got the run down of the two weeks Harry had spent back in Hogwarts.

"So you are planning on not letting Dumbledore know?" Charlie asked.

"Not right now at least. We'll see what the future brings. I'm more interested in getting enough time to study his arm. There is definitely something wrong with it. I didn't get a good reading last week though," Harry said.

Charlie nodded. He wasn't going to get involved with how Harry handled things at Hogwarts. That was up to his boyfriend.

"How have things been here?" Harry asked.

Charlie smiled. "Some of the females have laid eggs. They won't let me near them though. I thought maybe you could ask. I have been teaching Cedric how to care for them. He's a good learner. I'm thinking we can teach him enough to keep him from being killed should he ever encounter a dragon. Laurina offered to take him around the temple," he said. "I think he's more interested in that kind of thing."

Harry shrugged. "We're just giving him the initial push. He can turn to anything after this," he said. He was moving closer to one of the females that were guarding a clutch of eggs. " _ **Ahnok heshil- hello sweetheart,"**_ he said. " _ **Will you allow me to look at your klurre, your eggs? I will not touch them I promise."**_

She studied him for a long while. She wasn't sure she wanted him anywhere near her eggs, but he didn't seem like the kind of dovah that would hurt them. She moved to the side slowly allowing him closer. " _ **Nid haalvut - no toughing,"**_ she said.

Harry nodded slowly. " _ **Zu'u kaat,"**_ he said calmly. He moved closer to the eggs and kneeled down. He was very careful when he let his magic move over them. He made sure to approach them past their mother every single time he checked for something. " _ **Hi lost rinik mul ahrk zohaas pahdulle - you have very strong and healthy babies,"**_ he said. He could tell that she was proud. He moved up and away from the eggs so she could curl back up around them. He turned to Charlie. "I think I can answer most of your questions now," he said. He and Charlie headed over to the tent so Harry could conjure a copy of the eggs without upsetting the dragons.

They settled down inside and Charlie started going over the questions he had about the eggs. He wanted to know the size and heat of them. They were unusually cool for dragon eggs.

When Cedric showed up they were curled up on the sofa. "Hi guys," he said.

Harry looked over at Cedric. "Hey, Cedric," he said. "How are things going?" he asked. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah it's amazing what you have to do around a site like this," Cedric said.

Harry nodded. "There is a lot more work than most people would think," he said. He leaned back against Charlie so he could listen to what the brunet had been up to. He enjoyed being back. It would be nice to spend a few days with Charlie and the dragons.

…

Harry left come Sunday and then it was a whole week until he could go back. He spent another few days taking it easy with Charlie. After they placed the wards up that summer they weren't really necessary for the excavation crew, but they were being paid until late November so they would stick around.

 _28th of September, 1996. Saturday_

It was the third weekend in a row that Harry spent with Charlie. He wasn't going to be there the weekend after since it was starting to look suspicious. His friends were obviously noticing his absence. He was going to have to make some kind of intricate schedule for the next coming few weeks. He wanted to make sure that his friends just thought he had disappeared off to his own corner or that he was sneaking of with his boyfriend. He could figure that out later though. He smiled up at Lokluv. " _ **Los tol pruz - is that better?"**_ he asked.

" _ **Geh, zu'u fraan pogaas pruz - I feel much better,"**_ Lokluv said.

" _ **Pruzah - good,"**_ Harry said as he stood up. He smiled over at Charlie and started walking towards the oranget.

"Kato, Kato!"

Harry turned towards the voice. Cedric looked out of breath, and he could almost feel the panic surrounding the teen. "What is wrong?" he asked. He hurried up to the brunet.

"They found something down in the temple," Cedric said. "The Foreman is asking for you."

Harry nodded. He looked over at Charlie who was making his way up to them. "We should go," he said. The oranget nodded.

The Foreman of the temple team had been switched out a few weeks earlier. The old one hadn't done so well after he had complained to their Clan Head.

Harry and his team ran up to the temple. "Show the way," he told Cedric. The younger brunet ran down in front of them leading them down to the team of goblins and humans.

"What is going on?" Harry asked Laurina as they reached her. She looked distressed. "There is something in there," she said and pointed to a door. "Ralis was one of the first to go in, and he ordered us to stay out before he sealed the door."

Harry turned to the door in question. Light spread over his fingers slowly. The glowing shapes that appeared before him did not paint a nice picture. "Do we have a live rooster around?" he asked.

"Why do you want a rooster?" Laurina asked.

"Because that is a basilisk in there," Harry said. "There is only one person alive in there."

"Oh, no," Laurina whined.

Harry walked up to the door. "Can you break this down?" he asked Laurina.

The dark-skinned woman nodded slowly.

"I'm going in and I'm doing it alone because the basilisk can kill by sight," Harry said. "Everyone close their eyes as I open this door, and you don't walk in there until I say it is alright." He pulled his bow out of his pack and then he grabbed a couple of arrows.

"Nothing can penetrate basilisk hide," one of the goblins said.

"That is my problem," Harry said. He met Laurina's eyes. "Open it up," he said.

"He threw a magelight orb inside before moving in bow raised. " _ **Tiid klo ul,"**_ he shouted before he picked his shot. Two arrows left him in quick succession. He closed his eyes. " _ **Laas yah nir,"**_ he whispered. He could see the shapes through his eyelids. The giant snake was slowly falling to the ground still caught in his shout. It was dead though, its light fading before his eyes. He opened his eyes again and walked inside slowly. He sent out a wave of magic to the serpent to check it. He wanted to be absolutely sure it was dead. Then he turned towards the human still alive in there. To his relief it was Ralis. Oh, don't get him wrong he felt bad for the people who had died in there both humans and goblins, but it was slightly worse when you knew them. "Get back out to Laurina before she completely breaks down," he told the man.

"It is dead?" Ralis asked.

"Yes," Harry answered. He followed the man out to the others. "It is dead," he said. "I want a team in to harvest it. The goblins can have fifty percent of everything you can get of that. I want the other fifty for killing it."

Garath the new Foreman nodded. "Of course," he said. "You want poison, hide, bones?"

"Make a list of everything you salvage. I'll simply demand half of the things I actually want and then you can have the rest," Harry said.

Garath nodded. That meant they might end up with more than half. He liked the sound of that.

"I want Cedric to get to see when it is being harvested if he so chooses. It is a good lesson for him," Harry said. He walked up to Charlie and kissed him. "I need to go back and fetch my arrows," he said. "I wanted to stake my claim and let you know I was O.K. first though."

"I appreciate that," Charlie said. He kissed the raven again. After he let go he followed his boyfriend into the chamber. "That is one big snake," he said.

Harry nodded. "I killed one of these when I was twelve with a sword," he said. "You can imagine how well that went." Charlie's grip on his hand tightened. He had heard the story, but it was one thing to listen to a story or even see the memory and another to stand in front of a newly killed basilisk yourself.

They walked up to the beast and Harry let go of Charlie's hand. He reached out and pulled an arrow out of the monster's skull. The second arrow he had to pull out using telekinesis. It broke in the process, but what he really wanted was the dragonbone head. He could replace the rest of the arrow easily. If he could avoid it he didn't want to lose those though. There was no real way of making more of them.

"You killed that?" Cedric said as he walked up behind them.

Harry turned to him. "Yes," he said. "It is not as bad as it looks. I only fired two arrows. I have been through worse than that." He took Charlie's hand again. "I want to leave," he said.

The oranget nodded. He was all for that. They headed back to the tent and harry cleaned his hands off.

"What are you going to do with basilisk parts?" Charlie asked him.

"Peace offering to Severus if I ever need it. And I want an armour made for you. We end up in way to many dangerous situations for you not to have one," Harry said. "Basilisk hide is even stronger than dragon hide – here on Earth at least. I don't think there is any dragon hide here that can compare to my armour."

Charlie nodded slowly. "But you don't need half a huge snake to make armour for me," he said.

"No but you never know what else it could be used for. Besides if I hadn't claimed the corpse up there the goblins would have thought me stupid. I'm not going to give them that," Harry said.

"So it is politics as well," Charlie said.

"Everything has some degree of politics in it," Harry said. "I learnt that living with a Jarl."

"Even us?" Charlie asked as he wrapped an arm around the 'brunet'. He kissed Harry's temple.

Harry leaned back but didn't move away. "Yes, there is a bit of politics involved. Not much and far from the most prominent thing, but there is a bit of politics involved," he said. "The fact that I know you can handle yourself for example. It has meaning in politics. It is not something you really need to worry about." He ran his hands up Charlie's chest to his shoulders.

"But I can reflect badly on you," the oranget said.

"Just be respectful and polite when the people around you deserve it," Harry said. "Be yourself you'll do fine. I can deal with the backlash if there is any – especially from the goblins." He cut of any objections Charlie might have with an intense kiss. "There are better things you could do with that," he tapped Charlie's lips with a finger, "than argue with me about unimportant things." He pushed the oranget into their bedroom in the tent and sealed it off. A smirk spread over his lips. They were going to have some fun.

* * *

More than a month after their first lesson Harry received another note from Dumbledore. The man wanted to meet him on the tenth of October. That weekend would be their first Hogsmeade trip for the year so Harry had opted not to go see Charlie. He had been there the weekend before so he wasn't going to go nuts or anything. It wasn't like he had to see Charlie all that time it just pissed him off when other people changed his plans. The Quidditch season was in full swing. They were training hard just like any other team though Harry was convinced they had the upper hand. It could be because he'd seen his team play for years now, and they were just getting better.

 _10th of October, 1996. Thursday_

It was late as Harry made his way up to the Headmaster's office. He followed the spiral staircase up and knocked on the door just like last time. Dumbledore invited him inside and he entered. He wondered briefly if the office ever changed. He guessed it would if someone else took over just like a Professor's office changed. "Good evening Professor," he said as he sat down.

"Good evening Harry," Dumbledore said. "Tonight we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and travel together through the murky marshes of memory and traverse the thickets of wildest guesswork. From here on in, I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher, who believed the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron."

Harry chuckled. "We have to be careful then," he said. "So we don't get ourselves tangled in."

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, right you are," he said. "This is all related to the prophecy. You will see how as we venture further." He stood up so he could walk over to the black cabinet that held the pensive which was exactly what he was after. He placed it down on the table.

"Where are we going, sir?" Harry asked. He was fairly interested. It wasn't everyday you used a pensive after all.

"For a trip down Bob Ogden's memory lane," Dumbledore said as he pulled a vial from his pocket. He was having trouble pulling the stopper out, and Harry offered to help as he did his best to learn as much as he could about the injury that had caused the man's hand and arm to blacken. In the end he used his wand though rather than accept help. He poured the silvery-white strands into the pensive. "After you," he said.

Harry moved forward very glad that he had gotten a chance to read up on pensives between their lessons. He closed his eyes as he dipped his face into the liquid - if you now could call it that. He fell through nothing for a while before he landed on a dirt lane. Green grass spread out around him and the sky was clear and blue. Dumbledore landed next to him only moments later.

The raven had to hold his laughter in as he turned to look at a short, plump man wearing thick glasses. That wasn't what had him almost reduced to giggles though. No the man was wearing the most ridiculous assortment of clothes. He was obviously a wizard trying, and failing, to dress as a non-magical. He was wearing a rock coat and spats over a striped one-piece bathing costume. ' _How come wizards and witches are so stupid?'_ he thought as he watched the man. Frankly they would seem less strange if they just walked around in their damn robes. He swore to never let anyone close to him dress like that ever. He looked up at the sign that the man was studying. Little and Great Hangleton. They were headed for the smaller of the two when Ogden actually started moving.

Harry and Dumbledore followed rather closely behind the man. There wasn't much to see unless you counted the hedgerows lining the path as interesting. Harry wondered why they didn't end up closer to their destination. He could have taken them straight to the important part of the memory in question if it had been him. Though, he guessed that Occlumency, if the man even knew that, wasn't something that actually helped with memory recall.

Harry stared humming on a tune as they walked. He needed something to do. Ogden wasn't very fast. He fell silent as they reached the top of a hill. They had what must be Little Hangleton spreading out before them. He could see a manor house that looked quite splendid though it didn't hold a candle to Malfoy Manor. There was a small gathering of houses and a church with a graveyard. Closest to them, however, stood a house that looked like it was falling to pieces. It was hard to see it through the lush hedge, but Harry could tell that it was there. They followed Ogden down the lane and through an opening in the hedge.

' _This is just awful,'_ Harry thought as he studied the house. From the snake nailed to the door to the dirty and broken windows. Moss grew along the walls and the trees around it didn't only cast the entire are in a deep shade but were also growing in under the roof tiles slowly.

Harry took half a step back suddenly as a man dropped down from a nearby tree right in front of Ogden who jumped back in fright. The man's hair was matted and dirty that it could have been any colour. He was missing several teeth something Harry noticed as the man hissed at Ogden. While he couldn't understand Parseltongue, he was fully capable of reading tone and body language. And he wasn't sure he had ever heard a clearer piss off.

Ogden stuttered as he responded.

At least Harry learned that he was from the Ministry. He had a sinking suspicion as the dirty man in front of them continued speaking in Parseltongue. This man was most likely related to Voldemort somehow. How far back had they gone?

"You understand him, I'm sure, Harry," Dumbledore said as the dirty man pulled a bloody knife together with his wand.

"He is telling Mr Ogden to leave," Harry answered. He knew for a fact that Dumbledore couldn't understand exactly what the man was saying either. He wasn't outright going to say he could understand though since he couldn't. He wouldn't lie, but he wasn't going to tell the truth either. He watched as the dirty man advanced on Ogden. ' _This isn't going to end well,'_ he thought. Then a spell was fired. ' _Well that could have gone worse.'_

"Morfin!" An elderly man came hurrying out of the house. He started talking to Ogden and his - son it turned out. The older man was oddly proportioned with broad shoulders and too long arms.

' _And this is what happens when you keep marrying your cousins,'_ Harry thought. The way the men looked was obviously the result of inbreeding. It was sad really. Mr Gaunt as the conversation between the man and Ogden let Harry know sent his son inside before he asked Ogden if he was a pure-blood. ' _Like it matters,'_ Harry thought and was glad when Ogden agreed with him. His respect for the man rose even more when he calmly handled a waving and close to shouting Mr Gaunt.

They moved into the house which looked no better on the inside than it had on the outside. They entered a room that served both as the living room and the kitchen, Harry's eyes caught on a woman in there. She looked like she was abused. Her eyes, though they were looking in different directions, were frightened. Her demeanour was skittish, and she did her very best to hide.

It became obvious that the Gaunts looked down on non-magicals. Well at least the men did. Harry honestly didn't pay much attention to them until Mr Gaunt mentioned the Peverell family while showing Ogden the very same ring that Dumbledore had been wearing at the start of term. Then the man walked over to his daughter and grabbed a locket hanging from her neck. ' _Now that one I have,'_ Harry thought as he saw it. He didn't care about Mr Gaunt's blabber about heritage. He didn't actually want to think about being related to these people.

He walked over to a window as voices streamed through it. It was a young rather handsome man and a girl - not quite a woman yet. The man was obviously Tom Riddle Sr. He had a rather clear memory of what the diary Tom had told him and what he had looked like. He had gone back to visit it recently. Commotion broke out behind him. He turned to walk over to Dumbledore, and they followed a fleeing Ogden out of the hovel.

They didn't make it far before Dumbledore was done with the memory and brought them back out.

' _That was interesting,'_ Harry thought as he settled back in his chair. So, the ring had held a soul piece, but Dumbledore had dealt with it. That explained why one of his strands had moved and then disappeared. It meant that whatever was left was something Voldemort kept with him because the last two were always together, and he knew one of those was Voldemort. He looked up at Dumbledore who was obviously waiting for him to say something. "Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle Sr.," he said. "Voldemort's parents. They don't seem like the most obvious of matches if you ask me."

"Ah, but then you have to take into consideration that Merope was a witch," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Love potion then," Harry said. "But she must have stopped using it since Voldemort despises his father. Though I guess he wouldn't have had much respect for a man stuck in a love potion either." He thought about it. "But Voldemort grew up in an orphanage did he not," he said after a while. "So Merope didn't make it. And the potion would have worn off either way. I mean she either let it wear of or it wore of when she died."

Dumbledore nodded. "We must do a considerable amount of guess work here, but since Tom Riddle reappeared at his home only months later it stands to reason that Merope let the potion wear off," he said. "It is possible that she thought he would love her or that he would stay for the baby's sake. He did not, however. He left her and their unborn child never to see either of them again," he said. His eyes glanced over to the window. "I do believe that is all for tonight," he said.

Harry nodded and stood up. "Good night, sir," he said before he headed over to the door. Without his previous knowledge about certain things, he couldn't understand how any of what he had been shown was any important. With his knowledge he could say that Dumbledore might be introducing him not only to Voldemort's past, but also to the items that would become containers for his soul. Not that Dumbledore was telling him that yet.

* * *

 _12th of October, 1996. Saturday_

That weekend there was a Hogsmeade trip planed. The weather was horrible. Harry had even considered not running in the morning. ' _Wimp,'_ he had called himself before leaving. He had been through worse weather in Skyrim. It didn't matter what the weather was like. He needed to run either way.

Later in the day after Neville and Hermione had gotten up, they travelled down to the village together. The wind hadn't died down. As a matter-of-fact it was worse now than it had been earlier in day. It was the wind itself that bothered Harry. He didn't care much about the cold. They went to couple of shops before they headed over to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. There really wasn't all that much to do in town that day though. With the cold wind no one wanted to be outside so they were heading back not long after they had gotten there.

They were walking behind Katie and her friend Leanne when the two started arguing. Harry's magic sense went up to the two. His eyes widened and he was running. "Drop it Katie!" he called.

It was too late though. The gentle Chaser had risen into the air gracefully. Harry kicked the package she had carried to the side and looked up at her. She had to be at least six feet above the ground by now. Then her head fell back and she let out a terrible scream.

Harry's eyes closed. This wasn't good. If he had acted earlier he could have made sure no one saw her, but as it was he couldn't do that. He bit his lip he needed to get her back down. He focused on her. " _ **Mah,"**_ he breathed. In the wind no one noticed the movement his magic caused to his clothes. Katie fell and he reached out so he could catch her. He was forced down to the ground by her weight, but he had stopped her head from hitting the ground. He placed her down and picked the package she had been carrying up. He tucked it away in his bag before he picked her up. She had fallen silent now. He doubted that whatever curse she was under had ended, however. He conjured Ven and sent her off. People had seen her the year before, and he had given a good enough explanation to Sirius and Remus about her the past Yule for him to pull off again.

He made it up to the Hospital Wing with the girl and put here down in a bed. "Madam Pomfrey!" he called.

"This is a Hospital Wing not some…" the matron was muttering she walked out of her office. She fell silent as soon as she saw Katie however. "What happened?" she asked as she made her way up to the bed.

"She was cursed," Harry said. He turned to the doors as they opened. Ven jumped inside closely followed by Professor Snape. Harry opened his bag carefully and made sure his dragonhide gloves sat on properly before he reached down for the package. "She touched this Professor," he said as he held it out to Severus - an opal and silver necklace showed past the brown paper. He looked to Katie as Severus put his own gloves on so he could take the necklace. He wished he could cure her. It would take him time though, and he doubted that they would give him that.

He was right. It didn't take long before he was ushered out of the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey. He made it back to the common room and called the team together. "We have to do something," Demelza said and Tanya nodded.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said. "Right now they don't even know if she'll make it."

"She'll make it. Katie is strong," Ginny said. She had just arrived. What had happened to Katie was the talk of the school so she had figured that the team might have gathered.

Harry looked up at her. "You're right," he said with a somewhat strained smile. "We'll figure something out," he said to the others. "Right now I have to let the old team know what has happened." He hugged Tanya and Demelza before he headed upstairs to fetch some parchment. Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia and Oliver all needed to hear what was going on. He froze as he wrote to them. He knew who the culprit was. There was another letter that needed to written. This one had to be worded very carefully. He was going to let Lucius know that he did not appreciate other students being harmed. Hopefully the older aristocrat could reel his son in.

Next to him the others where disguising what they could do for Katie. "You come up with something and we'll see what we can do to make it happen," Harry told them as he stood up. "I'm going to go send these and then I'll be back." He headed out of the common room and through the school to the Owlery. He picked out several owls to send giving the letter to Lucius to Hedwig since he trusted her the most.

Tanya and Demelza were sitting on either side of Kyle (their only male Chaser) when Harry got back to the common room. They were pointing down at something he was drawing. The raven made his way over and leaned down so he could look over the strawberry-blonde's shoulder. "That looks really nice," he said.

Kyle turned and smirked. "Yeah?" he said.

Harry nodded. "I think she'll like that," he said.

"I wish I could make it three dimensional," Kyle said. "It would be way cooler."

Harry bit his lip. "I know someone who could do that," he said. "If you draw everything you want up, I can get those drawings to him, and he can make the three dimensional stuff. I think Katie would like the originals too though."

Kyle nodded slowly. "Sounds good," he said.

…

Katie was moved to St Mungo's the next day which gave Harry full opportunity to look into her as Kato the very same day she was moved.

 _13th of October, 1996. Sunday_

A brown-haired young man walked through the pristine white walls of the fourth floor in St Mungo's Hospital. By then most Healers were familiar enough with him on that floor. They knew he worked in the Closed Ward. He wasn't headed for that ward though. He was headed for Spell Damage on the same floor. He had caught word that they had brought Katie in. He was done with Alice and Frank for the day so he didn't have the energy to help her, but he could at the very least look into what had happened to her.

He gave a polite smile and a nod to the Healer in charge. By now word was spreading that he was actually getting progress from his work with the Longbottoms. He was starting to wonder if it wouldn't be safer to move the couple from the Hospital. He would have to speak to Augusta about it. He reached out and placed a hand on Katie's stomach. He wanted to figure out what was going on with her. As his eyes opened there were several people standing around the bed. He stood up slowly. "I'm sorry I was doing a deep scan," he said. "I'm Kato Peverell, Mr and Mrs Longbottom's Healer." He shook their hands. It turned out that two of them were Katie's parents. The other two were curses specialists. "If you would please step aside and let us do our job," one of the specialists said.

Mr Bell walked with him as he moved away from Katie's bed. "You think she'll be alright?" he asked.

Harry smiled softly. "Yes, I have seen much worse. It will take her a while to recover, but I can get my Curse-Breaker in here tomorrow and we can deal with the curse. She will be weak for a while after that and could do with some time at home. She'll be fine though. We should wait and see what they have to say," he said and indicated to the specialists.

"You use a Curse-Breaker?" Mr Bell asked.

"Yes, he is a friend and the method we use demand that we trust each other quite a lot. We have been working together with Mr Longbottom for a while now. This is nothing in comparison to the problems he has," Harry said.

Mr Bell nodded slowly. He noticed that his wife had started crying and made his way over to her so he could comfort her. Harry watched as the two specialists left grimfaced. He walked back to Katie and reached out with his magic again. He could tell that the curse was dangerous.

"They don't know what it is," Mr Bell said slowly. "They could tell us that we're lucky she didn't touch the object more than with a small patch of skin because that's why she's still alive, but they don't know what the curse is."

"My Curse-Breaker, Mr Weasley, has access to material most others haven't seen in centuries," Harry said. "We might have this one. As I said we can most likely heal her tomorrow."

Mrs Bell looked up at him. "Why not today?" she demanded. "If you can heal her then why can't you do it today?"

Harry looked her straight in the eyes. "Because we have spent hours tending to Mr Longbottom already today, and both he and I are exhausted. I'm lucky I can still walk at this point. We give our all for our patients Mrs Bell," he said calmly. "If you wish we will come in tomorrow and heal her."

Mr Bell looked down at his daughter. "Please," he said.

Harry nodded. He would have to send a note with Winky to Bill and ask him to look into the curse. He walked out of the room. He would be back.

…

 _14th of October, 1996. Monday_

Harry left the school right after Care of Magical Creatures the next day. He didn't want to keep Katie waiting. Bill had sent him a message that morning saying that he had found the curse and a counter so they were prepared. He met Bill at the entrance and they headed up. "She's one of Fred and George's friends isn't she," the redhead asked softly as they made their way up stairs.

Harry nodded. "She's on the team and she is good friends with Fred's girlfriend Angelina so they spend quite a lot of time together," he said. "You better not mention that information like that comes from me though. It will create all kinds of problems."

Bill nodded. "This will be so much easier when you aren't hiding anymore," he said.

"Well, yeah," Harry said.

They entered the Spell Damage Ward and walked up to Mrs and Mr Bell. "Good morning," Harry said kindly. "This is my colleague William Weasley. If you would please just move a way a little and give us some space. You don't have to leave." He sat down on the bed next to Katie. "When are the specialists showing back up, do you know?" he asked the couple.

"Later today," Mr Bell said as he moved his wife back to give Bill some space next to his daughter.

Harry reached out and placed a hand on Katie's belly again before he offered Bill his other hand. "We'll do this in two steps. One in there and one centred on the source," he said.

Bill nodded. He knew how it worked by now. Their eyes closed.

Mr Bell watched the two men as their magic pulsed. Then the brunet's hands started glowing gold. He hadn't realised until then that the young man didn't have a wand. He was doing this wandless. He wasn't sure how long he sat there watching. It looked like the redhead was casting a spell but the magic seemed to travel through their clasped hands rather than out through the wand like normal.

Amber eyes opened and there was magic pooling in their depths. The brunet shifted and lifted the hand that the curse had travelled through. He didn't say anything as he raised the hand up closer to the redhead. Mr Bell watched as a blue streak left the Weasley's wand. His daughter was friends with Weasleys wasn't she. He wasn't sure. The redhead moved away from his daughter and the brunet placed his hands on her belly and the other on her forehead. His eyes closed again. He whispered something Mr Bell didn't quite catch and a cloud of whitish-gold left his body and travelled over to her.

Harry was smiling softly. She was healed. He called the Healer in charge over and asked the woman to do a full check of Katie. The result came back just as he had thought. The curse was gone. "My recommendation is a few days here after she has woken up and then she should be able to go home." He thought about it for a moment. "I don't recommend that she goes back to school until after Yule. She can however start doing some schoolwork before that if she wishes. As long as she doesn't over work herself," he said.

The Healer nodded. It all sounded perfectly reasonable. She would make her own assessment of course, but if the girl was healed then she should be able to go home provided that she was well enough to do so.

Harry stood up slowly. Suddenly he had an armful of Mrs Bell hugging him. "Thank you," she said. He smiled softly. "I do what I can," he said. "Though I guess I specialize in the impossible."

"She is our only child," Mrs Bell sobbed. "I don't know what we would have done if…"

Harry hugged her tightly for a moment before he sat her down next to Katie. "Make sure you take care of yourselves too not just Katie," he said. He turned to walk away and leave the family some space when the specialists from the day before walked into the Ward. He waved Bill over to him before pointing at the two men. He hadn't liked their attitude the day before. He tilted his head to the side. He could tell that they were frustrated. One of them turned around and walked over to them. "You did that?" he asked.

"The two of us yes," Harry said. "William is a Curse-Breaker from Gringotts and I and a Master Healer among other things."  
"Curse-Breakers are no Healers," the man sneered.

"And I just said I was a Master," Harry said. "I make up for what he doesn't know about healing. The goblins have pretty high demands on their employees. If Bill wasn't good he wouldn't work there. And considering we did a job that would have taken you days if not weeks in a day, I don't see what the problem is. The girl will live that is what is important." He turned to walk out of the room, Bill following closely behind him.

"That feels nice," Bill said. "We actually helped someone we'll be able to see getting better. Not to say Frank isn't getting better it's just not very noticeable."

"Only if you don't know what to look for," Harry said. "I have been considering moving them to the Estate. I don't like the fact that the people who hurt them are still out there."

"You think they might go after them again?" Bill asked.

"There is a possibility they will and that is enough for me," Harry said. "I'll speak to Lady Longbottom about it though. In the end it is her decision."

Bill nodded.

They took fare well at the exit and left to go their separate ways.

* * *

The Quidditch team did their best despite the fact that they were all worried for Katie. Well everyone but Harry who knew she was fine. He had made sure she got the card that Kyle had design with Tanya and Demelza was enchanted with illusions before he delivered it to Katie personally. She wasn't awake when he was there, but her father had assured him that she had woken up. He was very grateful, and Harry felt almost uncomfortable.

Weeks passed by.

Harry wondered how long it would take for Dumbledore to contact him again.

 _5th of November, 1996. Tuesday_

Harry hummed softly as he walked through the school slowly. He was heading up to Dumbledore's office once more. He wondered what the man would have in store for him this time around. He entered the office like he'd done the two previous times sand they exchanged some pleasantries before Dumbledore started telling him about Merope Gaunt.

Harry learned that the woman had lived in London and sold the heavy gold locket she'd worn to the owner of Borgin and Burkes for only ten Galleons despite it being nearly priceless. It made him wonder what would have been different for young Tom Riddle if just one of the things that happened before he was even born had gone differently. If Merope had been paid more or his father hadn't abandoned him, would that have made things different?

There was nothing that could be done about it now of course. The past was the past it wouldn't change. A part of him wished that things had been different for Merope.

Harry was invited into the Headmaster's memory this evening. It turned out that Dumbledore had not been the Headmaster at the time of the memory though. He had been the Transfiguration Professor.

They had landed behind a much younger Dumbledore with shorter brown hair and a very flamboyant plum-coloured suit. At least it was a suit and not what wizards tended to end up wearing. They followed the younger Dumbledore to an orphanage. Harry had been to the orphanage in Riften and this wasn't any better than that had been. ' _So this is where Tom grew up,'_ he thought. He didn't like it. While he couldn't blame Tom for hurting animals and the like, he knew perfectly well what the behaviour meant. The boy was not the man. He couldn't do anything to help the boy so he was left to deal with what the man had become.

It was however interesting to see that he had started gathering items - mostly stolen - at a young age. It did show to the items he had later gathered for his soul pieces. Harry found that Tom acted a lot like he could have if things had turned out differently. In a way his subconscious had chosen a different rout you could say. He had hidden rather than outright shown his skepticism. He wasn't one for hurting most beings though. In that he and Tom were very different. Yet he could see how one thing had led to another. School couldn't have been easy for Tom either with a non-magical last name in Slytherin.

All in all there wasn't much really important information in that memory. Harry guessed it might add to the whole though. He went back up to the tower deep in thought. He wasn't thinking about Tom though. His mind as occupied with what little information he had managed to gather on Dumbledore's arm. The curse on the arm was much worse than what had hit Katie. It was intricate and seemed to have several layers. He needed more time.


	82. Yuletide

**Yuletide**

Harry ploughed his way through his homework like always. He could tell that Hermione was getting stressed with her schedule. She was trying her best not to show it though. He was glad he had cut is own schedule down.

One good thing about November, except for the fact that they won their Quidditch match against Slytherin, was that the contract with the Amazon crew ran out so Charlie was coming back home. It made it much easier for Harry to just pop back home to see his boyfriend whenever he wanted. He could tell that Charlie was getting restless fast though. He understood the oranget just fine. He went nuts when he didn't have anything to do. He was starting to wonder if he shouldn't look into arranging some kind of magical zoo slash reserve next to Ennerdale Estate.

He would just have to remember to run the idea past Charlie. Maybe they could hire his friend Rosalie as well. She didn't seem so happy with her job in the dragon reserve anymore – at least if he was to believe her last letter.

He had also come to the realisation that Hogwarts girls were trying to give him love potions. He had noticed long before Hermione had warned him, though, he had been happy she paid attention too. It wasn't hard avoiding the silly girls who thought he would be dumb enough to eat or drink something he didn't know what it was. Several of the girls going after him were a good seven years younger than him. If they had been over twenty he wouldn't be so disgusted by the thought, but the girls in question were fourteen and even younger. He wasn't even sure the potion would have an effect on him. A very stern voice that sounded very much like Ra'shall had told him it was never a wise decision to drink something you didn't know exactly what it was though, so he had never tested the theory.

…

 _20th of December, 1996. Friday_

Harry smiled as he met Hermione down in the common room. They were headed for another of Slughorn's foolish parties. At least they were heading home the next day. He'd love having some time just him and Charlie. They had invited Fred and George among others to a New Years Eve party. Fleur's family had been invited to the Manor for the Holidays, but Fleur, Bill and Charlie were all going to head over to the Weasleys for at least a portion of the twenty-fifth.

Harry didn't mind though Charlie was a bit irritated with the fact that he couldn't bring his boyfriend.

Neville smiled at them as he came walking up to them with Hannah on his arm. The two of them were close friends, but it was uncertain if there was anything more than that going on. Harry didn't care. Frankly Neville could do whatever he wanted. He was going with Hermione because she was still pursuing her long distance relationship with Viktor Krum. The both of them had boyfriends that weren't at Hogwarts.

Slughorn grabbed the raven almost as soon as he had entered through the door and introduced him to two men one of which turned out to be a Vampire. Harry's finger itched. His experiences with vampires weren't that good. He didn't have any cure disease potions either. He far from trusted the man and would most likely kill him, consequences be damned, if he had to. Hermione and he managed to play nice for a good half hour before he managed to get them away from there. "Don't look," he told Hermione as they moved away from Slughorn, "but Snape is here and he looks like he's trying to figure out how to kill everyone here and get away with it."

"Professor Snape, Harry, and he wouldn't do that," Hermione said.

"Probably not," Harry said. "I don't know what you see in these meetings 'Mione. They are extremely dull."

"Why did you come if you think they are so boring?" Hermione asked.

"Because I'm not leaving you with all of these boys alone, Hermione," Harry said. "You are like a sister to me, and I'm going to act protective unless there is someone who actually catches your interest. I'm not the type to stand in the way if that happens. You know all the love potions I have been given lately. I can guarantee you that there are boys in this school who would want to get at you, and they won't be all romantic and use love potions. They will try to take what they want, and I'm going to do my very best to keep you from getting hurt."

"I can protect myself," Hermione said. She was both flattered and irritated with the raven.

"Oh, I know that," Harry said. "Don't I know that, but just like you look out for me I'll look out for you."

Hermione smiled softly. "I guess that's O.K." she said.

They stayed around for another hour and a half before they left. Harry had a very low bullshit tolerance, and he highly disliked spending hours on end talking about nothing with people he didn't know.

…

 _21st of December, 1996. Saturday_

Harry leaned back and sighed. He was sitting in a compartment with Hermione, Neville, Hannah and Susan the following day. His head was lying on Hermione's shoulder. She was reading which wasn't anything new.

"So where are you going?" Neville asked him. "The same hidden location you were in this summer?"

Harry smirked. "Yeah, something like that," he said. "You'll be coming over though. If not this Yule then next summer. Kato says that he's spoken to Lady Longbottom about moving your parents. She agreed with him that she would prefer they were somewhere safer than St Mungo's as long as the Death Eaters are afoot."

Neville blinked. He hadn't heard that. "Kato sends you stuff like that?" he asked. "Gran hasn't said anything."

Harry nodded. "He sends letters through his house-elf," he said. He felt Hermione move, he was soon facing a very irritate brunette. "He has a house-elf?" she asked heatedly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "She rules the household with an iron fist," he said. "I swear she has more say than Kato does sometimes. She's got basically free access to money if she wants it and she wears this nice maid style outfit. She is so a part of the family."

Hermione bit her lip. She didn't like the whole concept of keeping elves. She couldn't really find anything to complain about from what Harry said though. She looked back down at her book. Slavery was wrong, but was it wrong to keep a house-elf if you treated them really well. It couldn't be could it? She would have to think that over.

Harry went back to snoozing. He was half listening to the conversation Neville had with the other two girls. It was really nice to see the brunet being so clam. His nerves were gone.

The compartment door opened and Lavender Brown was standing there. She smiled down at Harry when her eyes landed on him. "Hey, Harry wouldn't you like coming over to our compartment?" she asked almost sickly sweet. "This seems really dull. We'll have so much more fun."

Harry closed his eyes. He had talked to his friends and the team about his boyfriend, but it somehow hadn't spread beyond them. It showed that his chosen friends knew how to keep their mouths shut. "I don't know Lavender," he said. "Can we have an orgy?" he asked. "You'd give me a blow job right?" He opened an eye and looked up at the dirty-blonde girl. She looked pretty affronted. He wasn't surprised. He had meant to scare her off. She might think she knew stuff, but really she had no experience.

Lavender backed out of the compartment.

"Did you have to be so crude?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "She's been hounding me for weeks now," he said. "She's a little girl with no experience. It irritates me that she tries to act all adult like and talk big."

Hermione shook her head. She wasn't going to argue with Harry he was way too relaxed about sex for her to want to get into that. She had tried the first time she'd heard him talk that way, and he had quickly gotten her so embarrassed she didn't even want to think about it.

The sky outside was dark and stars shone past the clouds at times. The moon was nearing full. It lit the clouds around it up with its slivery light. Harry's mind turned to Sirius. The man had asked him if he wanted to spend Yule together and he had said no. He was sure that he was hurting his godfather's feelings, but he didn't want to spend the hols away from Charlie.

The train slowed down eventually. Harry stood up with the others, but eh headed out before them. He was gone before they had exited the train.

Charlie was sitting in the library reading when Harry got home. He felt how nibble hands started moving through his hair massaging his scalp slowly. "Welcome home love," he said. He leaned his head back and looked up at Harry. "How have things been?" he asked. It wasn't that long since Harry had been home last.

Harry shrugged. "You mean apart from the three different love potions I have avoided today alone," he said. "I'm doing O.K." He leaned down and kissed Charlie. "How about you? Climbing out of your own skin yet?"

Charlie sighed. "I don't know," he said. "It will get better now when there will be more people around. I need something to do though."

"I was thinking that maybe we should set up a reserve slash zoo like thing," Harry said. "You know figure out some way for people to see magical animals in their natural habitat. I wanted to know what you thought about it before I took the idea to the goblins. You would head it… if you'd like that."

Charlie chuckled. "How come you always come up with the ideas?" he asked. "I feel bored and miserable, and you wreck your brain to find a solution for me."

"I love you," Harry said. "I don't want you to be bored. Especially when it is mostly happening because I want you home."

"That's not true," Charlie said. "I want to be with you." He pulled Harry around the armchair he was sitting in so he could pull the raven down in his lap. "We'll have to hire other people as well if we're going to make that work though," he said.

"I was thinking Rosalie," Harry said. "Her last letter was pretty down."

Charlie smiled softly. "She would like that I guess," he said. "We need a way to start it up before we can do anything else though."

"And that is why I want to speak to the goblins," Harry said. "Gogil can help me get it all right. I might need some other backing as well though." His eyes moved over the many shelves in the room. "I might be able to convince the Longbottoms and Lucius. Together we should be able to make it work. Then it has to work out as a business. But you know if we can gather freely given potion ingredients then we can sell those. We can make it a self supporting business."

"You really have thought this over," Charlie said.

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said as he leaned in to kiss the oranget. Charlie smiled against Harry's lips and deepened the kiss. He wrapped his arms around the raven tightly.

They were still embracing tightly when Winky showed up told them that dinner was ready. They broke apart reluctantly and walked out to the dinning room. Supper was lovely, but they barely noticed what they were eating.

Fleur and Bill were over in France and would come back with her family in a few days so they were alone. They moved upstairs after dinner and settled down in one of the sofas. They spoke of this and that until conversation turned to a prolonged snogging session that continued into the bedroom slowly. Clothes hit the floor. Hands roamed over newly exposed skin.

Harry looked down at Charlie smiling mischievously before he bent down to kiss him. He could feel the other reaching for his wand and he pulled it to them. The spells Charlie cast didn't hit him though. Harry didn't ask if he was sure. The oranget knew what he wanted. He moved strong legs apart as he kissed his way down Charlie's chest. He summoned a jar, opened it and dipped his finger in. He warmed the slick substance as he spread it over his fingers. His tongue teased a hard nipple as he prepared his lover.

Charlie had reached for the jar but never got there. His breathing was heavy. He couldn't focus. Harry returned to kiss him deeply as he shifted. He hummed as he slipped into his lover. His thrusts were slow at first, but they soon sped up at the command of his lover. "Yes, right there," Charlie hissed.

Harry shifted and he made sure to hit that one spot over and over again until he could tell that Charlie was close. He smiled widely as he watched Charlie fall over the edge. The tight warm channel contracting around him sent him over as well. Fingers were running lazily through his hair as he pulled out so he could lie down next to Charlie. He kissed him softly. His arms wrapped around the oranget's waist. A soft golden light spread from him to make sure that Charlie was alright. A tired chuckle reached his ears. "And you think I worry about you," Charlie mumbled.

"Never complained have I," Harry whispered.

"No you haven't," Charlie mumbled. He smiled as Harry moved up behind him, spooning him. He had missed this. Harry hadn't stayed the night often because he didn't want people to get too suspicious. It had been bad enough at the start of the year when he had disappeared for several days on end.

Blue eyes closed slowly and Charlie fell asleep. Harry smiled softly. He felt blessed in a way. He had spent a year with Rhavaniel, who was a wonderful person, and then when he had been pulled from her, it had only been a year before he had found Charlie. He hated being alone. It brought him back to that cold dark cupboard under the stairs. Those thoughts brought his mind over to another child. A child that really could have used someone who took care of him - someone who actually cared for him. He wondered if there were children out there right now that needed help. He knew he and Charlie had spoken of adoption, but they couldn't help everyone. His arms tightened around Charlie's waist as his emotions went into turmoil. He didn't realise he'd woken the oranget up until his arms were moved so the older man could pull him into a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Whatever for?" Charlie said.

"Waking you up," Harry said.

"Hogwash," Charlie said. "You need me. Now what is wrong?" he asked softly.

Harry smiled. "Thank you," he whispered before he started talking. He told Charlie everything his mind had touched upon to upset him. Most of that there was nothing they could do anything about. It was all in the past.

* * *

 _22nd of December, 1996. Sunday_

Green eyes blinked open slowly. A sleepy chuckle rang through the air. Pale hands landed on freckled shoulder. Harry smiled. His boyfriend was using him as a pillow. "Charlie," he said. "Charlie you need to let go off me."

The oranget grumbled and his grip tightened.

"Suit yourself," Harry said with a sigh. He lifted his hands from the oranget's shoulders. His palms filled with white whirling snow. He placed them down against Charlie's back. The reaction was instantaneous.

Charlie shouted in surprise and almost jumped away from him. Harry got up and slipped into the bathroom. "You're evil," Charlie said as he walked back out. He shrugged. "You were too cosy to let go of me and I really needed to go," he said. "It's not my fault it was the only way." He tilted his head to the side. "I can make it up to you," he said as he walked up to the pouting oranget.

Charlie looked up. "I don't know," he said.

"I'll do anything," Harry said as he sat down in his lover's lap.

"Hhhhnnn," Charlie seemed to be thinking about it. He pulled Harry closer. "Fine," he said. He stopped pulling as their chests were flush together, and then he stood up. Harry wrapped his arms around his shoulders and his legs tight around his waist so he wouldn't fall. They entered the bathroom, and Charlie headed up to the tub.

More than an hour past before they headed own to the dinning room. Winky placed out breakfast and they ate before heading up to the living room. Bill, Fleur and her family would be arriving later that day. Until then however they wanted to just take it easy. Harry was going to engage the ladies in some baking and they would have to decorate the house. But all of that was for later.

…

Harry sat up slowly. He placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "They have arrived," he said.

"Yeah, I can hear them," Charlie said. They rose from the sofa and headed downstairs.

"'Arry!"

The raven took a step back from the weight that suddenly hit him as Fleur threw herself at him. "Hello Fleur," he said. He hugged her, and then he moved her away to arms length distance so he could look her over. "Now you are happy," he said. His eyes narrowed as he looked her over. "You are not pregnant," he said. An eyebrow rose. "It's not something to do with the rest of your family. It's not me…" he noticed the way everyone else was looking at him. "They don't know yet, do they?" he said. He leaned in closer to her. "Congratulations, when's the wedding?" he whispered.

Fleur squealed and she hugged him again.

"She 'as been like zat all week," Gabrielle said. "I still don't get what is wrong."

Harry smiled down at the younger blonde. "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," he said. Then an idea hit him. A smirk spread over his lips.

"What is it 'Arry?" Fleur asked.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Harry said. He had the perfect wedding present in mind. Now he just needed to get it done without anyone finding out. He turned to Mrs and Mr Delacour and welcomed them.

"You 'aven't decorated yet," Gabrielle said.

"Well we couldn't very well start without you now could we," Harry said. "Let me show you to your room and then we can decorate the house to your hearts content." He turned to Apolline and Marceau. "If you would please come with me as well, I'll show you were you can stay."

Fleur walked up to Bill as the others disappeared down one of the guest corridors. "'E figured it out," she said.

Bill shrugged. "Can't say I'm surprised. Why on Earth did he have to mention pregnancy though? Now we're never going to hear the last of that," he said.

"Oh, don't complain," Fleur said. "I wouldn't surprise me if 'e finds out before we do when it actually 'appens."

"As long as he tells us first," Bill said. He bent down and kissed her. "Now it's Charlie's turn," he said.

"Maybe 'Arry will be ze one to do it. You never know," Fleur said.

Bill rolled his eyes. He doubted the raven even considered marriage. It just didn't seem like one of those things he would even care about. Of course Charlie didn't seem to care either so maybe they would just keep living together.

It didn't take long for Gabrielle to run back out into the dinning room. She was smiling brightly. The ten-year-old girl had an entire house she could decide the decorations for. Harry had promised her she could. The raven walked up to her and then they set off.

"Can you seal off the library, Bill?" Harry asked the redhead as they passed him. "Just a temporary thing until I can get something up that will keep kids away from the dangerous books."

Bill's eyes widened. He hadn't even considered that. "Yes, I'll get something up," he said. He kissed Fleur before heading over to the library door.

Fleur headed up to the living room after her sister and Harry. The raven was creating big shimmering snowflakes that were fastened sort of mid air in the room. The ceiling was so high you could do almost anything with it. Though curtains were impossible in the room. There were three huge windows to one wall and there were no curtains that could cover them. They let in a lot of light though and the view was amazing. She loved it. All the snow outside covering the ground.

"Your sister has stolen my boyfriend," Charlie said as he walked up next to her. "Congratulations by the way. I guess you haven't made it official yet."

"Zank you," Fleur said. "Boz you and 'Arry already figured it out."

"I can read my brother pretty well," Charlie said.

"He zinks you need to propose to 'Arry," Fleur said.

Charlie chuckled. "I have a ring you know," he said. "I found it and I just knew it would be perfect. I just haven't decided how to do it yet. He doesn't seem to care all that much."

"Bill said zat too. But you know what. I zink 'Arry would really like it," Fleur said. "'E doesn't need it to know zat you love 'im, but 'e would appreciate it."

Charlie nodded slowly. "I want to wait until he's out of school and we can stop pretending all together," he said. "I don't want to have to keep my fiancé a secret. A part of me wonders if I shouldn't wait until Kato is gone, but…" he sighed.

"Don't wait longer zan you need to," Fleur said. "Zere is no point in zat."

"Don't tell Bill," Charlie said.

"Oh, I won't I promise," Fleur said.

…

An hour later the entire house had gone through a dramatic change. There were decorations everywhere. Sparkling stars and snowflakes. Long garlands hung from the ceiling and snow fell in the living room.

Harry was lying on one of the sofas with Gabrielle lying on top of him.

"See now she has stolen my boyfriend again," Charlie whined childishly as he walked upstairs with Bill.

"Well take him back then," Bill said. "She's just a kid it can't be that hard."

"If you wake her up…" Harry said quietly as the oranget walked up to them.

Charlie sighed. He gave his older brother a look that screamed 'you sure?'. He sank down in an armchair.

"Poor Charlie," his brother said.

"You watch it or Harry'll take your girlfriend as well," Charlie said.

"She wouldn't do that," Bill said. He was wrong though. Fleur came up with her parents and she walked up to Harry and got him to lift his upper body so she could sit down.

Harry smiled. "Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum

A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum

Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum

To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum," he sang. He was smiling brightly as he continued. He went from one song to another. English and dovahzul it didn't matter to him. He got Fleur and her mother started. They sang in French though.

Marceau lifted Gabrielle off Harry eventually and carried the girl downstairs to her room. People shifted around up stairs and harry sat down in Charlie's lap. "Happy now?" he asked.

"Better balaur meu," Charlie said.

Winky showed up with some mulled wine. She offered the tray around.

"Are you going to get drunk now?" Charlie teased.

"I never drink that much," Harry said. "Comes from growing up in a place where you could get killed if you didn't stay sharp. One cup won't affect me. I'm too relaxed as it is." His eyes fell and Charlie reprimanded himself for getting the raven to think about his lost family.

"They would have liked you," Harry said. "Tested you like crazy, but they would have liked you – all of you." He kissed Charlie.

They stayed up for a while longer just talking. It was nothing important really. Just conversation flowing from one subject to another.

* * *

The next day and the days following, Harry spent a lot of time baking and making candy both for the twins' shop and just for consumption. He roped Gabrielle up in it most of the time. The little girl probably ate more than she helped though.

Charlie spent a lot of time in the kitchen too, but he definitely wasn't helping. Harry pointed out to him that he would get fat if he didn't watch it. Charlie didn't seem to care though.

 _25th of December, 1996. Wednesday_

Harry smiled as he ran his fingers down his boyfriend's side. Charlie was sleeping still. It was early. He slipped out of bed. He wanted to do something he hadn't done in a while. He got dressed and moved out of the room silently. His eyes narrowed as he reached the kitchen. Gabrielle was young still. She would be up early. He headed over to her bedroom and knocked on the door.

The little blonde threw the door open and smiled a him.

"Want to build a snowman?" Harry asked. He figured he could give her parents a sleep in.

"Oui," Gabrielle said.

"Get dressed, but don't worry about thick clothes. I'll keep us warm," Harry said.

Gabrielle nodded happily. She walked out of her room fully dressed in minutes. She took Harry's hand and they headed outside.

Harry conjured a faint Magelight for them so they would be able to see. They started from the house and then they moved out as they gathered snow for their sculptures.

"What are you doing?" Gabrielle asked suddenly.

They had been out there for an hour or two by then. The raven was sitting next to a heap of snow that didn't really look like anything. Harry smirked. He was going to combine magic again. He placed his hands on the pile of snow and then he smirked as it changed and took shape. " _ **Iiz slen nus,"**_ he breathed. The shape before him took on an icy sheen. Then it jumped from him over to Gabrielle. It was a massive snow tiger.

"That's not fair," Gabrielle said.

Harry smiled. "It's not a competition," he said. He stood up and then he started moving around gathering more snow. He smiled brightly as the pile grew. Once he believed himself to have enough snow his eyes closed in concentration.

Gabrielle looked up from her little snow fox. The big pile shifted and moved. Big wings spread form the body. A long tail whipped out. The neck untangled and a horned head was made visible. Then the dragon or rather wyvern stood up. It turned towards the house and climbed up on the roof of the entrance building. "Can you make my fox alive too?" she asked Harry.

The raven smiled. "Of course I can," he said. "It is beautiful." He reached down and placed a hand on the little fox as he sent his magic out towards it. It stood up slowly and shook. Small ice-blue eyes looked up at Gabrielle.

Harry smiled as she took of with the fox. "Thank you," he said as the tiger he had made came walking up to him. He placed his hand on top off the tiger's head. They were daedric spirits. He had asked them to come. They would leave eventually and the snow sculptures would collapse, but for now they would be with them. They weren't dangerous. He would never let something dangerous close to Gabrielle.

"Merci 'Arry."

Harry turned to the front door of the manor. Apolline was standing there. She was smiling at him. "You are welcome," he said. "I thought everyone could do with their sleep."

"But you dear," Apolline said.

"I was already awake," Harry said. "I'm used to getting up early, and Charlie wants his sleep in the morning. Sometimes I just can't stay in bed." He chuckled as Gabrielle slipped and fell into a snow pile.

"Aren't you two cold?" Apolline asked.

"No I'm using magic to keep us warm," Harry said. "I wouldn't let you daughter freeze Apolline."

"Non, I know you care very much for her," Apolline said. She watched her daughter. "'Ow do zey move?" she asked.

"Spirits from another realm. They won't hurt Gabrielle," Harry said. "I won't let them do something like that and they are playful not dangerous most of the time. If you really anger them they can turn nasty. They understand that Gabrielle is a child though."

Apolline nodded. She trusted Harry to know what he was doing. She shuddered. The heating spell she had cast on herself was wearing thin. "You should come inside and have breakfast," she said. She turned to Gabrielle. "Le miel de Gabrielle c'est le temps pour le petit déjeuner," she called.

The young blonde turned to her mother. "Je serai juste là, la mere," she called. She tried her best to get her little fox friend to come with her as she made it back to the house. They walked inside and she skipped over to the big table filled with different breakfast materials. The fox jumped up next to her.

"Oh, sweet'eart you can't 'ave 'im inside," Apolline said.

"Don't worry, Apolline," Harry said. "The spirit is strong enough to change the construct of the body it has been given. It won't stay snow and ice in here." He placed the raspberry jam down next to Charlie.

Apolline sighed. "Well, I guess it is Yule so you can keep 'im for now," she said.

After breakfast they all went upstairs and played some games before Bill, Fleur, and Charlie left to go to the Burrow for lunch. Harry took Gabrielle and her parents with him and they went ice-skating on the lake. Gabrielle was laughing happily as she was twirled around.

The others came back and Harry could tell Fleur didn't seem too pleased.

It was dark outside now, but they stayed out for another couple of hours before moving back inside. It wasn't until after dinner that Fleur finally let her parents and sister know that Bill had proposed to her.

"Would you like to hold the wedding here?" Harry asked.

Fleur looked up at Bill hope shining in here eyes. "I know you don't want to make your mozer sad, but please Bill it is our wedding and she sounded like she wanted to hijack it," she said. "We can still invite 'er to plan wiz us."

Bill nodded slowly. "Sure dear," he said. "This place is bigger anyway. It would be better." He gave Harry a grateful smile as Fleur hugged him.

"I guess you saved that one," Charlie said as they went to bed that night. "Mom can be a bit overzealous. I'm guessing you aren't inviting her here."

"You can do that if it is necessary," Harry said. "You have as much power over the wards as I do." He turned around when he didn't get a response. "What is it Charlie?" he asked. He walked up to the oranget.

"You have given me full access to your wards?" Charlie said. "Do you…" he didn't know what to say. The amount of trust that indicated was. Well he knew Harry trusted him it just was something else to have a tangible thing to show it. He hadn't even check if he could connect to the wards before. His eyes closed and he found them quickly enough. He left again and walked up to Harry. "I don't know what to say. You know that wards usually aren't shared unless there is a married couple living in the house," he said.

Harry chuckled. "You know I frequently call you my mate right," he said. "I love you."

"You're just impossible aren't you," Charlie said. "I was planning on waiting, but you just won't let me, will you." He pulled his wand and a small box came zooming out of a bag. He held the box out to Harry. "I know we haven't been together that long, but I can't see myself anywhere but here with you. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" he asked.

Harry was smiling softly. "Yes," he said. "I will marry you." He'd never seen Charlie that happy before it was beautiful. The oranget opened the box up and removed a simple white-gold band. He slipped it on Harry's ring finger before kissing the raven deeply. "I was going to wait until you were out of Hogwarts, you know," he said as he hugged his fiancé close.

"Well that went great," Harry said. His sarcastic tone so soft it had no bite whatsoever. It was just so them though. No fancy dinner or anything. It just happened. Hell if they could pull it off that's how they should get married too. It should be just spur of the moment because they got the opportunity.

* * *

 _29th of December, 1996. Sunday_

Harry illusioned the ring on his finger. He wasn't going to take it off, but it wouldn't show through his glamour for the rest of the school year and he couldn't let it show on Kato. He was on his way to St Mungo's. He was meeting with Augusta to move Frank and Alice. While they could have been moved to Augusta's home it was just all around better to move them to his place. "Lady Longbottom," he said politely as he reached her. He bowed and then his head turned to the teen standing next to her. "And you must be Neville," he said. "Harry speaks highly of you." He could see the blush spreading over Neville's cheeks. The brunet had gotten way more confident over the years, but he still couldn't take compliments very well. "Shall we head upstairs?" Harry asked.

The other two followed him up to the Closed Ward. He walked up to Frank and Alice. A soft smile played on his lips. "We are going to be very careful moving them. I have a goblin healer coming in to help us. She'll have a port-key that will take them straight to their room in the manor. We have set everything up. I'll slowly introduce my house-elf to them," he explained.

"And we can come and see them?" Augusta asked.

"Yes, my house-elf can allow people through into the house. She can also get rid of people if they don't behave. You won't be able to leave the house any other way than flooing or apparating from the entrance room though. Unless I am there of course," Harry said.

"Harry said he's staying with you right now," Neville said. "Is he O.K.?" he asked.

"Harry is doing just fine," Harry said. "He said to say hello."

"Can I come over and see him?" Neville asked.

"Not today," Harry said. "We have one big mess at home right now. It won't affect your parents any since the room they will be placed in is warded."

"Oh, alright," Neville said.

The door opened and Glint walked inside. "These are the two we need to move?" she asked.

"Yes," Harry said. He motioned for her to move back with him so they could give the family some space. Once Augusta and Neville were done with their visit, Glint moved forward and she sent the couple off. Harry and Augusta decided on a date for her first visit and then the 'brunet' left to go home.

He was glad Winky was in charge. The twins had come over, and there wasn't a quiet moment any more. At least Winky kept them from doing anything too stupid. They wouldn't be staying that longs since they had a shop to manage, but a few days of fooling around had seemed too good to pass up on.


	83. Horcruxes

**Horcruxes**

 _14th of January, 1997. Tuesday_

All anyone would talk about lately was the apparition lessons provided by the Ministry. Harry didn't care. He had a method of transportation already so he wasn't going to participate. He'd spent a good part of the previous weekend securing vaults. It was low level security work, but people appreciated it none the less.

They had only just settled back into routine when Dumbledore sent a message for another meeting. Harry was going to head up to meet him later that day. He sat through Herbology, which was a pure theory lesson that day before they were handed a mound of homework. The raven headed up to the library and started working on it. He switched to History eventually. He didn't have to attend Binns lectures. He had another teacher reviewing his work. All he had to do was be done on time. Neville joined him after lunch, and they went back to their Herbology homework until Hermione showed up.

Half an hour before his meeting with Dumbledore, Harry said goodbye to his friends. He didn't feel like rushing it on his way to the man's office. He entered the now familiar office slowly. The Pensive stood on Dumbledore's desk. Behind the old man the previous Headmasters were snoring lightly.

"I hope you had a good Christmas," Dumbledore said.

"Yule was nice," Harry responded. "We did some ice-skating and loads of baking. "If they don't watch it back home, they are all going to end up fat."

"You stay with someone then?" Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded. "Of course sir," he said. "Bill, William Weasley, and his fiancé are staying with us." He sat down.

"That is good," Dumbledore said. He was glad to hear that the teen wasn't alone with whoever owned the house he was staying in. "Well I do believe that it is time to get started. I have two memories to show you this evening. We left off before young Tom Riddle had entered Hogwarts for the first time. You remember?"

Harry nodded. He listened as Dumbledore told him of Riddle's time at Hogwarts. The boy had been well liked by the teachers. He had obviously been Slytherin through and through. He had charmed his way into the Professor's hearts. He could tell that even Dumbledore himself had hoped that young Riddle would turn a new leaf. Harry could see the fault in that pretty early on. It might have worked if Riddle hadn't been sent back to the orphanage over and over again. He was pretty sure that Tom's resentment for non-magicals only grew when he went back.

Harry learned of the start of the Death Eaters and how Riddle had finally dropped his name as he found out that his father was a muggle. None of the things Dumbldore told him truly mattered anymore though. He could accept that it was important to know you enemy. But the pity he felt for the young Voldemort was not going to stop him from doing what needed to be done.

Then he was finally invited to dive into the pensive. Riddle had after hard work finally located his mother's family and their origin.

The memory brought them back to the old Gaunts' house though it looked even worse now. If it had looked ready to fall apart last time; it was now doing it now. Harry figured that a good push would make the place fall over. In a chair sat a man, if you could call him that. A single candle was the only light in there. A knock sounded through the house and Tom Riddle entered.

Morfin got up and stumbled drunkenly. "YOU…YOU!" he bellowed.

Riddle said something in Parseltongue.

The conversation that followed was held in a language neither Dumbledore nor Harry understood. Riddle did gain information important to him though. Whatever it was, he had learned something. Harry closed his eyes as everything went black. He felt Dumbledore's hand land on his shoulder and then they were back in his office. "Riddle killed him," he stated. "Or knocked him out… The memory came from Morfin?"

Dumbledore nodded. "It came from Morfin," he said. "I collected it before his death. He woke up the next morning with no memory of what had happened the day before. Across the valley the entire Riddle family had been killed and it was easy for the Aurors to link Morfin to the murders. The man confessed readily and allowed himself to be led off to Azkaban."

"Imperious Curse then," Harry said. "Or something similar." He knew several ways of making what had happened occur so he wouldn't be surprised of there could be more than one explanation.

"Possibly," Dumbledore said. "The only thing that troubled Morfin was that he had lost Marvolo's ring."

Harry nodded. Riddle must have taken it.

"There is one more memory I want to show you tonight," Dumbledore said. He poured a second memory into the Pensive and invited Harry to go first once more.

' _Well hello Slughorn,'_ Harry thought. The man was obviously younger. He was sitting with his feet up, leaned back and relaxed. There was a gathering of boys in the room with him. The raven noticed Riddle almost immediately. They seemed to have reached a lull in conversation until Riddle spoke. Harry could tell by his tone that he was acting much like he himself did except for the fact that he wanted Slughorn to be on his good side. The Gaunt's ring adorned his finger. So this memory was after the last one bringing Riddle's death count up to four at this point. Harry almost wanted to laugh. He had killed more than four people when he was sixteen. He wondered what Dumbledore would say about that. There was good reason he wasn't telling the man after all.

Then the room went foggy.

' _Now that isn't normal,'_ Harry thought. He hummed. Slughorn was hiding something. ' _Ten Galleons Dumbledore wants me to find out what,'_ he thought. The boy's kept talking and then Slughorn sent them off.

"Sir I want to ask you something?" Riddle said.

"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away," Slughorn said.

"Sir, I wondered what you know about … about Horcruxes?"

The smoke filled the room again hiding the two from view.

"I don't know anything about Horcurxes and I wouldn't tell you if I did! Now get out of here and don't let me catch you mentioning them again!"

Harry almost started laughing. It was so obvious that Slughorn had answered Riddle's question. The man had a bad conscious though. Or he was afraid.

"Well that is that," Dumbledore said. "Time to go."

"He's hiding something," Harry said with a smile. "That fog… he is obviously hiding something."

"Ah, very good, Harry. Your lessons with Professor Snape must be going well then," Dumbledore said.

"Sure," Harry said with a shrug. He wondered why Severus hadn't told Dumbledore that they were not going to have any more lessons.

"Horace is most definitely hiding. It may be that he regrets what he said. He had addled the memory to show himself in a better light. It is however so crudely done that I can confidently say that the original memory is there beneath the alterations," Dumbledore said. "So for the first time I am giving you homework. It will be your job to persuade Professor Slughorn to divulge the real memory, which will undoubtedly be our most crucial piece of information."

Harry nodded. "Of course sir," he said. He stood up. "If that is all for tonight?"

"Yes, yes it is you may go," Dumbledore said. "Goodnight."

Harry responded before he left. He guessed he could deal with the memory on the next foolish dinner Slughorn invited him to. He had no idea how Dumbledore expected him to do it. It didn't matter though. He could do it. That was what mattered. He knew that Slughorn had fond memories of his mother. ' _Maybe I won't wait…'_ he thought. A smirk spread over his lips. He had a plan.

* * *

 _17th of January, 1997. Friday_

Harry was sitting in the common room. He had some homework to finish, and Charlie wasn't going to be back until the following day either way so there was no point in going home. He would be putting his plan concerning Slughorn in motion. The man couldn't stop speaking of Lily. He would use that. He needed to do it perfectly though or it wouldn't work out. For now he was just bidding his time. He had everything else ready. He smiled at Katie as she walked in to the common room. It was good to have her back. He'd missed her.

Neville hadn't returned. Harry figured that the brunet was going to spend some time with his Hufflepuff friends.

Ron sat down with Seamus and Dean. He looked over at Harry. The raven was sitting with a book and some parchment. He was taking notes as he read. The redhead sighed. How had all this happened? Seamus and Dean were nice guys but he missed Harry. They used to have loads of fun together. Harry was always busy with something or someone these days though. He had loads of friends or protégées or whatever the kids were. Most of them were on the Quidditch team, he knew that.

Harry smiled as Tanya showed up. "I had History earlier and Binns made no sense," she said.

The raven chuckled. "O.K. what was the lesson about and do your friends need help too?" he asked as he packed his own things away.

Tanya dragged him out of his chair and over to her classmates. "Harry can teach us," she said. "He's way better than Binns." She smiled up at him.

Harry chuckled as he started talking about the witch burning. One of the non-magical worlds less intelligent ideas since it killed more non-magical people than magical people. He was good enough at it to make it interesting to the younger students.

In his corner Ron sighed again. Nothing was working out they way he had hoped. The mirror in his first year had shown him a future. The future he wanted. It had shown Harry his family though. It looked like the raven had grabbed for it and created what he could for himself. "…. come on Ron," Dean brought him out of his thoughts.

…

Later that evening Harry walked into the bathroom. He had taken the gender switching potion. He changed his clothes to a nice dress and fixed his hair up. He hoped he wouldn't run into Severus. He looked at himself in the mirror. He made a pretty girl he guessed. He walked out of the dorm and down through the common room. It was late. Most people had gone to bed.

Light feet took him or now rather her down a floor and through several corridors. A pale hand landed on a wandered door. Green eyes closed slowly. A smirk spread over rosy lips. The office might be warded but those wards wouldn't keep this mage out. The room on the other side was dark.

Horace sat up in bed. ' _What was that?'_ he wondered. He walked up to the door leading from his private quarters to his office. He opened the door slowly. He stepped out into a grass covered field. In the east the sun was setting slowly. He looked around in the distance he could see a tree in full bloom painted against the burning sky. He blinked as he saw a shape move near the tree. There was someone else there?

Horace walked up towards the tree slowly. It soon became apparent that the person was a woman. "Excuse me miss?" he said.

She turned around slowly. Brilliant green eyes glowed in the sunlight. "Horace," she said warmly.

The man froze. It couldn't be. "Lily," he said softly.

"Hello Professor Slughorn."

"Oh, Lily dear," Horace said.

The redhead walked up to him slowly. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was so happy. She was alive. They spoke for hours. It was wonderful to have her back.

Harry rolled his eyes as 'she' walked out of the office. 'She' placed a vial filled with silvery-white strands in 'her' bag before making 'her' way back up to the common room. 'She' passed a corner. A hand grabbed 'her' and 'she' was pushed up against a wall. Lips pressed against 'hers' and 'she' could feel the dress being ripped off 'her' shoulders. 'Her' hands flew out. 'She' pushed the boy back. 'She' slapped him before 'her' hands moved out, and 'she' placed them against his stomach. " _ **Povaan nid zos,"**_ 'she' hissed. 'She' turned around and started running. 'She didn't stop until 'she' was back home at Ennerdale.

Harry made 'her' way up to 'her' room and started the shower. 'She' wanted to wash his touch off. Magic was hitting the walls, and Harry was glad 'she' had made sure that the house would hold. 'She' could easily have killed that teen. At this point 'she' was more worried about that then him. He couldn't hurt 'her'. 'She'd' destroy him before he got the chance. The shower was turned off, and 'she' got dressed. 'She' grabbed 'her' bow and walked outside.

…

 _18th of January, 1997. Saturday_

Charlie walked into Ennerdale Manor. He waved at Winky as he passed the kitchen. He headed up the stairs to the living room. Red hair flowed down the armrest of one of the sofas. As far as he knew, there was no one with that hair colour with access to the house. He placed his bag down and walked over to the sofa. A sliver ring adorned her finger. The ring he had given Harry. He knew of the potion his brothers had made. He was no idiot. He could feel the magic around the other. This was Harry. A smile spread over his lips. He leaned down and kissed 'her'. His body hit the floor and a blade was pressed to his throat. Wild read hair flowed down the woman's body. 'She' looked wild.

The sword fell to the side. "Charlie," Harry whispered. 'She' moved down and pressed 'her' face against the oranget's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Charlie sat up slowly. He wrapped his arms around 'her'. "Any specific reason you almost skewered me?" he asked.

Harry nodded. 'She' told 'her' fiancé about the previous day. "I'm tense," he finished. The potion had worn off. "It took me forever to fall asleep at all. I know that no one at Hogwarts can really hurt me, but they are kids. I don't want to hurt them either."

"You were assaulted," Charlie said.

"And I made him infertile because of it," Harry said. He sighed. "It's not really fair. He would never have gotten anywhere with me. I acted on instinct. I'm just glad he's still alive."

"If what he did is giving you trouble sleeping then it isn't fine," Charlie said. He ran his hand through Harry's raven locks slowly.

"It's not him," Harry said. "It happened way back."

"You have been raped?" Charlie asked.

Harry nodded. "I never managed to find him. I think he left Skyrim," he chuckled but there was no mirth. "I never told Ra'shall or Katla. They would have hunted him down and killed him. I wanted to do it myself though. It pissed me off so fucking much that he got the better of me."

Charlie hugged the raven closer. It surprised him that there was things like that he didn't know about Harry. "I'll protect you," he whispered. He stood up before helping the raven off the floor. "Come on you need to sleep," he said. He pulled his fiancé into their bedroom and sat down on the bed. "Let me take a quick shower and then I'll join you," he said.

Harry nodded slowly. He leaned back. He had in all honesty suppressed that particular memory. He had been seventeen. The guy had been a mage. Wile thing. He had suppressed his magic to take control over him. And the damned gag had kept him from using his Thu'um. It had been painful and humiliating, but all he had wanted was to get revenge. He had chased the man across Skyrim. He hadn't managed to catch up to him though. He guessed it was time to deal with it. He had locked it away. He hadn't ever wanted to think about it again. Charlie would help him deal with it though. He smiled sadly at the oranget as his fiancé came back out of the bathroom. Time to face one of the few daemons he still had. He lay down against Charlie before he started talking.

The oranget was lying awake after his fiancé had fallen asleep. It was strange. He hated the fact that Harry had been hurt, but he probably pitied the idiots who tried to hurt the raven now more. Harry wasn't someone that it was wise to cross. He had his own bad experiences, but he doubted now was the time to talk about those. He knew that Harry would be there if those ever brought him down. Just like he was there for Harry.

Hours later they were sitting in the dining room. Bill and Fleur were back in France so it was just them. "I should check on Frank and Alice," Harry said. He felt much better. He always found that it helped to talk about things. Sometimes it needed time though. He kissed Charlie before he walked out of the dining room. He was just going to check in on the couple. He didn't have the energy to heal them that day.

Frank was sitting by the window. He had started moving around a little a couple of weeks earlier. It was one of those things Harry had hoped for when he moved them. Alice looked up at him, and she smiled softly. Her eyes were still vacant, but there was something there now - a faint spark. They both still had a long way to go.

Harry sat down and spoke to them for a while. He talked about school and how Neville was doing. He spoke of the plans he had for the estate. He had shared so much of their lives with them that it just felt right to pay them back. He knew they could see when he went through their minds. There was a big possibility they couldn't make sense of it, but they could see.

He wandered back up to Charlie eventually and cuddled up in the oranget's lap.

* * *

Time passed. The teachers started giving them more and more homework to do. You'd think it was their NEWT year the way they were going on. Dumbledore was taking his time contacting Harry again and the raven focused on other things – especially when the Quidditch season picked up again.

A poisoned wine was detected before it reached its destination. Thankfully no one was hurt. It didn't spread to the students either which was a blessing for the teachers.

Harry continued keeping an eye on Draco. The boy was using the Room of Hidden Things. He had checked in once to see what was going on. Draco seemed to be doing alright. He was paler and thinner than before. It was obvious that the pressure was getting to him. Harry wasn't going to baby him though. He was turning seventeen soon. He could take care of himself. The object the blond was working on gave Harry pause though. It might put the students in danger. He was about to start another project to keep the students safe when he realised that the house-elves could do it way better than him. It would be easier too. All he had to do was speak to the elves.

…

 _3rd of March, 1997. Monday_

It was a clear morning in March when Harry, Neville, Hannah and Ernie made their way down to their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson that week. The four of them froze as they walked up to Hagrid's hut. There was a spider the size of a horse standing next to the house under a big canvas.

"Acromantula," Harry said. "We have a nest in the forest because Hagrid thought it was a good idea to bring one up at the age of thirteen. The nest is huge. It is one of the reasons you shouldn't travel in there unless you have a death wish. They are highly poisonous and likes to eat humans." He turned to the hut as Hagrid came walking outside. "Hagrid this isn't a good idea," he said. "Those are really dangerous." He could deal with it of course. But he really didn't think that bringing one of those spiders out of the forest was a good thing to do.

Hagrid obviously didn't agree with him. Harry couldn't deny that it would be an interesting lesson. He made sure to keep close to his classmates so he could keep them at least somewhat calm. He was glad Hagrid hadn't introduced them to the spiders in any of the earlier years. Poor Ronald would have fainted or panicked or both.

They got through the lesson though.

"He's mental," Ernie said as they made their way back to the castle.

"Well he has an unhealthy fascination with very dangerous animals," Harry said. "They aren't as likely to hurt him though. Him being half-giant and all."

"Yeah, I guess," Ernie said.

They settled down to go over their homework together. Once again they felt it was better if they all worked together. Spiders were no ones favourite after all.

…

 _13th of March, 1997. Thursday_

It was over a week later when Harry got his next summons from Dumbledore. He hoped that this time they would see something more interesting. He picked the vial he had gathered Slughorn's memory in up before heading up to the Headmaster's office.

He honestly felt like he had more important things to do than watch old memories. He'd humour Dumbledore. He still wanted to try to figure out what happened to the man's arm. He raised an eyebrow at Professor Trelawney as he entered the office. From what he heard of her conversation with Dumbledore she seemed to want to get rid of Firenze. Dumbledore didn't seem to agree with her. He sent her out as Harry walked in.

"The memory you wanted sir," the raven said as he handed Dumbledore the vial.

"Ah, very good I knew you could do it," Dumbledore said. He poured the memory into the Pensive not caring about the memory had had been meant to show the teen that night.

Harry dipped his nose into the non-liquid fluid and entered into the memory. He hummed as the memory repeated until the first blur would have been in the messed up memory. Harry couldn't understand why the man had blurred that part. He had just said Riddle would have made a good minister. He shook his head. Maybe it was the fact that he'd been wrong that had him messing with the memory.

That wasn't the important part through.

"Sir I wanted to ask you something," Riddle asked.

"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away…"

"Sir, I wondered what you know about … about Horcruxes," Riddle said.

Instead of the mist showing up, Slughorn asked, "Project for Defence Against the Dark Arts?" It didn't look like he truly believed that was it.

"Not exactly, sir," Riddle said. "I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it."

"No … well … you'd be hard-pushed to find a book at Hogwarts that'll give you details on Horcruxes, Tom. That's very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed," Slughorn said.

"But you obviously know all about them, sir? I mean, a wizard like you – sorry, I mean, if you can't tell me, obviously – I just knew if anyone could tell me, you could – so I just thought I'd ask…"

Harry rolled his eyes. Silly, that's what he thought of it. He knew it would work on Slughorn, but Kyne, it was clumsy. There were better ways of doing it. Though, Riddle's tone was perfect. He guessed that Riddle might have worked towards this moment for quite some time.

"Well," Slughorn said. He wasn't looking at Riddle as he played with the ribbon of a box. "Well, it can't hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul."

"I don't quite understand how that works, though sir," Riddle said.

Harry rolled his eyes. ' _I don't really want to know,'_ he thought. ' _Soul magic is almost never a good idea.'_ It reminded him of Azura's Star. Rhavaniel had dealt with that back in Skyrim before they had ever met. There had been some moron that had sealed his own soul to the star in order to achieve immortality. The Bosmer had killed him.

"Well, you split your soul you see and hide part of it in an object outside the body," Slughorn said. "Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But, of course, an existence in such a form … few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable."

Harry almost snorted as Riddle started talking once more. The teen had no tact anymore. He was being overly enthusiastic, and the raven could tell it was making Slughorn uncomfortable.

"How do you split your soul?" Riddle asked.

' _Well you shouldn't be able to,'_ Harry thought. He had to agree with his Master on that one. It wasn't something that was supposed to be possible.

Slughorn hesitated before he answered, "Well, you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature."

"But how do you do it?"

"By an act of evil – the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: he would encase the torn portion…"

"Encase? But how…?

"There is a spell. Do not ask me. I don't know!" Slughorn said. "Do I look as though I have tried it … do I look like a killer?"

Harry closed his eyes as Riddle apologised. He didn't understand how killing could tear the soul apart. And the idea that murder was the worst thing you could do to a person was ludicrous. He could think of a few things off his head that were worse. Murder wasn't in anyway nice, but there were worse things. He highly doubted that Ra'shall's soul was torn. And he was pretty sure the feline-man had killed more people than Voldemort had. Of course it might have something to do with wizarding magic. Maybe it was something in the magic that split the soul. It sounded ridiculous though. There had to be some kind of ritual. ' _Yeah, blah-blah seven pieces,'_ he thought as Riddle kept talking.

Slughorn actually looked horrified by now. The man half begged half ordered Riddle not to speak of Horcruxes in the school.

"Thank you, Harry," Dumbldore said quietly. "Let us go…"

They left the Pensive and Dumbledore sat down heavily in his chair. "I have been hoping for this piece of evidence for a very long time. It confirms the theory on which I have been working, it tells me that I am right, and also how far there is still to go…"

"So, Voldemort managed to make Horcruxes. Likely seven of them and he managed to survive because his soul was locked to this world," Harry said. He'd dealt with three of them so he knew they were real.

"I would think that to be true," Dumbledore said. "I only received certain proof four years ago."

"The diary," Harry said. "It possessed Ginny. He could have made it back then if I hadn't stopped him."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Not seven though," he said. "Six - the seventh part of his soul, however maimed, resided inside his regenerated body. That was the part of him that lived a spectral existence for so many years during his exile; without that, he has no self at all. That seventh piece of soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack … the piece that lies in his body."

Harry nodded slowly. "That is a lot of Horcruxes I guess," he said. Then his eyes narrowed. It was all acting at this point. "So do you think that the ring and the locket were made into Horcruxes?" he asked.

"That is fully possible," Dumbledore said. "See I believe that Tom chose quite valuable items to hold his soul. There is another memory I would like to share with you. I believe that it might show us more items that may be Horcruxes." He poured a second memory into the Pensive. "As expected Tom left this school with top marks, and then the next thing anyone knew he was working at Borgin and Burkes."

"That's an interesting place for someone that talented to end up in," Harry said.

"It was not his first choice," Dumbledore said. "Hardly anyone knew of it at the time – I was one of the few in whom the then Headmaster confided – but Voldemort first approached Professor Dippet and asked whether he could remain at Hogwarts as a teacher."

"Well I guess that makes sense," Harry said. "The school was the only place he knew. And it would have been a powerful position." Dumbledore started talking about reasons for Riddle to have wanted to stay at the school. Harry didn't really care. Did it matter? He didn't think so.

They travelled into the next memory. Harry finally got to meet Hepzibah Smith. She didn't seem like the kind of person Harry ever wanted to meet. She did have both the cup and the locket in her possession though. He couldn't say that he was surprised when it turned out that she was killed. He felt sorry for her poor house-elf though.

"So, the cup may be another Horcrux," Harry said once they had exited the memory. He did consider showing Dumbledore the items. He had both the locket and the cup. He'd have to think about it.

"I have one more memory to show you," Dumbledore said. He looked out the window. "I do believe that it is high time for bed however."

"You are searching for them, aren't you?" Harry asked. "The Horcruxes."

"That would be correct," Dumbledore said. "I have been looking for a very long time."

"And should you find the location of another… is it possible for me to come along, sir?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore studied the teen for a moment. He could see the hope in his green eyes. "Yes, I think so."

"Really," Harry said excitedly. "Thank you." He could see the disapproving looks cast by the Headmasters' portraits behind the current Headmaster. He didn't care. He actually asked the man because he thought it was expected. It was always better to be two. Then he thought about something. "Does Voldemort know when a Horcrux is destroyed, sir?" he asked. "Can he tell somehow?"

"A very interesting question, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I believe he does not. I believe that Voldemort is now so immersed in evil, and these crucial parts of himself have been detached for so long, he does not feel as we do. Perhaps, at the point of death, he might be aware of his loss … but he was not aware, for instance, that the diary had been destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius Malfoy. When Voldemort discovered that the diary had been mutilated and robbed of all its power, I am told that his anger was terrible to behold."

' _You don't say,'_ Harry thought. He had taken care of the aftermath of Voldemort's anger after all. "He only has himself to blame," he said. "He could have not released the diary."

"It is sometimes hard to calculate the consequences of our actions," Dumbledore said.

"I guess that is true," Harry said.

"Now you really should be heading to bed," Dumbledore said. "We will continue this next time."

"Of course sir," Harry said. He stood up. "Good night." He headed out of the office. Evil this and evil that - it was ridiculous. Evil was just a word used by people so they would feel better. It was so stupid. He had never understood why people couldn't just go with them and us. It was easier in the end.

He collapsed in bed. His thoughts centred on Dumbledore's arm. The curse on it was complicated. He had found several things that he could deal with, but they were locked to other things that he didn't know how to deal with yet. He needed more time. He knew the curse was killing Dumbledore. He didn't trust the man, but he didn't want him dead either. He would do what he could to save him.

So the soul pieces were called Horcruxes. He knew what they were now. He didn't understand how in Oblivion they worked. As far as he knew it shouldn't be possible to split your soul. Wizarding magic was different though. He sighed. ' _Stendarr this is complicated,'_ he thought.


	84. Hurt and Hunt

**Hurt and Hunt**

Time passed. It took several days for Harry to figure out who had attacked his female self. He didn't regret what he had done after he found him. The guy wasn't the nicest one around. Safe to say he didn't treat girls very well. The raven didn't know the guy's name but he could tell by the mark on his clothes that he was a Ravenclaw. ' _Slimy git,'_ he thought as he passed the guy. He had more important things to deal with than that though.

His mind was filled with calculations and ways to help Dumbledore. He didn't feel like getting his mind cluttered with idiotic stuff that didn't actually matter to him. He had putt all that stuff behind him now. It was in the past, and it wasn't like anything had actually happened between him and the slimy Ravenclaw.

 _27th of March, 1997. Thursday_

Almost two months later as he was walking through a corridor, Harry paused. ' _Is that crying?'_ he thought. It had been a little over two weeks since his last talk with Dumbledore. Charlie was out of the country again so he wasn't going back home for as long when he went. He travelled back several times a week to help Frank and Alice. He wanted to get them back to health. He placed a hand on the second floor bathroom door. He wasn't that interested in speaking to Myrtle. The crying didn't sound like her though. He pushed the door open. He walked inside slowly. It was Draco Malfoy. He was crying. His emotions were running wild.

Harry sighed. He walked inside. He knew he couldn't show himself to the blond. He could help him calm down though. He had promised Lucius he would look after the teen after all. He reached out and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. He blurred the mirror so the blond wouldn't be able to see him in the reflection. He let his hands moved down over the blonde's back. His magic spread to tense muscles as he massaged the teen. "Don't worry," he whispered softly. "It will be alright." He did his best to just calm the teen down.

Draco tensed as a hand landed on his shoulder. He was about to curse whoever was behind him when a clam wave rolled over him. Warm hands rubbed over his back. He breathed out slowly. All the stress he had felt over the past weeks rolled off him. He could think clearly again.

Harry let go of the blond once he had relaxed properly and walked back out of the bathroom. He was glad that Myrtle hadn't been there. It made things much easier for him. Hopefully Draco would do alright now.

He headed over to the library and settled down so he could finish his latest History assignment. He was writing about goblin history while comparing between wizarding and goblin sources. He had to clear it with Clan Tarnok before he could send the essay in. They had to approve it. It was interesting to see how different the goblins and wizards had seen things. For him it would be interesting to compare the two different sides of the Wizarding War. He might go into writing it all down eventually. He had a feeling he would be one of the more neutral people to write a collection of what had happened. He would have to talk to a lot of people. "That's for later though," he hummed.

…

Draco made his way up to the Room of Hidden things. It didn't hit him until he had settled down with the Vanishing cabinet that he had no idea who had moved up behind him. He had figured out how to fix the cabinet though. It was way simpler than he had first thought. It would take some time though. Who was that guy though? His voice had sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. He looked up at the dark wooden cabinet. At least he could let his father know that it was only a matter of time until he could finish his mission.

He breathed in deeply. He didn't like what that would entail, but he had to do it. The Dark Lord would torture and kill his family otherwise.

* * *

Fred and George's birthday came along, and Harry left to spend some time with them.

A week or so later the care of Magical Creatures lesson was solemn. Aragog had died and Hagrid was really down about it. Harry promised that he would join the man for the funeral of the giant spider. He didn't really care about the stupid spider, but he didn't see any reason to leave Hagrid alone for the sad event. Hagrid had known the spider since he was thirteen after all.

His classmates and Hermione thought he was just a bit crazy. He didn't really care. He did his best to keep Hagrid calm.

…

 _22nd of April, 1997. Tuesday_

Harry closed his eyes. He was standing in the Forbidden Forest. It was early. The Acromantula nest in the forest was acting up after Aragog's death. He couldn't allow it to get out of hand. The spiders could overrun the castle if they decided to. He walked in beneath the high thick branches tangling together above. The trees cast deep shadows on the ground.

The raven was armed. He was going to clear the forest out. The spiders were too dangerous to keep around the school. He walked deeper into the forest. It didn't take him long to find the nest. He knew the spiders were intelligent – to a certain degree at least. In this case he didn't care. They were a danger and they had to be taken care off. He had checked with the goblins and the species was not under threat so he would just take this colony out no matter how cold-blooded that sounded. He summoned Ven and the spectral griffin took off in front of him.

She would hunt down every spider she could find and kill them.

Harry smiled. He pulled his bow out and conjured arrows. They weren't very good in comparison to his real arrows made by Katla or himself, but they would work well enough now. He didn't want to waste his good arrows. Red auras appeared as he used a detect life spell. He started firing arrows quickly. " _ **Hil vuth kostim,"**_ he shouted as spiders surrounded him. The long-legged creatures collapsed around him. If they were ever examined, the cause of death would have been heart failure. He had stopped their hearts. He summoned his Flame Atronach and asked for her aid. Together the three of them cleared out most of the forest.

Harry left Ven in there to deal with any slag. He wasn't going to leave some so they could repopulate the forest. He stopped as the sound of hooves approached him. ' _Great the darn centaurs know I'm here,'_ he thought.

"State your business," a red-haired male said.

"I came here to clear out the spider nest in the forest," Harry said. "I am Harry of Clan Magun."

The centaur looked him up and down. One of the others moved forward. His mouth was moving, but Harry couldn't hear what he said. The red-haired male stopped him. "As a member of a goblin clan he stands under goblin protection. This is no mere human. To become a member of a clan he must have proven himself," he said. "This human is a fighter."

Harry bowed his head. "That would be correct sir," he said. "I mean your heard no harm. I have tried to keep from badly hurting anyone when I have met them despite their aggressive behaviour towards me."

The centaur nodded slowly. "I have something to ask you," he said. "You are familiar with Hagrid at the school?"

"I am yes," Harry said.

"Will you tell him that his attempts will fail," the centaur said.

"I will though I'll have to come up with a good enough reason to do so since I shouldn't be in here," Harry said. He bowed. "I will take my leave for now," he said. "May your herd stay strong and your foals healthy." He disappeared among the tress. He needed to get back to the school so he could get something to eat before Herbology.

Lessons flew by and he finished the latest homework he'd been given. Before he knew it, it was evening and time for Dumbledore's lesson. He headed up like before and dived into another memory. It was one of Dumbledore's once more. It featured a red eyed Riddle asking for the Defence teacher's position. He was denied. Harry wasn't surprised, but he could guess that this was the day Riddle hid the diadem in the school. It made sense to him that he would have gone there for more than one reason.

He was also fairly certain that after that meeting there had never been a defence teacher for more than a year on the post. "Well that is interesting," he said. "He really wanted to teach. Though I guess it is possible that he wanted the position for other reasons than to further the knowledge of the students."

"It was one of the reasons I did not allow him the position," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded. He sat there for another half-hour or so listening to Dumbledore's theories – some of which he could have told the man were useless at this point. He still hadn't decided what to tell the old man though. He knew that many of the abilities he had would make a lot of people very scared of him if they ever found out he had them. Like the ability to kill not juts one person but several at a time with just a few words. It wasn't something he wanted to use which was what separated him from Voldemort. Then again Dumbledore had to know quite a lot that would be highly lethal if used as such. Still he wasn't sure Dumbledore would be able to deal with his attitude. Moody could and even he had been against telling the old Headmaster.

He left the office with yet another promise that he could come along for the next search.

* * *

Months passed by and Harry finished up his school-work while bringing Gryffindor to another flawless victory in Quidditch. He had been looking over the team and was going to recommend Ginny for the Captain's post next year. She was the best one for the job. He relied on all his team members, but Ginny had stepped up and was really showing that she wanted to play while still keeping a good grip on her grades.

He continued keeping an eye on Malfoy. The teen seemed to have calmed down which told him that he was getting whatever job he needed done, done. He didn't really worry though. Whatever was going to happen would be dealt with somehow.

 _27th of June, 1997. Tuesday_

It was late in June when a message was given to Harry asking for his presence in the Headmaster's office. He had kept Hermione and Neville somewhat informed on what he had been up to when seeing Dumbledore so he let the two know he was going.

On his way to the Headmaster's office he called a house-elf and informed them that he would be away. He asked them to protect the students no matter what. They had gone over how already. He knew the little beings would do a good job. He didn't want students to be caught up in the Dark Lord's plans. Draco was inevitable, but all other students were to be kept from danger. They weren't equipped to deal with it.

Harry told the griffin statue the password and headed up to Dumbledore's office. The man was standing with a travelling cloak in his arms. "You have found a Horcrux, sir?" he asked.

"Yes I have," Dumbledore said. "Now, I promised you that you can come along, and I stand by that promise. I have to warm you, however, that this is going to be quite dangerous."

Harry nodded. "I understand," he said. "I still wish to go." He allowed determination to show through. Not that he really felt anything particular in concern to the trip they were about to take.

"Then I need you to understand that I will only take you with me on one condition: that you obey any command I might give you at once, and without question," Dumbledore said.

Harry met the man's gaze for a long minute. "I promise sir and I under stand what that entails," he said. He didn't mean it one bit of course. If he found that something else had to be done he would do it no matter what Dumbledore thought about it. He was making sure that the old man didn't feel the need to reassure himself that he would do as he was told though.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "That entails leaving me to save yourself if it comes down to it," he said.

Harry nodded. "I understand, sir," he said.

"Very well. Then I wish you to go and fetch your cloak and meet me in the Entrance Hall in five minutes' time," Dumbledore said as he turned to one of the windows in the room.

Harry nodded and disappeared down the stairs. He didn't have to go fetch his cloak. He always had it with him. It was packed down with everything else in his bag. He leaned against the door frame of the big double-doors leading into the school. He waited for Dumbledore. He had taken a bit of a detour down there so he wouldn't walk a path that Dumbledore might walk.

"I would like you to wear your cloak please," Dumbledore said.

Harry reached into his bag and pulled the cloak out. He wrapped it around his shoulders and pulled the hood up. He waited until Dumbledore asked him to come along. He walked alongside the old man quietly. He was breathing softly. He was focusing his magic slowly. They walked down to Hogsmeade in silence. Harry wasn't supposed to be there after all.

"As I understand it you have not taken apparition lessons, Harry," Dumbledore said. "And though I recommend you learning how to apparate it will not be necessary for this journey." They had stopped outside of the Hog's Head. "Take my arm," he said.

Harry reached out and placed his hand on Dumbledore's outstretched arm. The man counted down and then they were gone. The two of them landed on a rock. Harry could smell salt water. He could hear the waves crashing against the cliffs behind them and the rocks around them. A small smile spread over his lips. The cloak around him blew in the wind. He figured he didn't need it right then and placed it back in his pack.

"What do you think?" Dumbledore said in a tone that might as well be asking if this was a good place for a picnic.

Harry just smiled wider and took a deep breath. Next to the Sea of Ghosts north of Skyrim he doubted there was any ocean that could make him feel uneasy. "This cannot be where they took the children from the orphanage though," he pointed out remembering what Riddle had spoken of and what Dumbledore had told him. "They can't possibly have gotten down here."

"No, there is a village of sorts about halfway along the cliffs behind us," Dumbledore said. "I do believe that Tom used magic to get down here. Though his final destination, and ours, lies a little further ahead. Come." He beckoned Harry to the very edge of the rock they were standing on. A series of jagged niches acted as footholds leading down to the boulders half submerged in water. He started moving down them slowly. His injured arm gave him some problems, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. "Lumos," he said as he pulled his wand. He held it out so a fissure in the cliff-face showed. "You see?" he asked. You will not object to getting a little wet?"

"Not at all sir," Harry said.

"Then let's take a plunge," Dumbledore said. He moved back as Harry jumped in with a graceful dive before he followed.

They made their way over to the fissure slowly. The water was cold but not unbearably so. They swam deeper into the darkness of the fissure. It soon became obvious to Harry that the cave they were entering would be filled with water at a high tide. He was thankful that he could handle that just fine. He walked out of the water ahead of Dumbledore but waited just at the water edge for the older man. He followed Dumbledore up to a wide open area. The man held his wand up so they could see better.

"Yes, this is the place," Dumbledore said.

Harry hummed. He guessed the old wizard could feel the magic clinging to the walls as well.

"This is merely the ante-chamber, the entrance hall," Dumbledore said as he spun around to get a good look at the whole room. We need to penetrate the inner place … now it is Lord Voldemort's obstacles that stand in our way, rather than those nature made." He approached the wall of the cave and caressed with his blackened fingertips. He murmured lowly as he moved his fingers over the stone.

Harry closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. He wasn't going to send his magic out but he would let magic around him come to him. He activated a detect life and then a detect dead spell. He bit his lip as a sea of red showed up before his eyelids. ' _Great it is full of undead,'_ he thought. He would have to keep an eye on that. He heard Dumbledore stop and mumble to himself. His eyes opened and he walked over to the old wizard. He saw as a white outline appearing for a moment before it disappeared.

"Oh, surely not. So crude," Dumbledore said.

"What do you mean, sir?" Harry asked. While he could tell there was magic there he couldn't really decipher how to unlock it without actually using his magic.

"I rather think that we are required to make payment to pass," Dumbledore said as he removed a small silver knife from his robes.

"Well that is interesting," Harry said somewhat sarcastically.

"Yes," Dumbledore said.

Harry noticed that man seemed disappointed. He guessed that Dumbledore had expected better from Voldemort.

"The idea, as I am sure you have gathered, is that your enemy must weaken him- or herself to enter. Once again, Lord Voldemort fails to grasp that there are much more terrible things than physical injury," Dumbledore said.

Harry snorted. "All you need is a good healing charm," he said.

"Very true," Dumbledore said as he cut himself spreading dark red blood over the stone of the wall.

The blazing silver outline of an arch appeared in the wall. It glowed for a moment before the rock wall within simply disappeared. The area beyond was bathed in darkness. Harry wished he could send a Magelight in.

"After me, I think," Dumbledore said. He had healed himself.

Harry nodded. He allowed the older man to walk in before him. He pulled his fake wand out and lit the tip up. It was a complicated thing to do – making his Candlelight act like a Lumos. His eyes trailed out over a black lake. Carefully he sent off another detect dead spell. Deep pulsing red filled the lake. His eyes narrowed at a misty green light in the distance. The Horcrux had to be there. He still wished he could send off a Magelight to properly light the place up.

"Let us walk," Dumbledore said quietly. "Be very careful not to step into the water. Stay close to me." He started walking along the water edge slowly. He was obviously looking for something.

' _And now water walking would be good,'_ Harry thought. Maybe he should just do it. He would have to explain himself to Dumbledore though. He grimaced. He preferred not to have to do that. He wanted his sword and bow out already. He could tell that this place did not want them there.

They walked on for quite some time before Dumbledore found something. Harry moved out of the way so the older man could get to whatever it was he had found. His eyes turned to the water keeping an eye on the creatures in there as Dumbledore pulled a chain out of the water. Soon enough as the man pulled a small boat up with the chain.

Harry moved forward awaiting instruction. He was told to enter the boat. He could tell that Dumbledore was somewhat unnerved by his silence. He wasn't asking questions. He set foot in the boat. "Will this really hold the both of us?" he asked.

"Voldemort would not have cared about the weight, but about the amount of magical power that crossed the lake. I rather think an enchantment will have been placed upon this boat so that only one wizard at a time will be able to sail in it," Dumbledore said.

"But then…?"

"I do not think you will count, Harry: you are underage and unqualified. Voldemort would never have expected a sixteen-year-old to reach this place: I think it unlikely that your powers will register compared to mine," Dumbledore said.

Harry hoped that the oversight in this case was related to the fact that the magic he held wasn't wizarding magic rather than his age since he was twenty-one not sixteen. He would be fine either way though so he would take a leap of faith and go with Dumbledore. He waited for the old wizard to join him. He moved as Dumbledore stepped in. He hadn't wanted to tip the boat over earlier, but he needed a bit of space from Dumbledore. He was sure the man might notice his glamour if they touched too much. He could see bodies in the water below. He so loved undead. He had actually hoped that he wouldn't have to meet any of those once he came back once upon a time. It hadn't worked out for him.

As the boat reached the little island in the middle of the lake, Harry stepped out. He headed up to a stone basin filled with some kind of potion. He held his hand out over it. It was a poison. He looked back to Dumbledore. Everything was bathed in the sickly green light from the basin. He turned back to the basin as the old man joined him. Dumbledore stretched out and attempted to touch the surface of the liquid. He couldn't though. There seemed to be some spell preventing him from touching the poison.

Dumbledore studied the potion for a while. He moved his wand in several intricate motions. Eventually he conjured a goblet. "I believe that this potion has to be drunk," he said.

"You are sure?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I think so: only by drinking it can I empty the basin and see what lies in its depths," Dumbledore said.

"Unpleasant," Harry said.

"Most likely," Dumbledore chuckled. His face turned serious. "This potion must act in a way that will prevent me from taking the Horcrux. It might paralyze me, cause me to forget what I am here for, create so much pain I am distracted, or render me incapable in some other way. This being the case, Harry, it will be your job to make sure I keep drinking, even if you have to tip the potion into my protesting mouth. Do you understand?"

"I understand sir," Harry said.

Dumbledore could tell that the young man meant it. He dipped the goblet into the basin. "Your good health," he said before he drank the poison.

Harry wished that Rhavaniel or Ra'shall was there. They could have found a better way to do this. As it was he was alone with the Headmaster. He could feel the man's mind failing slowly as he drank. It made it easier for him to force the man to keep going. It was long before Dumbledore was begging for it to end. Harry shook his head. He hated torture, but he had to do this. He wouldn't touch the goblet. He used his own magic to force the man to continue drinking instead. He was after all far more powerful than Dumbledore thought him to be. " _ **Piin,"**_ he whispered ordering the man to drink. He did his best not to listen to the man's pleas.

The poison affected the mind that much was clear to Harry. He could feel Dumbledore's mind weakening. He reached towards his bag. If he had to he would make the man's death painless. He pulled his sword out and attached it to his side. Dumbledore started begging for his own death after the eleventh goblet.

Harry sighed as the old man collapsed. He knew Dumbledore was still alive. He was a bit torn as to what to do at this point. The basin was empty. He reached down and pulled out a locket. An empty laughter left his lips and travelled out over the lake. It was the damn locket that Regulus had already gotten out of there. He cursed himself for not asking Kreacher about it. He could have known the moment they stepped in that there wouldn't be a Horcrux in there.

Green eyes moved out over the lake. His laughter had disturbed the calm of the cave. Out of the water rose pale dead bodies. Harry breathed in slowly and then he waited. He waited until they were almost upon him before he started glowing. Blue flames danced along his arms. He cast the spell and the fire spread out around him. Then he cast another spell to keep the undead away from him. He threw up a Magelight finally. " _ **Yol toor shul,"**_ he shouted. The fire spread out from him and caught on the inferi. He walked over to Dumbledore's body and lifted him up. He placed the old wizard in the boat. He was standing as the boat started making its way back. Then a white hand grabbed onto the side of the boat. A pale creature pulled itself up. Harry sighed sadly. The man was wearing a necklace. It displayed the Black family's coat of arms. "Hello Regulus," he said. "Let me put you out of your misery." He pulled his sword and cut the man's head off. His sword went back in its scabbard and his palms filled with flames before a storm of fire rained down from the cave ceiling.

The firestorm kept the inferi from attacking them as they made it over the lake. Harry reached down to his belt and emptied one of his gems. He would most likely need the magic boost. He grabbed Dumbledore once more as they reached the shore. He lifted the old man up and carried him over to the exit. He cut himself spreading his blood over the stone and walked outside. The door closed sealing the inferi on the other side.

Harry placed Dumbledore down. He would have to return some day to clear that pace out in case the magic fell. Though, he guessed that Voldemort had created the animated bodies as well as the protections so it should all disappear if he died. He wasn't sure on that point though. ' _Back here it is then,'_ he thought.

Kneeling down next to Dumbledore, Harry reached out and sent a calming spell at him. He wanted to allow for the man to at least have a damn chance. He had no idea how long the poison would be affecting him.

Blue eyes opened slowly. They stared up at a dark ceiling. "Water," Dumbledore croaked.

Harry pulled a goblet out of his bag and filled it with water before handing it to the man. "Here you go Professor," he said. He helped the man up in a sitting position slowly. "Let me know if you need more," he said.

Dumbledore finished the goblet and held it out to Harry. The raven refilled it, and Dumbledore drank once more. He looked around the room slowly once he had finished. They were out of the cave with the lake. He looked up at Harry unable to focus.

"I'll get you back to the castle now," Harry said.

Dumbledore nodded slowly.


	85. Death is just another path - End 6

**Death is just another path**

Harry and Dumbledore landed on a street in Hogsmeade after the old man transported them back. Their little adventure to the cave supposed to hold one of Voldemort's Horcruxes had not turned out well. Dumbledore was still affected by the poison he had told Harry to force-feed him. He was weak. The raven had to keep him upright. He looked around. He needed some way of getting Dumbledore back to the castle. He shifted his hold on the man. "How do you feel?" he asked. He knew it probably was a pointless question, but he wanted to be sure Dumbledore was still with him.

"I have been better," Dumbledore said weakly. The corners of his moth twitched slightly as he spoke. "That potion … was no health drink." His legs gave out and Harry let him sink to the ground.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised," the raven said his voice filled with irony. "We need to get you back up to the school and get you some help. I'll assume that Professor Snape is the best bet since it was a pretty bad poison." He could tell that Dumbledore agreed with him even though the man didn't say anything.

The sound of feet had Harry place a hand on his sword. It was Madam Rosmerta the owner of the Three Broomsticks. She hurried up to them. "I saw you apparate in as I was pulling my bedroom curtains closed! Thank goodness, thank goodness, I couldn't think of what to do… but what is wrong with Albus?" she asked. She stopped next to them breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide as she stared down at Dumbledore.

Harry had noticed that's she sounded relieved before she had realised that Dumbledore was hurt. He wondered what was wrong. Had something happened? Of course he had planed for that so he wasn't too worried. It was just that it was going to be very difficult to keep Draco safe if he wasn't in the castle where the blond teen was. "He's hurt," he answered her question. "I need to get a hold of Professor Snape. Can I leave him in the Three Broomsticks while I go up to the castle?"

"You can't go up there alone! Don't you realise – haven't you seen?" Rosmerta said half panicked.

"What is wrong?" Harry asked. "Has something happened?"

"The… the Dark Mark," Rosmerta said. She looked down at Dumbledore. "Albus the Dark Mark is…" She didn't finish the sentence instead she pointed up to the school.

Harry looked up. ' _Oh, shit,'_ he thought. There is was the green shimmering skull and serpent hanging over the Astronomy Tower. He closed his eyes. The mark usually meant that someone had been killed. Someone was dead. His eyes were narrowed as he opened them. Or it was a trap, he guessed.

"When did it appear?" Dumbledore asked. He looked to the side, and Harry bent down to help him back up on his feet. He staggered a little as he straightened up.

"Must have been minutes ago, it wasn't there when I put the cat out, but when I got upstairs…"

"We need to return to the castle at once," Dumbledore said.

Harry wanted to roll his eyes. ' _You really should stay right here and let others deal with it,'_ he thought. He made sure that Dumbledore didn't fall back to the ground.

"Rosmerta we need transport brooms," the old wizard said.

"I've got a couple behind the bar," Rosmerta said, looking very frightened. "Shall I run and fetch them?"

"No Harry can do it," Dumbledore said.

' _No I can't,'_ Harry thought as he made Dumbledore hit the ground. "If you could please?" he told Rosmerta, who took off right away. He helped the old man back up hoping that he hadn't realised that the fall was intentional. As he had gotten the old wizard back on his feet Rosmerta came back with two brooms. "Thank you," Harry said. He helped Dumbledore onto one of the brooms before getting up on the other.

"Put your cloak on your invisibility cloak, Harry," Dumbledore said.

The raven did as he was told even of he thought it was unnecessary. He made sure to keep an eye on Dumbledore as they made their way towards the school. He could see that the Dark Mark had affected the old wizard. Dumbledore's eyes were sharp and he seemed to be more with it now. He guessed it had something to do with the danger that might be at the castle. He hoped that it was a trap. Right now he would prefer him and Dumbledore going into danger more than someone else being dead. He could hear Dumbledore muttering again, and he could feel the magic around them change. The old man was letting them in. They were headed straight for the Astronomy Tower where the Mark shone from.

Harry landed moments after Dumbledore and dismounted. There was no one there. ' _Trap it is then,'_ he thought. He hoped that the elves had done what he had spoken to them about. He had wanted all the students except for Draco safe in their dorms no matter what.

"Go and wake Severus," Dumbledore ordered him. "Tell him what happened and bring him to me. Do nothing else, speak to nobody else and do not remove your cloak. I shall wait here."

Harry nodded and started heading for the door. "Will do, sir," he said softly. He had barely reached the door when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs on the other side. He looked back at Dumbledore, who was signalling for him to retreat. His back hit the wall as the door flew open.

"Expelliarmus!"

Harry froze… literally froze. ' _For fuck's sake,'_ he swore. Dumbledore had hit him with something. He had been too tense. Mood was going to be highly disappointed that he got hit with something when it counted. His eyes caught the sight of Dumbledore's wand leaving him. ' _Great,'_ he thought. Now he just had to get out of this stupid spell. His eyes caught on blond hair as Dumbledore said, "Good evening Draco."

' _Of course it is Draco,'_ Harry thought. He breathed in deeply to relax. He had to get the hell out of the spell he was under.

"Who else is here?" Draco asked as his eyes fell on the second broom.

"A question I might ask you. Or are you acting alone?" Dumbledore asked his tone calm.

Draco looked back upon the man. ' _How can he be so calm?'_ he wondered. It really irritated him. He was standing there with the upper hand. "No I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight," he said. He wanted to see fear in Dumbledore's eyes. There was none.

"Well, well," Dumbledore said as if he was commenting on an ambitious homework project. He didn't seem the least bit concerned by the fact that he didn't have his wand anymore. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

Harry wanted to snort. Dumbledore was going to try to talk Draco out of hexing him. That was so the Headmaster it was obvious.

"Yeah," Draco said. "Right under your nose and you never realised!"

' _Could be because he doesn't actually know where the Room of Hidden things is,'_ Harry thought. ' _Neither would you actually if it wasn't for me. Dear daddy told you where to go. You really shouldn't sound so smug.'_

"Ingenious," Dumbledore said. "Yet … forgive me … where are they now? You seem unsupported."

Draco bristled. "They met some of your guard. They are having a fight down below. They won't be long … I came on ahead. I…I've got a job to do," he said. He tried to sound in control and steady. He wasn't sure that came across.

"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy," Dumbledore said. He smiled softly at the boy. His presence, though weak, was comforting.

Harry closed his eyes. He had stopped trying to get out of the spell for now. He would pick it up again soon enough. He listened to the sound of battle below. With any luck no one would be permanently injured. He figured Dumbledore was trying to save Draco from going down a path he would regret treading on.

"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer," Dumbledore said after a while.

Harry had to agree. If it had been him, Dumbledore would have been dead by now. He knew how to kill and he would do it unlike Draco. The blond was juts a kid caught in the thick of things.

"How do you know?" Draco said at once realising just a bit too late how utterly childish that had sounded. He flushed despite himself. "You don't know what I am capable of," he said forcefully in an attempt to regain his composure. "You don't know what I have done."

"Oh, yes I do," Dumbledore said mildly. "You almost killed Katie Bell and sent a bottle of very fine poisoned wine to me through an old friend. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts … so feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart really has been in it…"

"It has been in it!" Draco said irritably. "I have been working on it all year, and tonight…" he turned towards the door as a yell could be heard from the castle below them. He switched his grip on his wand.

In his spot frozen Harry finally decided to concentrate on the spell holding him. He was tired of listening to Dumbledore trying to talk sense into Draco. He'd get out of this stupid bond and do it himself. He would be far more convincing after all. He moved through the spell irritably. It wasn't just a simple low-level spell. It was something different something that Dumbledore must have created himself or at least modified.

When he opened his eyes again it was to the sight of a bunch of Death Eaters standing behind Draco. He could see a shaggy man he knew was Fenrir Greyback. That was an animal that needed to be put down. The others were not people he knew – at least not at first glance. His eyes moved to the door as Severus Snape walked through.

"Severus…"

Harry blinked that was not one of the Death Eaters.

"Severus… please…"

Harry broke out of the spell holding him as Severus raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra," the man said.

The raven watched as the green streak hit Dumbledore. His fists clenched. ' _Stendarr help me,'_ he thought. He saw Dumbledore as the man was blasted off the edge of the tower. He turned invisible under his cloak. His brain was working fast as he saw Severus grabbing Draco and pulling the young blond out of the tower.

Harry packed his cloak away and pulled Dumbledore's wand to him before he followed the Death Eaters down the stairs. He passed through a ward that must have hindered others from going up into the tower after the Death Eaters. He smirked as Greyback turned around. His sword left its scabbard and he sliced the werewolf's head off in one quick stroke before picking his pace up. He muffled his steps. He caught up to the other Death Eaters and sent lightning leaping from one to another. If they survived that they did. He didn't care. He passed the battle going on. He could see Kami fighting. He knew she was tough enough to handle herself so he wasn't worried. Passing through the fray, he continued down to the Entrance Hall and through the big double doors. He was hot on Severus heels. He could hear Hagrid fighting the Death Eaters in the distance. He didn't have time to deal with that right then. If Draco disappeared with Severus, he wouldn't be safe for long.

Harry smirked he was way fitter than the other two. He would catch up with them. He picked his speed up. Not a damn chance he was going to let them disappear on him. He moved past Severus and up next to Draco. He wasn't sure he could transport him past the school wards, and he wasn't going to risk it. They left the wards and he grabbed Draco stopping the teen in his tracks. " _ **Gut wundun staad bo,"**_ he hissed. The dark gate and the grass rolling down the hill to Hogsmeade disappeared.

Draco struggled as he landed in a well lit entrance hall. Whoever had grabbed him let him go. He looked around. Severus was there with him, but he had no idea where he was. The Potion Master grabbed his shoulder and tried to apparate away.

"I'm afraid you will not be leaving."

Draco's head whirled around before him stood a raven-haired teen with bright, burning, green eyes. His hand went for his wand only to realise that it was gone. He didn't have it. "What the hell do you want, Potter," he demanded his voice shaking.

Harry took a calming breath. "I you would please come with me," he said. He walked through to the dining room. He could hear the other two following him slowly. They were Slytherins not idiots so they would learn everything they could at this point. Of course now they couldn't leave his house without his permission. "Why did you do it Severus?" he asked. "Why did you kill Dumbledore?"

"That is hardly any of your business, Potter," the Potion Master said coldly. He was aware of the fact that his own wand was missing as well as Draco's. He could only guess that the brat had them. He hadn't heard any spell, but then again he had seen the teen's efficiency with non-verbal spells for himself all year long.

"Not my business," Harry said. He laughed coldly. "I can only guess that he asked you to do it. He wanted you to kill him. Moronic bastard."

"Don't you dare speak about things you do not understand," Severus hissed. He didn't know how Potter knew that Dumbledore had wanted him to be the one to do it, but it unnerved him.

"Oh, I understand just fine Severus," Harry said. "Dumbledore with his insane way of always trying to see the good in people was blind as a bat."

"Shut your mouth Potter!"

"No you _**strin vok ahrk praal tum**_ ," Harry roared. He watched as the two sat down by the table from the force of his thu'um. "He could have been saved," he said not shouting anymore but speaking in a cold hard tone that sent shivers down Draco's spine. "I could have saved him if I had just been given enough time to do so. But no Severus and Dumbledore decided that he should die, and to save poor little Draco from doing it Severus would. You could have asked for help with the damn curse on his arm. The Order has a Curse-Breaker why didn't you go to him. I'm fairly certain he knows things you don't. You'd think that with his immense trust in people Dumbledore would have turned to those that could have helped him." His eyes turned to Draco. "Any death tonight can be laid by your feet," he said. "You let them in to the castle be glad that no students could be harmed." He closed his eyes. He was pissed off at himself too. He could have prevented all of this with a few simple steps. It wasn't just their fault that it happened. He was glad he had as good control over his magic as he did. It hadn't even flared.

Draco swallowed. He didn't understand how Potter had forced them to sit down. No way Potter was that powerful.

Harry turned back to look at them. The storm in his eyes had calmed. What was done was done. There was no way of changing what had already happened. "Winky," he called. He heard the pop indicating that she had shown up. "Let Lucius know that his son is safe," he said. "Make sure no one else is there though."

"Of course Master Harry," Winky said. She disappeared.

Harry knew that his magic was fading from Draco and Severus. "He could have been saved and we could have taken the Death Eaters in the tower out," he said much calmer this time. "Fenrir is dead already and the two blonds might be; I didn't stay to make sure."

"Gryffindor's golden boy killing someone don't make me laugh," Severus said.

Harry hummed. He wasn't going to let the man get to him. "I have killed more people than you could ever understand," he said calmly. "Death is inevitable something that the Dark Lord will find out soon enough."

"And how does a sixteen year old plan on killing one of the most powerful wizards of the last century?" Severus sneered. He wouldn't admit that Potter's calm was unsettling.

Harry chuckled. "Did he tell you about the Horcruxes?" he asked. He opened his bag. One glance at Severus told him that the man knew. Harry started bringing items out of his bag. "The Slytherin Locket, the Hufflepuff Cup, and Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem all cleansed of the soul pieces that once were hidden in them. I dealt with them before Dumbledore even told me what they were. There are only two left. One unknown and one in Voldemort. And don't even think of me being one. I was ridded of that foul thing when I was fourteen. As to my age…" Harry reached up and pulled the golden necklace off. "I'm twenty-one not sixteen thank you very much Professor." His head rose to see Fleur and Bill enter the dining room. He walked straight up to the redhead and placed a hand against his face.

"I had to almost fight my way out of the castle. They wouldn't listen when I said I had my own healer," Bill said with a cocky smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Did anyone die?" he asked.

"Don't know properly," Bill said. "I'll get a full report from the Order in a few days."

Golden light spread from Harry to the redhead's face. "Werewolf scratches are bad, but as long as you don't wait too long to treat them they heal pretty well," he said. "It's the teeth that are bad, but since he wasn't actually a wolf at the time, there shouldn't be any lingering effects." He removed his hand and the scratches were gone. "I'm guessing you could use a bath now." He looked to Fleur. "The both of you."

"What about this?" Bill asked and indicated to the two Slytherins.

"It's for me to deal with," Harry said. "You don't need to worry yourselves with it."

Bill nodded and he took Fleur's hand before heading upstairs.

Harry turned back to Severus. "You know we have met before this," he said. He walked forward and his hair turned brown, his eyes glowed amber.

Draco's eyes widened. This was Kato Peverell one of his father's business partners. It couldn't be Potter. But then why had he sent a house-elf to let his father know he was safe.

"Lucius knows this?" Severus asked. He was having trouble wrapping his head around what he was seeing. It just wasn't possible.

"Of course he does," Harry said. "He asked me to look after Draco." His hair and eyes turned back to normal. "I foolishly let something slip that had him connecting the dots. It didn't matter much since I had been aiding him beforehand. He wants to get away from the Dark Lord. So Dumbledore had his spy and I had mine. Lucius has been most helpful. Thankfully me grabbing Draco means that it can be spun as a kidnapping and will keep him the hell out of this," he said as he sat down. "The wards on this property are the best the goblins can provide. Nothing will get in here without my permission. The only reason you are here Severus is because I brought you. You cannot leave however. The house is built to keep people in as well as out."

Severus didn't know what to think anymore. He was trying to meld what he knew of Harry Potter with what little information he had on Kato Peverell.

"How did you become five years older that's impossible," Draco said.

Harry chuckled. "I guess that depends on just how much you believe magic capable of accomplishing," he said. "It would have to start with the goblins. They were not native to this land from the start. They came here ages ago when man had just gained magic. They travelled from certain death with no way back. It's not very well known anymore. Some older families still have the knowledge. The Blacks speak of it in their old tomes, but they are so fragile they can barely be read anymore." He raised an eyebrow as Draco opened his moth to interrupt him. The blond closed his mouth again. "I travelled to the world that the goblins once came from in my forth year just before the first task. There I learned magic among other things and I grew older. I was brought back eventually, but I returned not five years after I had left but rather a few minutes later," he said. "I figured that the Ministry wouldn't be very accepting of my sudden age gain so I crafted a glamour and I continued on with my life here. That is why my grades rose."

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"I had leaned how to study to the best of my abilities while I was gone. It still took some time to get the hang of things; I had been gone for five years after all. I have been faking most of my spellcasting since I returned though which is way I dropped most of those classes this year. My magic changed while I was away. I left my wand behind. He pulled the stick he had been using as a prop out of his bag. "This is just a look alike." He threw it over to Draco.

The blond looked down at the wand. He couldn't feel anything from it. Even a wand that didn't suit you would give you something. He broke the wand apart. There was no reaction from Potter and there was no core. "Why would you promise father to look after me?" he asked cautiously.

"Because your mother is my second cousin and that makes us family. I don't have much of any family around here so I will take care of the people I do have," Harry said. "Lucius is aware of the fact that that is the reason I'm helping as well. I told him I would protect you not help you. Though I have done both." He looked between them. "There are rooms prepared for you should you prefer to retire at this point," he said.

"What about our wands?" Draco asked.

Harry turned to him. He removed two wands from a pocket and handed them over. "You won't be able to use them under these wards without permission," he said. He walked up to a door. "Your rooms are beyond this door. They will be open and I'm sure you will be able to tell which room belongs to whom. If you need me I'm going to be in the living room upstairs once I have cleaned off." He didn't stick around. He headed upstairs and into the master bedroom. His mind was reeling as he showered. What in Oblivion was he supposed to do with Severus?

No one came up to speak to him that evening. Not that he was surprised. He still had to figure out what to do with Severus. The man couldn't really stay, but he couldn't just leave either. At this point he knew too much for him to just have the man wandering around.

* * *

 _28th of June, 1997. Wednesday_

Ennerdale Manor was quiet. Harry was out on his morning run. Bill and Fleur had yet to rise. In his room Severus Snape sat. He had no clue what to think. He had long ago tried to give up on regret yet there he was regretting his actions. Dumbledore could have lived. He still wasn't sure that was true, but from what he had heard Peverell had been healing the Longbottoms and he was successful.

That is was Potter put everything on its head. Potter had gotten him scales. Potter could speak to dragons. Potter had walked around with a dragon around his neck in his fourth year. Could he really believe that the boy had been to another world and learned there? How else had he learned how to speak to dragons? He had never heard of anyone before him doing it.

He had tried leaving earlier. Potter was right he couldn't get out. He couldn't even tell what it was that was keeping him from leaving. The magic was unknown to him. He hated not knowing. He hated being at the mercy of another. That it was Potter just made it worse. He made his way to the bathroom eventually. The only way he was going to get anywhere was to speak to the annoying boy… man whatever he now was.

Harry was sitting in the dining room when Severus entered. He was looking through a book of some sort. "Good morning Severus," he said calmly as he turned a page. He reached out for his cup of tea his eyes not leaving the pages of the book.

Severus sat down reluctantly. He prepared some breakfast for himself. He would prefer to start on somewhat neutral territory. As much as he hated being at someone else's mercy, he knew he couldn't piss the man off. "How come you did not continue Potions?" he asked. It was something that had hit him when the raven had said that eh had chosen not to continue classes that needed a wand.

Harry looked up from his book. "Because you crushed any interest I might have had in the subject," he said. "I know how to make OWL level potions because you basically just need to follow instructions, but I don't have any drive for it. I got as good a grade as I did because of Ra'shall the uncle I gained on Nirn. He was an Alchemy Master which in comparison to Earth magic corresponds to Potions Master. There are some differences of course. They don't use a cauldron for example, but the end result is a potion in both cases. I didn't want to disappoint him even if he isn't here to see it."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "I'm quite certain you ruined your own chances," he said acidly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I had never seen a cauldron before we bought my first one. I had about a month to read through my schoolbooks, and that was the first time I was introduced to magic and just how much there was. I was interested in Potions. I wanted to learn until your teaching ruined any enthusiasm I had. You were unfair and you didn't explain anything. When Ra'shall got me he taught me why an ingredient has the effect it has. I was interested enough in properties of the ingredients that I leaned how to handle those even if I never really learned how to make potions. The big difference between Alchemy and Potions is that an Alchemy Lab is built to hold. There are enchantments in place that will protect the brewer. You can't explode a potion all over yourself no matter what you do all that happens is that you get a mess that doesn't do anything. Alchemy is safer."

"In what way was Uncle Severus unfair?"

Harry looked up at Draco. "Oh, let's see. How many times did you throw something into my potion to ruin it?" he asked.

The blond blushed.

Severus eyes closed. "Draco what have I told you about adding ingredients to someone else's work?" he asked.

"Not to do it because it is very hard to predict what will happen," Draco said. His blush deepened. Why was Severus reprimanding him in front of Potter? He wouldn't normally do that.

Harry hummed. He didn't actually care anymore. He could do so much with his magic that potions weren't really necessary for him. He looked back down in his book. He wanted to at least finish the chapter he was on.

Severus was watching the raven. What would happen now? He couldn't stay it wouldn't work out at all. He guessed no one in the Order knew he had killed Dumbledore. He could use that. The table was cleared off quickly by the little elf that worked for Potter as they finished breakfast. Potter stood up and headed over to a door. He walked through it without a word spoken.

An hour or so later Bill entered the dining room. He cast a glance at the two men sitting by the table. "I am going to assume that Harry is giving you space to figure out what you want to ask him," he said. "Harry won't just give you the answers to your problems on a silver platter. He is quite determined that people think for themselves."

"You are aware of his age gain?" Severus asked. He found the oldest Weasley boy quite decent to speak to. The young man wasn't an idiot. Unlike so many others in the Order.

"I am yes and I have seen enough proof to believe him," Bill said. "I also know for a fact that the goblins have recognised it fully. You should be aware of how hard it is to fool goblins." He looked to the stairs as his fiancée came walking down. A smile graced his lips. She walked up to him and kissed him before she turned to the other two. "Bonjour," she said kindly.

Bill turned back to Severus. "Harry has made it clear that he will deal with things his way no matter what the Order does. He's got Moody on his side and Alastor knows as well. There are a couple of us now. I think his lasting plan is to have Kato deal with Riddle and then let the brunet disappear. He's got something cooking with Lord Malfoy. He lets us know what we need to know, but he doesn't lead anything," he said. "He is a one man operation unless he needs help."

"He cannot possibly believe that he can take out the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord all on his own," Severus said.

"I doubt he does," Bill said. "As I understand it he has some kind of deal with Moody when it comes to that." He sat down by the table. "I wouldn't underestimate him though. I have seen what he is capable off," he said. "I have seen him take out inferi and block spells that should have killed the both of us. My brother has seen him kill not just one dragon but two simply by using his voice. He has killed two basilisks one before his little trip to Nirn. He doesn't enjoy killing though. He sees it as necessary in some cases and then he will do it. Like with Fenrir last night. He cut the man's head clear off."

Severus nodded slowly.

"Now you will stop zat I want to eat, and I don't want to 'ear about the gruesome zings 'Arry 'as done while doing it," Fleur said.

"Of course dear," Bill said. He looked back at Severus. "You should talk to Harry though. And there is no point in seeing him as the kid who attended Hogwarts. He is a warrior."

Severus stood up. "What is through there?" he asked as he pointed to the door Harry had disappeared through earlier.

"The library," Bill said. "Or rather the magic room and then the library. Harry is most likely in the library though. We are trying to figure out what a curse is. It's going slow."

Severus thanked him before he headed over to the door and walked through. He raised an eyebrow at the strange lab set up in one corner of the room. The room was clean with light gray tiles covering the walls and darker ones spreading out over the floor. He headed over to a door on the other side of the room. It opened up to a massive library. A spiral staircase led to another floor. There didn't seem to be all that many books though. He could see a lot of empty shelves. He headed of the stairs to the next level once again with very few books. The next floor you had to walk trough a ward to enter. He could feel the magic moving over him as he headed up. He wondered what the ward was for until he saw the books. There were more of them up there, but more importantly they were dark very dark. He could imagine that the ward would keep children out eventually.

He found Harry sitting by a table with several books gathered around him. "Where did you find these?" he asked. Several of the books were rare and very old.

"In the Black family library," Harry said. "I cleared it out for Sirius. He would have burned them all if I hadn't had them moved. I couldn't let him do that. These books hold knowledge so old it is almost unheard of these days." He smirked softly. "I am going to try and convince Lucius we do a trade – copies of the unique books here for copies of unique books in his library. I want to fill this place eventually though it might have to be something that happens over generations following me."

"I cannot stay," Severus said.

Harry nodded. "I am aware of that, but frankly I don't trust you not to let who I am slip. I'm going to need something that will actually convince me you'll keep your mouth shut. You history with my father doesn't speak well for you especially since you keep comparing me to him," he said. "Do I have to remind you that I am Lily's son too?" His hair turned red. "And at this point I was raised by neither. My _**monah**_ was a warrior. Think Middle Ages with a big sword and taller than I am. She was the kind of woman you didn't cross more than once. My uncle was a thief and a murderer, but he loved mother and I. They raised me not the Dursleys. I learned how to survive the hard way. There were bandits and assassins and creatures not to even mention the dragons that wanted to kill us. My point is that no matter what my parents were like the things I have been through made me who I am not who birthed me. Like I told Lucius, Kato as you met him is who I am. Harry Potter as he is at school is a role I play."

Severus could understand the other man. He knew too much for him to just leave. He could understand that. But why hadn't he… "Why didn't you tell Dumbledore?" he asked.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "I can kill a person with a single word Severus, and I'm not afraid to use it if I have to," he said. "I doubt people would consider me light. If they knew what I could do they would fear me. The difference between me and the Dark Lord is that I don't want to rule. I don't want to hurt people. In the end he's still a bit more experienced then me, but compare five years of basically constant survival training to several years of just moving about and taking what you want. You'd realise that I have what it takes to kill him. He is a threat and threats will be dealt with. Dumbledore was too kind hearted. I feared he wouldn't accept what I had become so I didn't tell him. I didn't trust him either. I'll never knew why he hid the Philosopher's stone in a school despite there being a madman after it. Or why he didn't do something about the basilisk. There was a creature in the school that could have killed everyone simply by looking at them. He did too many things I found questionable."

"The headmaster was a great man," Severus said.

"Oh I do not deny that," Harry said. "I just didn't trust him. I listened to him, and I respected him. I did, however, not trust him with my life and what had happened to me. There was too much dark this and evil that. I don't believe in dark or evil nor do I believe in light or good. I believe that Voldemort put it pretty well himself. 'There is no good or evil only power and those to weak to seek it.' Not that I wholly believe in that either." He was smirking softly. "I believe that good and evil is relevant to the side you are on. Voldemort wouldn't see himself as evil. And if he wins the history books would paint Dumbledore and possibly me as the greatest villains. It all depends on how you look at it."

Severus closed his eyes. The young man was pointing things out he had considered for a long time. Dark wasn't necessary evil. There were dark things that could help people. Most were too afraid of them to use them though.

"I could perform the same things that the Unforgivable can do without performing them," Harry said. "Does that make me evil?" he closed the book he had been reading. "Is Lucius evil because he wants to protect our magic and our traditions? For years Hogwarts has stood without the Solstice and Equinox rituals. It is a miracle the school wards are still standing. They need the magic. I gave my magic to Lucius house the Winter Solstice before last. I have gifted the wards around this property with my friends and soon to be family. They stand stronger than anything else in Britain. We can question his methods a bit, but I have shown him another way. He accepted and that is why I'm helping him. This was before he knew we were family. I laid out certain demands in return for my help."

"So you will do the same with me?" Severus said.

"No our roles are reversed," Harry said. "I can keep Voldemort from killing you through the Mark he has burned into your forearm, but you can help me as well. I have things I'm sure you would like and you have the ability to gather information."

"What kind of things?" Severus asked. He was not going to agree to anything without knowing what he could gain.

"Basilisk poison, blood, I have an eyeball too," Harry said. "They are useless to me really, but as a Potions Master, I am sure you could figure out a way to use them. They are kept in goblin approved containers for ingredients. I didn't want to risk them going bad."

"How much?" Severus asked.

Harry stood up. "Why don't you come with me and I'll show you what I have," he said. He led the man down to the Magic Lab. He walked up to a cupboard and opened it up before he pulled a drawer out. "All of these contain poison," he said as he indicated to the jars.

"You could make thousands of galleons on this," Severus said.

"I have made plenty of money on it already. This is what I chose to keep for myself. I make more money a year than I need. There are several services that I'm so far the only person on Earth who can preform. The goblins pay good money for it. And so do the witches and wizards I serve," Harry said. "I started working pretty soon after I got back from Nirn. I will not have money problems."

It wasn't like Severus would have told anyone either way, but a promise would cost and this was an opportunity of a lifetime. He had one question though. "You said that the Dark Lord can kill me through the Mark," he said.

"Yes," Harry said. "He can drain you magic and then your life force through the Mark. I have already prevented this for both Lucius and Draco. It is a fairly quick procedure."

"What will you do?" Severus asked.

"I will write down several words in dragon-tongue on your arm with invisible ink and then I will infuse them with magic. It will stop him from accessing your magical core," Harry said. "The words are bound to the Mark so they will disappear when the Mark does which should be when he dies. I will do this without a promise. You are a spy, and I have no reason to want you dead. You can always ask Draco what it was like since I have already performed it on him."

Severus looked down at his arm. The Dark Lord was not going to be the death of him if he could help it. He unbuttoned his sleeve and rolled it up to show the Mark.

Harry walked over to a desk and pulled an inkwell out together with a quill. He dipped the quill before he started writing. Power gathered before he spoke the words.

Severus was surprised. Yes he remembered the power in the young man's words the night before. There had been no fighting them. It had been more powerful than any Imperious he had ever felt. He felt the quill touch his skin once more as a few more words were added. They were spoken, and then Harry let go of his arm. "I'm done," he said. "A promise for the chance to leave. You need to stay quiet about who exactly I am until after Voldemort is dead. Harry Potter's connection to Kato Peverell can not be mentioned. After he is dead it really doesn't matter as much. I don't need an oath for that."

Severus thought what the raven had said through before he laid his oath. He was very specific about how he worded it.

Harry smirked. He knew what Severus was doing. He could even hear the loopholes, but none of those would let the man spill to Death Eaters or Voldemort so he didn't care. He reached out once Severus was done and changed the wards. "You an apparate to and from the entrance hall now. You cannot travel beyond that room without being invited by me, my fiancé, Bill, Fleur, or Winky. You can bring someone else with you here but not from here." He walked with the man out to the dining room. "I will not tell anyone what happened. You should be safe enough around the Order."

Severus nodded. "I will see you again… Harry," he said before he disapparated.

Harry rolled his eyes. Of course they would see each other again. They had a war to win – preferably before it started.

 **~End of Book 6**


	86. Happy Hearts - Book 7

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks. I'm simply an author who loves playing around in fictional worlds. I do not make money from this nor do I want to. I write these stories for myself and for others to brighten their day.

Warnings: Male/male relationship with sex. Male/female relationship non-explicit. Killing, gore, and some torture.

* * *

 **Book 7**

 **Happy Hearts**

 _1st of July, 1997. Tuesday_

The sun was shining brightly. A long golden streak passed through the curtains and landed over his bed. He blinked slowly. His head was fuzzy and he felt exhausted. He looked to the side slowly. Alice was lying in the bed next to his. Her once brown hair was now white. ' _What happened?'_ he wondered. He sat up slowly as he attempted to focus. What was the last thing he remembered? He whimpered as the memories came flooding back to him. Alice screaming – she was hurting, hurting so badly.

"Master Harry be needed in the hospital room," Winky said as she suddenly appeared on the upper floor of the same house.

Harry, the master of the house, rose from the sofa he was sitting in and headed downstairs quickly. He walked into Frank and Alice's room. Magic was spindling everywhere. It spread out from Frank and had Alice crying in her sleep. The raven walked up to Frank and placed his hands on the man's shoulders sending a calming wave of magic through him.

Frank's breathing eased up as he calmed down. He opened his eyes slowly. There was someone sitting with him now. He looked up into worried bright green eyes. The face was framed by thick black hair. It reminded him of friends he had lost. ' _Harry,'_ he thought. He tried to say it but nothing came out.

"It's O.K. Frank you should take it easy," Harry said. The latest session with the man had been the day before. He had not expected Frank to be lucid so soon. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm going to check you over," he said calmly. His magic ran along Frank's body slowly. He entered the man's mind but only brushed the surface. ~Frank,~ he said softly. He could feel the man's mind shift.

~Harry,~ Frank said softly. ~How are you doing this?~ He looked confused.

Harry hadn't disappeared into Frank's mind this time around. He was just connecting to the man's surface thoughts. They were still sitting on the bed. ~I have connected to your mind. To heal you we had to do that,~ he said.

~What…what happened?~ Frank asked.

~You have been out for a very long time. Do you want to see what you can remember between the attack and now?~ Harry asked. ~There is no pain in the memories, but you seem incapable of connecting to them on your own right now.~

Frank nodded slowly. ~Please,~ he said.

Harry took the man's hands and dived into his mind. He was gentle and tried his best to keep Frank with him. He led the older man to the memories he had of his mother and son visiting him and his wife in the hospital. Those memories were not as messed up as his older memories. He still had to help Frank sort some of the older ones out. It was nothing like Alice's mind, but there was some confusion. He let Frank watch.

"My son is how old now?" Frank asked the young raven-haired man as he watched a little five year-old Neville leave.

"He turns seventeen this summer," Harry said.

"But you are older than that… how come?" Frank asked as he saw his mother sitting by his bed.

"I have had a bit of an adventure out of this world," Harry said. "I aged away from this world's timeline. I would show you, but right now your mind is not ready to deal with it."

Frank nodded slowly. "We missed so much," he said. He looked over to his wife in the memory. "How is Alice?" he asked.

"She is recovering. It is going slower though," Harry said. "Her memories are all messed up. There are some things she will have to forget. I cannot save all her memories."

Frank nodded slowly. He wasn't sure he was up to handeling that. He was so confused.

"I have promised Augusta that I will speak to her before I do anything to Alice's memories. Since Neville is almost seventeen, he will have a say too," Harry said. "Together we can hopefully pick out the memories that will mean the most to Alice. I can't heal her mind properly until her memories are arranged."

Frank nodded slowly.

"I will contact Augusta and Neville and invite them over soon," Harry said.

"I would like that," Frank said.

"I have some explaining to do though," Harry said. He chuckled. "Hopefully they won't hate me."

Frank smiled softly. "You are helping," he said. "Thank you."

Harry bowed his head. "I hope that Neville can see it that way," he said. He smiled as an eight year-old version of the brunet walked into the Closed Ward. He stayed with Frank until the man had seen everything there was. He introduced Frank to Winky and let him know that she would be happy to help him with anything. He walked out of the room with a promise to return soon.

Draco was sitting by the dining table. He looked up at Harry as the raven entered the room. He didn't understand why he was there. It really pissed him off that Potter thought he could just lock him up. "Let me out!" he demanded.

Harry raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the first time the blond had made that demand. "Winky," he said. The little elf showed up. "Will you please go ask Lucius to come here? Give him the apparition coordinates. Let him know that his son if being difficult and that I could use his help."

"Winky will," Winky said. She disappeared.

"You really think that I'll believe you have the power to call on my father," Draco said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I can ask him to come here," he said. "Maybe hearing what I have been telling you from him will make you understand that this is how it is." He walked through to the library and settled down with one of his mother's journals. They were kept on the lowest level of the library but couldn't be accessed without his permission. They weren't dangerous so he wanted them down there.

An hour or so later Winky showed up and let him know that Lucius was there.

"Let him in and show him to Draco, will you," Harry said. "We'll let them have a chat before I get involved."

"Of course Master Harry," Winky said. She popped away again. "Lord Malfoy be coming with Winky to see Young Draco," she told Lucius as she landed next to him. She showed him through to the dining room and over to the guest rooms.

"Father," Draco said as the older blond walked into his room.

"Draco, son, how are you doing?" Lucius asked as he sat down in a comfortable armchair.

"I'm trapped in this house," Draco said. "Potter says you asked him to do that. Why?"

"I did ask him to keep you safe," Lucius said. "Because he is perfectly capable of doing so. As it is the Dark Lord is living in our Manor. You are better off staying here."

"But why," Draco asked.

"Because I am working against the Dark Lord," Lucius said. "I do not want you to end up in danger and there is constant danger at home for now. I am working with Harry. I know that what he says is incredibly difficult to believe, but it is true. He is not the teen you have met in school. The picture you have of Harry Potter is useless now. That is not who he is."

"He really travelled to another world?" Draco asked disbelievingly.

"Look at it this way: how did he learn to speak a language no one on Earth has been able to speak for centuries if not millennia?" Lucius said. "I am sure that Harry will allow you to leave the house. There must be some reason he has not."

Draco looked to the floor. He figured that his behaviour might be the reason he hadn't been allowed out of the house. He hadn't understood how Potter hadn't reacted to his taunts. If his father was right, then he guessed that Potter just thought of him as a silly child. It made him feel silly. No one made a Malfoy feel silly.

"Am I to understand from the fact that Harry called me that your behaviour has not been the best?" Lucius said, an eyebrow raised in question.

Draco wanted to grit his teeth. He was not a kid any more. "He kidnapped me and locked me up. I didn't see a reason to be polite to him," he said as calmly as he could.

"He brought you here because I asked him to," Lucius said. "And you will stay until the Dark Lord has been dealt with." He stood up slowly. He would have to speak to Harry. He called the house-elf, and she led him into a beautiful library. Harry was sitting in a sofa reading. The young man rose as he approached.

"Day's blessing to you Lucius," the raven said with a small bow.

Lucius responded before he joined the young man. "I apologise in advance for my son's behaviour. He might be a bit difficult. I am not sure he is willing to listen to me at this point," he said.

Harry nodded. "I understand," he said. "I need to know how far I can go when it comes to him. His behaviour isn't acceptable to me. I find it necessary for him to learn that life will not serve him everything he wants on a silver platter."

"As long as he does not come to harm, you can do whatever you see fit," Lucius said. "This is your home. It is only reasonable that you have other rules."

"Thank you Lucius," Harry said. He called Winky and asked her for some refreshments.

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

Harry noticed the action. "You find the way I treat her strange, Lucius?" he asked.

"She is a servant," Lucius said.

"She is the one that keeps my house clean and food on my table," Harry said. "I would have to do all of that work myself if I did not have her. I have realised that taking good care of her actually means she performs better. House-elves had magic of their own and they will use it for you if you treat them right. In my house I will not allow anyone to mistreat my elves."

"You have more than one?" Lucius asked.

"Not technically but I am going to try to take the old Black elf over since Sirius despises him," Harry said. "I need another one after that, and I might get a hold of Dobby though I'm frankly not certain I trust him."

Lucius' eyes narrowed momentarily. He did his best not to think of things like that. They had happened in the past, and Harry Potter had changed since then. The young man had some very different ideas now. He had never thought of house-elves that way before though. He had just treated them the same way that his father had. Either way he couldn't change the way he was treating them now that he had the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters in his home. He had wanted to shut everyone out, but he hadn't been quick enough. "The Dark Lord has taken up residence in Malfoy Manor," he said.

Harry shook his head. "That is unfortunate," he said. "It can be used to our advantage though."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Lucius said.

"He is convinced that Draco has been kidnapped?" Harry asked.

"Yes, thankfully," Lucius said.

"Has anyone told him that Harry Potter disappeared from Hogwarts?" Harry asked. "That could become problematic."

"No there has been no mention of your name," Lucius said.

"Good the less people that notice I disappeared at the same time Draco did the better," Harry said. "We'll have to set things up with Severus and figure out what to do. If you get the chance try to introduce the idea of him meeting Kato. There is no point in getting him suspicious I guess. If we have to, then we'll create an opportunity." He leaned back. "You are welcome here at any point. Should you find it necessary you can come here with Narcissa."

"I will remember that," Lucius said. "I have to go back before people realise that I am gone." He stood up and Harry followed. They headed back out to the entrance hall.

"I would wish you a good day if you weren't headed back to the Dark Lord," Harry said. "So instead I will say stay safe. Don't worry about Draco. I can deal with a grumpy teenager. He might even learn some things." He stayed until Lucius had left. He had a feeling bringing Lucius over wouldn't really change anything. Now he had permission to deal with the teen the way he wanted to, however. Hopefully he could teach Draco some manners.

* * *

 _2nd of July, 1997. Wednesday_

The following day Harry spent a good amount of time down in the lake with the Selkies. He had figured out how to fix his waterbreathing spell to allow him to speak to the water dwelling people. He had also sent off a message to Lady Longbottom inviting her. He hadn't told her that her son was lucid and could understand and interact with people again.

He laughed as a couple of young Selkies swam past him. He had gone down there so he could have a proper talk with the chief of the mers. They had gone over how things would work out around the lake. He had wanted to make sure that they felt like they had a say. As far as he was concerned they had a say so he wanted to know what they thought about certain things.

It was way past midday when he got back out of the lake. He headed up to the house slowly. His hair was dripping down his back. His bare feet trotted through the undergrowth. Green eyes widened as Harry walked around the house. He took off running. "Charlie," he exclaimed as he threw his arms around the oranget.

"Hi love," Charlie said as he wrapped his arms around the raven. He hugged him close.

"How was Bangladesh?" Harry asked.

"Was O.K." Charlie said with a shrug. "I ended up working with some people I would have been happier without. The dragons were cool though. Really bad tempered but they were amazing. It really helped to know the language. I couldn't talk to them, but I could keep us from being killed." He kissed the raven deeply. "How about you?" he asked.

"Dumbledore took me to a cave where he thought a soul piece was. It was full of inferi. I need to go back and clear the place out so they can't attack anyone should the enchantments fail. He is dead though, Dumbledore. There was a funeral at Hogwarts," Harry said.

"The inferi killed him?" Charlie asked. He looked concerned.

"No, he was killed by the Death Eaters that broke into Hogwarts," Harry said. "No students were harmed the house-elves protected them. Bill was there. He was attacked by Fenrir Greyback, but he's fine and Fenrir is dead."

"And you are alright?" Charlie asked.

"I wasn't hurt at all," Harry said. "We have Draco Malfoy living with us right now. Please ignore him. Bill keeps saying he will be happy once he's left for the honeymoon."

"You managed to convince him that they should go?" Charlie asked. "I didn't think anyone could."

Harry smirked. "I have my ways," he said. "And I think Malfoy helped in convincing him that they need some time alone. He really can't help much with the Dark Lord. I have plans in motion for that, and I don't need him."

There was a soft cough sounding from behind Charlie and Harry looked over the oranget's shoulder. "Hi Kami," he said. He looked back at Charlie. "Why didn't you say we have a guest?" he asked. He moved around him and hugged Kami.

"Ermh, Leo? You aren't wearing any clothes," Tonks said.

Harry moved back. "So, it's not like you've never seen a naked guy before," he said with a smirk. He kissed Charlie again. "I'll behave and go get dressed," he said. He disappeared into the house quickly. He was really happy Charlie was back.

"Was that really Harry?" Tonks asked. "He looked way older than last I saw him." She knew he was a part Metamorphmagus, but he couldn't change his age.

"It's a long story," Charlie said. "And yes that was Harry. He aged like five years some time back." he gave Tonks the overview of what Harry had told him. He was pretty sure Tonks was one of the people that Harry would be alright with knowing about him.

Tonks walked up to Harry as the raven came down the stairs. She hugged him tightly. "You've been through so much," she said.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I told her about you," Charlie said. "She doesn't seem to mind that you haven't told her before now."

"I wasn't really worried about Kami's reaction," Harry said. He hugged the pinkette close. "Come on it's time for lunch. Please join us." He led her over to the table and pulled a chair out for her. "Bill and Fleur are off with your mother planning the wedding," he told Charlie. "The Delacours will be arriving next week."

"And then there won't be silence for ages," Charlie said.

"We'll go somewhere if we need to get away," Harry said with a chuckle. "I doubt it will be that bad though. Gabrielle is a nice girl."

"Oh, I know," Charlie said. "Thank you Winky." Platters and bowls were placed down on the table. They carried on conversation while they ate. Tonks was smiling happily. Her eyes caught on the silver band on Harry's finger eventually. She looked from the raven to the oranget a few times. "You are engaged?" she asked.

"Yes we are," Charlie said. He smiled at Harry.

Tonks hair turned black as she hugged the raven. "That's amazing," she said happily.

"Now how about you," Harry said. "You and Remus looked cosy last I saw you."

Tonks' hair turned scarlet as she bushed. "We're getting married next week," she said. "Not a lot of people know. It will be a small ceremony."

"That's nice," Harry said. "You don't need a big ceremony for it to matter."

Tonks bit her lip. "Will you come?" she asked. "The two of you. It would mean so much to me, and I'm sure Remus would be happier with you there." She looked at Harry.

"He doesn't know though, and I don't want to mess things up," Harry said.

"You can promise him an explanation later. He will be O.K. with that," Tonks said. "I'll give Charlie the coordinates. The wedding is on the 18th at four o'clock p.m. Just please come there."

Harry smiled softly. "If that is what you want Kami then of course we'll be there," he said. He kissed her forehead.

"Marrying the werewolf. That's just disgusting."

"Hush Draco," Harry said. "Remus isn't a werewolf anymore he took the cure. You could at least keep your opinions to yourself. Your cousin is happy."

"Blood-traitor," Draco said.

Harry hummed. "And blood purists will only get more and more squibs. Well, they might end up like cousin Bella all insane. I'm not entirely sure that is a good future," he said calmly. "There is a difference between being alright with witches and wizards born from non-magicals and non-magicals themselves. I suggest you stop insulting my guests. Or you can return to your room."

Draco sat down by the table so he could grab some food. He hated being in this stupid house. The people were stupid. He wanted to be back home. The Dark Lord would kill them when he found out what his father had done. It was all so dumb.

Harry wrapped an arm around Kami. "Don't listen to him. He's angry his father is deciding over his life even though he's seventeen," he said. "We're trying to keep him from getting killed. He isn't too happy about it."

Tonks snorted. She could ignore the teen. It wouldn't be much a problem for her. She was pretty used to ignoring people.

Harry stood up and offered her a hand. "Let me show you around. When you apparate here you will en up in the entrance hall. Someone will come to meet you there. If you bring someone that has never been here before, he or she will not be able to leave without my or Charlie's permission so it's good if you send a message in advance so we can arrange something if you want to invite someone else here. We don't want them to get stuck in case we are away," he said.

Charlie joined them and they wandered through the house before they made their way outside.

"This place is beautiful," Tonks said. She looked out over the lake. She blinked as something broke the surface and jumped out of the water. "What was that?" she asked.

"Selkies," Harry said. "We have a colony living down in the lake. They are friendly – especially to women so you wouldn't have anything to fear from them. A man that threatened them would be torn to shreds. I have made sure that they will speak to me before they do it. People wandering around on this property have been allowed onto it by us so I don't want anyone harmed if it can be avoided."

Tonks nodded. "Bill and Fleur's wedding will be held here?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes it will," he said. "On the bank. I'm glad that the goblins got the sand here. I wanted at least something resembling a beach."

"It's so calm," Tonks said. She sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"Mom thinks we're rushing things," Tonks said. "Getting married now."

"Mother says the same thing about Bill and Fleur," Charlie said.

"There is a war going on though," Tonks said. "Even if most people don't know about it."

"I don't think the war has anything to do with anything," Harry said. "What's the point in waiting when you know you like each other? We don't see the point. It will be alright eventually. We'll show them all that their worry is for nothing."

The pinkette laughed. "I can trust you to raise my spirits Leo," she said.

"I'll do that whenever," Harry said.

"I should get back home. Sirius is staying with us right now because the fidelius charm on Grimmauld Place sort of stopped working properly. He isn't safe there anymore," Tonks said.

"Would you like my help with anything?" Harry asked. "For the wedding I mean."

"Harry can both cook and bake, and he is amazing at it," Charlie said. He wrapped his arm around the raven and kissed his cheek.

"Well, I guess it would be nice," Tonks said. "I'll have to check with mom first though."

"Just send me a list of things I should make if there is anything," Harry said.

"I will, thank you," Tonks said.

"You have to go back to the house and enter the entrance hall before you can apparate out," Harry said.

Tonks nodded. "I can find my way," she said. "Have a nice day." She hugged them.

"Have a nice day," they responded before she walked off.

Harry turned around so he could wrap his arms around Charlie. "I've missed you," he whispered. He buried his face in the crook of the oranget's neck. He breathed in deeply. He felt how strong arms wrapped around his waist before Charlie sat down, and he followed. He shifted and settled down between the oranget's legs. A warm hand tilted his face up and rough lips descended on his. His mouth opened to let a searching tongue in. He hummed softly as their tongues played.

"No more school now, huh?" Charlie said softly after a while.

"Nope I'm all done with that. Though, I might go back to take my NEWTs later," Harry said. "I won't go to school though." He ran his fingers down Charlie's cheek before he placed his head on his shoulder. Charlie laid down on the grass. He ran his fingers through Harry's hair slowly. "It was stressful work in Bangladesh. I have missed just taking it easy," he said.

"But you hate not having things to do," Harry said cheerfully.

"Yeah I know, but I don't need to do life threatening things all the time. The Zoo slash reserve sounds like a really good idea to me. Are we getting anywhere with that?" Charlie said.

"The Ministry is putting up problems. The goblins are going to override them, but it will take some time," Harry said. "Of course it would help if you and I got Beast Masteries. If we make one hell of an essay we can probably do one together. I can check that out."

"Sounds good," Charlie said. "We'll do it on dragons?"

"Think there is anyone else that can write it the way we could?" Harry said. "I probably need my NEWTs first though."

"We can start writing before then," Charlie said.

"So I should send a letter," Harry said.

"Hmmm, you can do that later," Charlie said. He smiled as Harry laughed. They were curled up together just talking for hours before they got up and made it back to the house so they could have dinner. Bill and Fleur were back by then so the brothers got off talking happily.

* * *

 _5th of July, 1997. Saturday_

Harry hummed as he cleaned the table off. He had made some candy for the twins' store. He was going to make some pralines for Kami and Remus as well. He knew Remus had a soft spot for chocolate. He wasn't sure about Kami though. He needed something for her too. It was supposed to be a wedding gift after all. He bit his lip. He had a few ideas, but he would need to go shopping for that. ' _So should I bring Fleur or Charlie,'_ he thought. Maybe he would bring the both of them. He already had a wedding gift for the other wedding.

He hummed as he walked upstairs. "Charlie, Fleur I need to by a wedding gift for Kami. Will you come with me?" he asked.

"Oui, of course 'Arry," Fleur said. "You know what you want to buy?"

"Yes, I do, but I could really use your opinion," Harry said.

Charlie stood up. "I guess I'll be coming with you," he said. He walked up to his fiancé and took the raven's hand. "We'll go straight away right?" he asked.

"Yep," Harry said.

"And what about me?" Bill asked.

Harry smirked evilly. "You can come along if you dare," he said mischievously.

Bill looked uncomfortably at the raven. He wasn't sure he wanted to know where they were going. He sat back down again. "I'll stay here in case Augusta and Neville are early or you guys run late," he said.

"Sure, we'll be back soon," Harry said. He headed down in front of the others. They reached the entrance hall. He took their hands and gutboed out of there. They landed on a busy street without anyone noticing. They all wore clothes that were perfectly acceptable for normal London thanks to Harry and some illusions. No one would realise that they were magical.

Harry led the other two down the street until they reached a store that sold lingerie among other things.

Charlie raised an eyebrow as he looked around. Fleur was chuckling softly. "Are you sure 'Arry?" she asked.

"Yes of course I am. We need something good for Kami. Leather and spikes or something like that. She definitely shouldn't have any of the frilly stuff," Harry said.

Fleur laughed. She followed the raven deeper into the store. The passed several done up mannequins on the way. "I think she needs a collar for Remus though," Harry said as he stopped by an array of different collars. He was humming softly as he moved his hands over the leather. He lifted one of them out and went looking for Fleur. She was holding a bra that just screamed dominance. "That one is good, but I was thinking something a bit more…" he was trying to find the right word. He moved the bras apart looking for just what he was after. He smirked as he found it.

Fleur had gone through panties until she had found a pair that would fit. "You don't want it to be too much do you?" she asked.

"No, no just a bit over the edge," Harry said. He wandered off to another section. He turned a corner and walked straight into a guy. "I'm sorry, are you alright?" he asked. He kneeled down and helped the guy pick his things up. Thankfully Fleur was holding on to his purchase. He guessed she might have gone off to find Charlie.

"I'm fine thanks," the guy said. He moved a golden lock out of his face.

"Alex where are you?" the voice was gruff.

The golden-blond turned around as a dark haired guy walked around the corner. "I'm sorry I disappeared Master," he said his eyes downcast. His body language was submissive as he walked up to the darker man. Black eyes looked up at Harry. "What are you staring at?" he asked irritably.

Harry shrugged. He had slipped into their surface thoughts. If this guy was in an abusive relationship he would help him. It didn't seem to be that way though.

The dark-haired man sneered at the raven and pulled his pet away. He couldn't stand homophobes. They had run into a gang of them already that morning he didn't need to deal with another.

Harry just shook his head. Some people didn't know what manners were. He made his way back to Fleur and Charlie so they could pay for their things. "We should head back so we'll be there when our guests arrive," he said. He headed straight for Frank and Alice's room once they got back. He knocked on the door.

Frank turned to look at him as he entered.

"Good morning Frank, your mother and son will be here soon. Do you want to sit in the armchair?" Harry asked.

~That would be nice,~ Frank said as he felt the young raven's consciousness touch his own.

Harry helped the man up slowly and helped him over to one of the cosy armchairs.

~How is Alice doing?~ Frank asked.

"She is fine physically her mind is still far off. I'll be able to help her more once I know what to keep and what can be lost," Harry said softly. "It feels wrong for me to make the decisions. Even though I know the two of you quite well by now, it's not right for me to make life changing decisions for her." He spoke just a little slower than he would normally do so that Frank could keep up with him. "I need to tell them some things before I bring them in here, but we should be here soon."

Frank smiled at him as he left the room.

Harry smiled at Augusta as she walked into the dining room. "Good morning Augusta," he said. She turned towards him and here eyes widened slightly. "Now, Mr Peverell that is either a bad joke or you have been misleading me young man," she said.

"I have kept my real identity from most people," Harry said. His eyes travelled over to Neville.

The brunet's blue eyes widened. "Harry?" he said confused.

"I'm sorry I have some explaining to do," the raven said. "Long story short is that I spent about five years in another realm. I was sent there by the goddess Kyne to learn what it meant to be a Dragonborn. I was sent back when I had learned all Kyne wanted me to know. But I was nineteen not fourteen at that point." He motioned for them to sit down, and Winky showed up with refreshments. He gave far from the whole story, but he did tell them the overview.

He stood up and fetched the documents he had prepared for them so they would have enough information about Alice's memories to make the decisions they needed to make.

"So that's why you changed then?" Neville said. It all made so much sense now. Harry had changed so much and the tournament couldn't have done it all.

Harry nodded. "That would be it yes," he said. "I sort of decided back on Nirn that I would make friends with you once I got back. It made more sense to me than trying to keep my friendship with Ronald. He was too jealous. I wanted friends that were their own people. I made friends with you because I wanted to."

Neville smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm glad that happened," he said.

"Me too," Harry said.

Augusta was studying the papers he had placed on the table. She could understand why the young man wasn't talking about what he'd been through. He was quite right in believing that the Ministry would go ballistic if they knew. She looked over the notes. "Why have you written it like this?" she asked.

Harry looked over to the papers. "Well you see each one of these clusters show a cluster of memories in Alice's mind," he said as he pointed to a set of hexagons. "I can only save one memory in a cluster. If you think of her mind like a puzzle, then I need all the pieces to heal her mind but just like puzzle pieces you have to place them correctly to complete the puzzle. I can never complete the picture. There are limitations to everything. There is a choice to every cluster and the longer we wait the more of the memories will cluster together. It thankfully takes time though."

Augusta nodded slowly. Neville was looking down at the papers too. "These are all from before she was attacked?" he asked.

"Yes I have managed to sort out and protect most of the memories she has of you visiting her over the years. It all happened after her mind was scattered so there wasn't as much damage there," Harry said.

Augusta looked through the papers. "I doubt we can make any kind of decision now," she said.

"There is a second set of papers that is linked to that set. If you take that home and mark a memory it will show up for me," Harry said. He pointed to a set of square next to one of the hexagon. "I will mark it as well and then you have to confirm it. I don't want something to go wrong."

"That is good," Augusta said. She looked over the papers.

"That wasn't the only reason that I contacted you," Harry said. He stood up. "Frank is lucid. You can talk to him."

Neville looked up at him his eyes wide. "Really?" he said.

Harry nodded. "He is waiting for you," he said. He smiled softly. "Follow me." He led them through one of the doors to the guest rooms. They walked down to the last room. A soft knock landed on the door before he opened it up. He held it open for the Longbottoms.

Neville walked up to his father slowly. He kneeled down in front of the man. Frank reached out. This was the first time he had truly seen his little boy. The memories had helped him understand how much time had passed and had taught him certain things about his son, but it was nothing like actually seeing the teen.

"Dad," Neville said.

Harry walked forward. He didn't want to intrude, but they couldn't talk to Frank without him. Augusta sat down and he turned to her. "His voice doesn't cooperate with him yet. There is a way I can allow him to speak to you though," he said.

"Please," Augusta said.

Harry closed his eyes and he linked their minds. ~Try talking to them, Frank,~ he said.

~Mom,~ Frank said.

"Oh, Frank," Augusta said. She reached out and took his hand.

Harry walked out of the room leaving them to themselves. He walked outside and sat down. He leaned back against the building and closed his eyes. Inside the house Neville was being hugged by his dad for the first time in his life.

…

Neville walked out of his parents' room. He wanted to find Harry.

"What are you doing here Longbottom. Trying to suck up to Potter."

Neville rolled his eyes and kept going. He didn't care what Draco had to say. Now where was Harry? "Winky," he said as he entered the kitchen.

"Yes mister Neville," Winky said.

"Where is Harry?" Neville asked.

"Master is being outside," Winky answered.

"Oh, alright," the brunet said. "Thank you." He headed over to the entrance hall and walked outside. "Harry!" he called. He had no idea where outside the raven was. He started wandering around. He didn't go too far from the house though. He had no idea how big the property was. It took a while before he noticed the raven-haired man leaning against the house wall. He walked up to his friend. "Harry," he said. He kneeled down and shook the man's shoulder. "Harry!"

Green eyes opened slowly. "What is it Neville?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk," Neville said.

Harry smiled. "Sure," he said. "Why don't I show you around." He stood up slowly. They headed down towards the lake slowly talking about plants and creatures. Neville asked if the raven was going to go back to Hogwarts, and Harry responded in the negative.

"I have no real reason to go back, and I need to deal with Voldemort," Harry said. "Someone has to do it, and I'm already working on it."

Neville nodded in understanding. He would miss his friend, but he could understand his reasoning.

"I'll come by once Voldemort is gone," Harry said.

"Yeah," Neville said.

Harry nodded. He stumbled. His body hit the ground. He was breathing heavily. He was stretching his magic far too much. Just setting up the connection without including himself had been difficult. He had to drop the magic. He felt a hand land on his shoulder. "I'm fine I just need some rest," he said.

"Don't even try that," Neville said. "You've exhausted yourself, haven't you." He bit his lip. What should he do? "Winky," he called. The elf showed up. "Will you get someone who can help Harry back to the house?" he asked.

Winky nodded. "Winky will get Master Charlie," she said.

"Thank you Winky," Neville said as the elf disappeared.

It didn't take long for a redhead, most likely a Weasley, to show up. "You need to stop doing this," he told Harry. "You keep hurting yourself. I in no way enjoy worrying about you."

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "I just wanted Frank to be able to talk to his son."

Charlie sighed. He lifted his fiancé up. "Don't worry about him," he told Neville. "He does things like this all the time. I wish he wouldn't." He smiled down at Harry.

"I didn't mean too," the raven said.

"I know you didn't," Charlie said. "You won't be leaving bed until I think it's O.K."

"Hmmmm, sure," Harry said. His eyes closed slowly. He was exhausted.

Charlie carried the raven upstairs. He smiled at Neville as he came back downstairs. "You can come by a couple of days from now if you would like to spend some time with Harry. Though I'll have tor warn you Gabrielle, Fleur's little sister, will be here and she eats up time like nothing else," he said.

"We'll see I might come by after I have taken my Apparition test," Neville said.

"Sure," Charlie said.

"I'll go back to Gran and check if she is ready to leave soon," Neville said.

…

Days passed by and the Delacours arrived. Fleur and Apolline started going over the plans for the wedding. They were going to set up a tent by the lake for the dinner. Mrs Weasley was going to cook some of the food and the wedding cake, but Harry was basically in charge of the rest of the baking while Apolline would handle most of the food.

Marceau walked around the house talking merrily with everyone. The invitations had been sent out ages ago. The guests would need those invitations when they apparated to end up in the right spot. They were decorating and fixing up a path from the house to the beach in case it would be needed.

One day in the middle of all the planing and decorating Narcissa Malfoy showed up to visit her son. When she heard about the wedding though she got started on the garden Harry had wanted and she had planed. Harry had been happy enough having her there she was a nice person. She got on well with Apolline. It was nice to see the two blonde's tending to the flowers.

* * *

 _18th of July, 1997. Friday_

Tonks walked down the hallway in her and Remus' house. She knocked on a door. It opened revealing a dark-haired man with gray eyes. "Promise me you will behave today," she demanded.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Why would I not behave?" he asked.

"Just promise me you will behave today. Swear it," Tonks said.

Sirius shrugged. "I Sirius Orian Black swear that I will behave during Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin's wedding," he said. "Happy now?" he asked.

"Yes thank you," Tonks said. She headed back over to the room she had her wedding dress in. It had been her mother's dress. She wasn't sure about wearing it, but she guessed that it was a good idea. "Nymphadora dear," Andromeda said as she entered the room. "Ready?" she asked.

Tonks nodded. "I am ready," she said.

Andromeda looked at her only child. She wasn't sure this was the best decision her daughter could make, but she was going to support her. She was going to give Nymphadora the support she didn't get when she chose Ted. If Remus was the man her daughter wanted, then she would support that. "Will you settle for a hair colour dear," she said.

Tonks nodded. "Sure," she said. Her hair turned to her original brown. For this day she would ware it that way. She smiled softly as her mother stated putting her hair up. She really hoped that Harry and Charlie would show up.

Once her hair was done, Tonks stood up so her mother could help her with the dress. They had resized it to fit her. It was just ridiculous. She felt like a doll. She guessed it was alright for this one day.

Outside Ted had walked up to two new guests. They hadn't invited many people and these two were not on the list. His daughter had, however, told him that there were two very important guests that weren't on the list. She had invited them herself. "Welcome," he said."

"Thank you," Harry said.

"Young Harry," Ted said. "You have aged quite a lot since last I saw you."

"I know. There is a story to that," Harry said. "Not today though. We're here for Kami."

Ted nodded. He shook Charlie's hand as well. "I'll show you to your seats. It will start soon," he said.

Harry and Charlie sat down together. Remus walked out with Sirius. The kind brunet looked nervous. He looked smart in his suit. Pale-green eyes darted around. His best friend was standing next to him.

Sirius was looking around too. He saw a Weasley boy with a raven-haired youth. He wondered who that was briefly before the music started up. Tonks walked down the aisle slowly. She had flowers in her hands. He smirked. Dora would be good for Remus. He smiled as he fished the rings out of a pocket. The lovely two took their vows. He loved it even if it did remind him of James and Lily's wedding. He could only hope that things would work out.

…

"Thank you for coming," Tonks said as she hugged Harry and then Charlie.

Harry smiled joyfully. Remus came walking up to them. He said hello to Charlie and then he turned to the raven. His eyes widened as he realised who it was. "Harry?" he said.

"We'll talk about this later, O.K." Harry said. "I'll explain I promise."

Remus nodded slowly. "I'll hold you to that," he said.

"Kami knows where to find me," Harry said.

Remus nodded. He invited his wife to dance with him. In the background he could see Harry dancing with Charlie. They were laughing happily. So Charlie Weasley was Harry's boyfriend. He hoped Sirius didn't notice the raven. He was glad he was there though. It was something he had regretted – not being able to invite Harry. But now he was there.

"Don't worry I made Sirius promise to behave," Tonks said.

Remus chuckled. "That's nice," he said. This was just about them. Him and Dora. He didn't mind the small ceremony at all, and he knew Dora preferred it. He twirled her around. Their friends were sending them out of the country for their honeymoon whether they liked it or not. It felt a bit foolish with the current situation, but Dora wanted to go so he was going. He guessed that it would be nice with some calm away from everything.


	87. I do

**I do**

 _24th of July, 1997. Thursday_

Singing voices rang from the kitchen. Harry was baking with Gabrielle. They were having loads of fun. The little blond was all messy with cocoa powder everywhere. Harry started signing again.

"I don't know if you can hear me

Or if you're even there

I don't know if you would listen

To a humble prayer

They tell me I'm just an outcast

I shouldn't speak to you

Still I see your face and wonder

Were you once an outcast too?" he looked down at Gabrielle with a smile before he continued. He pushed a baking sheet into the oven. "There we go," he said. He turned to Gabrielle. "Well don't you look a right mess," he said. "We should get you cleaned up before you make a mess out of the whole house." he walked over to the sink and grabbed a cloth which he wetted before he wiped the little blonde's face off. He dusted her clothes off before he sent her out of the kitchen.

"Master will let Winky clean," Winky said as she appeared.

"Of course Winky," Harry said. He searched for Charlie. The oranget was outside. He headed out there slowly. It was a warm day, but the sun was hidden behind thick clouds. It would rain before the end of the week. Everyone hoped that the weather would clear up for the wedding next week, though.

Harry smiled softly as he found Charlie. He was helping Apolline with the decorations. It was a week to go, but everyone wanted to be well prepared. Green eyes moved out over the water noticing several mers out there. He wandered out on the water. "Hi," he said in Mermish.

"You are celebrating?" one of the women asked.

"Bill and Fleur are getting married next week," Harry said.

"The joining of two souls is something special indeed," she said.

Harry smiled and nodded. "It is," he said.

"The two joining are ones that will live on these grounds? The pretty Veela and her tiercel."

"Yes they are the ones," Harry said.

The woman nodded slowly.

"'Arry!"

The raven turned towards the shore. "I would seem like I am needed back on shore. Have a nice day ladies," he said before he headed back towards the people on the shore. "Can you 'ead to Diagon Alley and pick up ze dresses?" Apolline asked. "Fleur's and the bridesmaids' dresses are finished, but I don't 'ave ze time to pick zem up."

Harry nodded. "Sure I'll get them," he said. "Do I take them to one of the empty rooms? I was thinking one of the rooms on the second floor."

"Zat sounds good. It gives us a place to dress zem up before'and," Apolline said.

"Good," Harry said. He walked over to Charlie and kissed him. "I'll be back soon," he said softly.

"Do I get you then?" Charlie asked.

Harry chuckled. "That depends on what you have in mind," he said. He kissed the oranget again before disappearing off. He landed in an alley outside Gladrags Wizardwear. He had been with Fleur when she had come in to make a small change to the order. It had turned out that they couldn't do what had first been ordered. He had gone with her to make sure that everything turned out alright.

"Ah, you are here for the dresses?" the clerk said as he walked up to her.

"Yes, I am. They are done right," Harry said.

"Yes they are. I have them in the back if you would come with me," the clerk said before she led him to the back. He smiled as he saw the dress. It was a beautiful work in white. It wasn't quite complete. He had something for it he had yet to show Fleur. The bridesmaid dresses were dark blue. They had to get something that would work with both Gabrielle and Ginny. The dresses were cute. Just like the bridesmaids, Harry would be dressed to match Fleur his white suit would be accented with dark blue. Charlie's would match Bill's they would wear green rather than blue. She had asked him to be her best man. Sure she had girl friends that would happily have been her bridesmaids, but she felt closer to him – at least that is what she had said.

"So, you need to be careful with these," the clerk said.

"Of course I will," Harry said. She placed the dresses in protective cloth before she handed them to him. He kept the dresses hanging. They didn't want creases in the beautiful attire. He had placed the suits in another empty room upstairs. His, Charlie's, and Bill's suits were all in there together with a fourth one that had been prepared for one of Bill's friends. He would arrive that weekend from Egypt.

Harry gutboed back to the house and placed the dresses in the empty bedroom. He made sure they would remain hanging until they were to be worn. He walked over to his room and fetched a box. He and Charlie had made a little something for Fleur that she should be wearing with the dress.

He left the house after that and found Charlie. "How is it going?" he asked.

"We have most things done now," Charlie said. "There are several things we can't possibly do until right before the wedding, but everything is set up."

"And what a wedding it will be," Harry said. "There is so much work going into this."

Charlie nodded slowly. He could do without one to be honest, but he could also understand why Bill and Fleur wanted the wedding. It meant a lot.

* * *

 _26th of July, 1997. Saturday_

Harry chuckled as he saved another owl from its burden. The gifts had been arriving for a good week by then. He had been placing them all in an unused bedroom. He had no clue just what people had been giving Bill and Fleur. His gift was small and simple. He removed a letter from an owl. It was from Viktor. He opened it up. It wasn't addressed to him, but at this point Bill didn't want anything to do with the mail and Fleur had opened a letter filled with some kind of puss earlier in the week so she wanted nothing to do with them either.

He smirked as he read it. Viktor was bringing Hermione as his plus one. "Apolline," he called.

"Oui 'Arry?" the oldest blonde walked over to him.

"Viktor's plus one is Hermione Granger," Harry said as he showed her the letter.

"Bien, I can plan zat in," Apolline said.

Bill walked in the door. "Where do you have the ladies clothes?" he asked Harry. "This is Aunt Muriel's tiara."

Harry reached out for it. "You don't get to see," he said.

Bill chuckled. "Take good care of it," he said.

"Will do," Harry said. He carried the box upstairs and placed it down next to his own box. He closed the door and sealed it. He didn't want people running in and out of that room.

"There you are."

Harry felt strong arms wrap around him before he was pulled back to Charlie's chest. "You have a will reading to go to," the oranget said.

"Yes, right I almost forgot about that," Harry said. "I will need the glamour for that though. I need to make some changes to it before we can go." Charlie let go of him and he headed over to their bedroom. He was tired of hiding behind that stupid glamour, but there were still times when he had to use it. ' _Just a bit longer,'_ he thought. He looked older. He was stretching it just a little. He was hoping that he could drop it altogether after he had taken his NEWTs. He walked up to Charlie as he left the room. "O.K.?" he asked.

""It's alright," Charlie said.

"I haven't turned seventeen yet so you're going to have to take me there," Harry said.

"Do I have to act like we aren't together too?" Charlie asked.

"That is completely up to you," Harry said.

Charlie smiled as he apparated them to Gringotts. Harry wasn't the only person in the hall of the reading. There was a Ministry official there as well as Hermione and for some strange reason Ronald as well as an older man who looked a lot like Albus. The goblins read the will out and items were handed to the three supposed teens.

"The sword Mister Potetr is goblin property and we would like it returned," the goblin said.

Harry bowed his head. "I'll be happy to speak to you about it after this is over," he said. Why had Dumbledore given him Gryffindor's Sword? He had no use for it. The Ministry official really looked like he wanted to say something. Yet he didn't have a right to do so. He looked down at the Snitch. It was too heavy. 'I open at the end,' was engraved to it. ' _Silly man,'_ he thought. He guessed he would have to open it somehow.

Harry hugged Hermione as they were released. "I will see you at the wedding," he said with a smirk.

Hermione bushed. "Viktor asked me," she said. "I want to see a wizarding wedding and I wanted to meet him so I said yes."

Harry chuckled. "I will see you there," he said. "Now I have some goblins to talk to."

"You can't give them the sword," Hermione said. "It belongs at Hogwarts."

"I know," Harry said. He walked out of the room and met up with Charlie. The two of them headed over to Gogil's office where they would meet with the goblin.

"Now with what right do you lay claim to the Sword of Gryffindor?" Harry asked.

"It was goblin made created by Ragnuk the First, King of the Goblins in 992," the goblin said.

"And you are a descendant of the King?" Harry asked.

"The King's line died out in the fourteenth century," Gogil said.

Harry nodded. "Ah, so King Ragnuk created a sword that he later claimed Gryffindor stole from him and now the goblins claim it back even though there is no one left that has a right here to own it," he said. He was somewhat familiar with the swords history.

"Why you stupid human!" the goblin exclaimed.

"The sword isn't owned by anyone. It appears in the hands of a Gryffindor when it is needed. It can be drawn from the Sorting Hat. I was the last to wield it when I was twelve; I killed a basilisk with it," Harry said. "It isn't owned by anyone. No goblin can claim it no Clan has that right." He looked to Gogil for confirmation.

"That would be correct," Gogil said. He so enjoyed his clan brother's sense of justice sometimes. It kept certain goblins from getting a big head. "What do you propose?" he asked.

"That the sword is owned by Hogwarts until such a time when the school no longer exists or the House of Gryffindor is permanently removed. Then it will be taken from a protective case in the castle to rest in the Hall of Honours in Dragrimmas," Harry said.

"That is theft!" the goblin roared.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "There is no one to steal it from, sir. How can it be theft? The sword is an important part of Hogwarts' history. I'm not even sure that you could take it from the castle permanently. It is spelled to appear when needed," he said calmly.

The goblin rose and drew a sword.

Harry and Charlie were on their feet in seconds. The oranget was holding Harry's sword, and Harry was holding his bow, string pulled taunt and a rather horrid looking arrow pointing right at the goblin's heart.

Gogil's eyes had widened slightly as they had moved. His eyes caught on the white-gold band on Harry's finger. He raised an eyebrow. ' _Well, now isn't that interesting,'_ he thought. He leaned back. Maybe it was time for that. It wasn't common. Just like letting a human into a clan wasn't.

"I suggest you drop your weapon," Harry said coldly. "I am an excellent shot. And this is no distance."

The goblin swallowed. He had never seen a human move that fast before, and there were two of them. Gogil was obviously not going to help him. He lowered his blade before he walked out of the office. He needed to inform his clan head of current events.

"Have the two of you considered a Goblin wedding?" Gogil asked Harry and Charlie back in the office.

"No we haven't," Harry said. "It would raise Charlie's status with the Clan?"

"It would. It is the only type of wedding we would recognise," Gogil said. "A wizarding wedding wouldn't be seen as anything by a silly ceremony to us. It is valid enough for humans, but you are considered a goblin."  
"And it would be valid in the wizarding world?" Harry asked.

"It would. The joining would register with the Ministry," Gogil said. "We have wedded humans before. It isn't quite as uncommon as a human joining a clan, but because of the danger involved most humans won't do it. The bond is stronger than what the Ministry can provide. I also give the wedded some benefits with the goblins something that doesn't relate to you."

Harry nodded slowly. He turned to Charlie. "What do you say?" he asked.

"Can we do it now?" Charlie asked.

Gogil smirked. "It can be arranged immediately. You should dress for battle," he said. He stood up and walked out of the office.

Charlie looked at Harry. "He is serious?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Oh, yes," he said. "Time to use your armour." He opened his bag and started pulling armour pieces out. The two of them changed checking each other over so everything was attached the way it was supposed to.

"I don't have a sword of my own," Charlie said.

"One can be borrowed from the warriors," Gogil said as he re-entered the office. "Most would see it as an honour."

Charlie nodded. He breathed in deeply. This was insane. He guessed that was why they were going to do it. He followed Harry into the hallway and down to an elevator. It took them far down beneath the bank. The Great Hall of Clan Magun had been cleared from tables and chairs. A good deal of goblins were there, but it was far from the entire clan.

"These two have come before us to show that their souls are meant for one another," Hahkun's booming voice spread over the room. "They stand before us ready to prove themselves."

Harry moved back as a silver light appeared around him and Charlie. He reached out slowly. They would not be allowed past the light. He pulled his sword and cut through the barrier. But their attacks would move beyond.

"To prove that you are truly meant to be together you have to defeat the enemies you will be facing together. If you are meant for each other you will be able to do this without getting in each others' way."

Harry smiled. This was nothing like a human wedding.

"This is insane," Charlie whispered. Harry could hear the excitement in his voice though. "Take my sword I would rather you have a weapon I know you can use. If we are going to do this we are going to have to work together," he said.

"But that leaves you without a sword," Charlie said.

"Don't worry I can compensate for that," Harry said. He pulled his bow and conjured a bunch of arrows. He was standing with his back to Charlie.

"Harry James Potter member of Clan Magun do you willingly enter into the Ceremony of the Binding of Souls with Charles Septimus Weasley?" Hahkun asked.

"I do," Harry said.

"Charles Septimus Weasley do you willingly enter into the Cermony of the Binding of Souls with Harry James Potter?" Hahkun asked.

"I do," Charlie answered. He shifted the daedric sword in his hand. Now they just had to survive.

Harry raised his bow as a dark shape appeared. He fired an arrow at it. "Here it comes," he said calmly. He moved around and fired another arrow. Charlie cut a shade down as it appeared behind the raven.

They danced around each other slowly at first. Harry slammed his bow into a shade to push it back. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and rammed it through a shades head. He smirked as he moved out of Charlie's way while readying another arrow. They had never fought together, but Harry had taught his fiancé. They also knew each other very well. It helped a lot that Harry had showed so much of what he had done back on Nirn.

Harry fired another arrow swiftly. He ducked as Charlie swiped, destroying several shades as they appeared.

Gogil chuckled softly as he noticed the faces of several of his clan brothers and sisters. They were so surprised that the wizard hadn't used magic and neither had their clan brother. They were doing it like goblins with no magic. He knew that proper bond bands would be offered to them now. He doubted that they would fail. They had been through most of the dangerous assaults now. The two humans moved like one easily. Even when they did end up in each others' way one of them made sure that they didn't hurt one another.

Harry spun and landed on his knees while readying another arrow. He fired swiftly as Charlie rammed his sword into the chest of a giant shade. "Wait," Harry said as he took Charlie's arm. "Something isn't right about that." He moved back against the oranget. The shade moved up to them slowly. A pale hand reached out and touched his cheek. " _ **Kos unaz malsedovah - be happy little dragon. Lahney voth kogaan do Kaan - live with the blessing of Kyne. Fin ney hi… dii malsedovahhe - the both of you… my little dragons,"**_ a deep voice said. It sounded other-worldly.

" _ **Nox hi Kaan,"**_ Harry said with a bow. He wondered how many could say that they had spoken to a goddess. He smiled softly as the silver shield around them thinned and the smoke Kyne had hidden in disappeared.

"Never before has Kynareth showed herself here," Hahkun said with reverence. "The two of you are lucky indeed." He turned to the rest of the clan gathered in the hall. "Are they worthy of each other?" he asked.

No one said anything. It wasn't often you could silence goblins so completely, but the appearance of Kyne had shocked them. She was all around them in the very air. Few believed in her on Earth. It wouldn't make her go away, though. She was the air and the sky.

Glint headed out of the room. She knew what was next and she knew exactly what the pair should be handed.

Harry sheathed his sword before he fastened his bow to his back.

"It is custom from humans to choose one surname do you wish to do this?" Hahkun asked.

Charlie nodded. "I believe that there are enough Weasleys as it is," he said. "I would prefer taking Harry's name."

Harry looked over at him with a smile.

"Goblins do not use rings as humans do," Hahkun said. "A ring is not big enough to hold all that a bonding band of our people should. Glint is assembling yours as we speak. She will based on what we have seen now and what we know of you assemble two bands that match the two of you. These bands are a gift. Our gift to you."

Harry took Charlie's hand.

The door opened behind them and Glint walked inside. She headed straight up to them. An open box rested in her hands. Two silver bands lay inside both showing dragons with their tails intertwined. Their heads were raised calmly on either side of a white owl. "Take the bands," Glint instructed them. "You will know what to say."

Harry reached out for the first band. He turned to Charlie. " _ **Alun ruzun zu'u ofaal wah mindok hi zu'u lost lor do hi ol dii onliin - ever since I got to know you I have thought of you as my mate,"**_ he said. " _ **Nid lost vuldak dii lokaliin, dii ahmul - zu'u laan wah ofun dii laas voth hi - Nothing has changed my lover, my husband - I want to share my life with you."**_ He took Charlie's hand in his as he lowered the silver band it the band allowed itself to be lowered onto Charlie's wrist. He let go of the oranget's hand slowly.

It was Charlie's turn. He lifted the second band from the box. "This happened through a strange change of time and void," he said as he took Harry's hand. "I don't want to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't left this world only to return a changed man. _**Hi genun zey til los zos wah daar lein wey nunon dovahhe - you showed me there is more to this world than just dragons.**_ I feel like the luckiest man on Earth knowing that I get to share the rest of my life with you." He raised the band and lowered it down until it rested around Harry's wrist.

The raven took a step forward and then they were kissing. The two of them didn't notice the magic that had been building as they spoke. It swirled around them before it settled binding them together.

Harry broke away from Charlie laughing as the cheering started.

"I guess we got married the same way I proposed," the oranget said.

"No planning no clue it was going to happen when we woke up this morning," Harry said.

"We're going to adopt kids the same way aren't we?" Charlie asked.

"Probably," Harry said.

They watched as the tables were brought back in. They sat down in the place of honour before a feast was brought in. The goblins were quite amazing, and they really went all out. The food was lovely.

It was late by the time they made it home. They bypassed the rest of the house and landed in their bedroom when they travelled back.

Charlie reached out and started unbuckling the straps on Harry's armour while the raven repaid the favour. They were smiling softly as hands started roaming over exposed skin. Fingers tangled in raven locks. Lips met in a sensual kiss. They climbed onto the bed slowly. Their hardening erections rubbed together as Harry started kissing his way down Charlie's neck. The oranget's hands travelled down and grabbed onto his hips. He felt two spells hit him before fingers entered him slowly. He buckled back at the feeling. His lips travelled back to Charlie's, and they were kissing once more. He pulled back and his husband followed until they were sitting. Harry pulled their pillows together so Charlie could lean back without lying down.

Pale legs raised the raven up. He was slowly being filled as he sank back down again. Charlie's hands were holding his tightly. He rose up again and they were moving together in a very different dance from what they had done earlier.

" _ **Zu'u lokaal hi,"**_ Harry breathed once they had reached completion.

Charlie chuckled softly as he ran his hands up and down his husband's back. "We are far from done," he said.

"Is that a promise?" Harry asked with a smirk. He chuckled as Charlie moved them around so he was lying against the pillows. The raven looked up at his husband as the pillows beneath him were removed. The oranget moved down to kiss him.

Hours later they were just lying face to face. Their eyes were dropping. They were tired. Charlie had cleaned them up earlier. Tired smiles and tangled limbs. They would have to figure something out for a honeymoon. Though, it might have to wait.

…

 _27th of July, 1997. Sunday_

Harry woke up smiling. Charlie was kissing him awake. " _ **Pruzah feyl,"**_ he said sleepily. He wrapped his arms around the oranget. "Good morning," Charlie responded. They got out of bed slowly and made it over to the bathroom. They stumbled into the shower cabin and turned the water on. Harry reached out and grabbed his soap. "I need to get some for me," Charlie said as the raven started rubbing the soap over him.

"We'll go see Suzanne at some point," Harry said.

"Sounds good. She is the one that makes your soap?" Charlie said. He smirked as the raven went down on his knees. He reached out and ran his hands through Harry's hair.

"Don't get any ideas," Harry said. He stood up and kissed the oranget. He reached up and ran his fingers through tangelo-orange hair. He felt Charlie's hands run down his back rubbing vanilla smelling soap in.

Downstairs Bill was sitting with his fiancée. They were going over seating arrangements. They had heard from most guests by then. "'Arry and Charlie will be wiz us as well as Samuel," Fleur said. "And zen our parents before Ginny and Gabrielle."

Bill nodded slowly. "And then a table for my closest family because there are just way too many of them to seat them all at our table," he said. "We're going to need more than one table for my family though."

"Zere are two for your family," Fleur said. "Closest and more distant. Zen zere is a table for my family and zen two more tables one each for our friends. But we have to decide how to seat zem."

"We can help," Harry said as he and Charlie walked down the last few steps of the stairs. "I'm pretty sure I can handle either your friends or your family," he told Fleur. Charlie pulled out a chair for him and he sat down. He reached out for one of the lists and started going through it.

Charlie sat down before he too reached out for a list. This one showing his own relatives.

Bill's eyes caught on the bracelet he was wearing. The two dragons holding the snowy owl. He looked over at Harry seeing a similar band around his wrist. "Congratulations," he said. "Mom is going to kill you."

Charlie looked up at him. "Thank you," he said. "Don't worry about mom I'll handle her when I have to."

"Que?" Fleur said. "What is it Bill?" She looked from Harry to Charlie.

"The bracelets they are wearing are goblin bonding bands. They got married goblin style," Bill explained to her.

"Without telling us?" Fleur said. She looked Harry in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?" she asked.

"It was a spur of the moment thing," Harry said. "Gogil, my clan brother, offered for us to get bonded and we agreed. We were bonded before the clan. I don't even know if humans are allowed to witness a goblin bonding. I didn't ask. The two of you have so much to do with your own wedding and the party thet is enough for us. We don't want a party of our own."

"Show me," Fleur demanded. "You can show me what 'appened. 'Arry it isn't fair zat I do not get to see."

Bill smirked. He kissed Fleur temple. "I do wonder as well brother," he told the younger redhead.

"Oh, for heaven's sake you always knew we would elope," Charlie said.

"Yes but I was under the impression that you would invite me and Fleur," Bill said.

Harry groaned. "They are not going to stop until we do show them," he said. "Can we move? The kitchen table isn't the most comfortable place to do this at."

"Of course," Fleur said. She stood up and led them outside.

The garden really had grown. Narcissa was amazing with plants. She had been by a few more times to see her son. Draco wasn't doing any better. The blond was still pretty rude. He tried to act like he wasn't, but they could see straight through him.

The four of them sat down together in the lush green grass. Harry took Fleur and Bill's hand. He breathed in as he delved into his own memory. He didn't have to go far. The two of them were taken to the previous night.

"Zey are making you fight?" Fleur asked.

Harry nodded. "That is how goblins show that they are suited for each other," he said calmly. "We truly proved ourselves since we used no magic." He leaned against Charlie. It actually looked worse from the sidelines than it had felt while they were in there.

"We're good," Charlie whispered.

Harry nodded slowly.

Bill shook his head. His brother was crazy. He knew what it meant to go through the challenge. The goblins would respect his brother now. He chuckled as he heard Charlie leave their family name behind. He could understand why they did that. Harry was the last Potter.

Fleur was smiling as the men exchanged bracelets. It was simple but beautiful in its own right. The magic around them was mesmerizing to look at.

They left the memory as the feast started. "Zank you," Fleur said.

Harry shrugged. "It was different," he said. "I'm glad we got married that way. It's so us in a way."

Bill nodded. "I would have to agree with you there," he said. He was glad that he and Fleur didn't have to battle hoards of shades before they got married.

* * *

The week before the wedding flew by. Samuel arrived the day before the big day. He flirted wildly with Harry until Charlie had given him a flat look and asked him to lay it off. Harry's birthday had been a quiet event. He was turning twenty-two it wasn't much of anything. He had simply refused to make a big deal out of it.

 _1st of August, 1997. Friday_

Fleur was biting her nails. It was a nervous tic she had done her best to get rid off, but today was her wedding day and she was nervous. A knock sounded through the kitchen. Fleur stood up and walked over to the entrance hall. There was only one guest that had permission to arrive early. She came from further off than most of the others, and she had her dress at their house rather than her bringing one. The dragon reserve wasn't the place for a dress.

"Accueillez Rosalie," Fleur said as she welcomed the indigo-haired woman into the house. She hugged her cousin tightly. They would be eating lunch in a moment. Charlie, Harry and Samuel had dragged Bill off early that morning. They wouldn't be back until after Fleur had started preparing.

After lunch Bill's parents, sister and youngest brother arrived. Charlie had returned home before the other's to handle his family.

"Where is Bill?" Molly asked.

"He will be arriving shortly," Charlie said. "We're trying to keep the happy couple apart until the wedding."

Molly nodded. She could understand that very well. She was introduced to Fleur's parents and they spoke for a little while before Apolline headed upstairs with her daughters.

"Ginny should be going with them," Charlie said. "Her dress is up there as well." He turned to his sister. "Upstairs and the door furthest to the right."

"Sure," Ginny said before she headed up.

"This house. Who owns it?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, it's mine and Harry's," Charlie said as his husband came walking in to the dining room.

"The ladies are all gone?" the raven asked.

"The ones who should be," Charlie said before his older brother entered the room. "Come on Bill take a seat before you fall over," he said.

Samuel was smirking. He found his friend's nerves very entertaining.

"You live here with Harry?" Molly asked. "Since when dear?"

"Since last summer sort of. Though, I haven been travelling a lot for work," Charlie said. He took the raven's hand.

"So you have finally moved home?" Molly said. "But your hair is awfully long. You really need to cut it." She turned to Harry. "My you have grown so much, Harry."

Harry chuckled. "Well yes," he said. "Don't start on my hair. I like it the way it is." He smiled softly as he hugged her. "Did Ginny head up?" he asked.

Charlie nodded. "She did," he said.

"Where did you put the cake?" Harry asked Molly.

"On the table in the other room," Molly said. "It will keep perfectly fresh until we take it out of the container."

"That's great. We'll take it into the kitchen though," Harry said. He walked out and lifted the cake dome up. He was very careful as he carried into the kitchen.

"This is very nice," Molly said.

"Thank you," Harry said. "Winky is in charge of the kitchen most of the time, but I do cook as well. We both prepared the food for the wedding with Apolline doing quite a lot as well." He looked down at his watch. "We need to keep Bill busy with something," he said. "He's going to drive himself mad otherwise."

Molly smiled at him. "Of course dear," she said.

Harry walked back out of the kitchen. He chuckled as he heard what Samuel was up to. He figured that the blunet didn't need his help right then. He was handling Bill just fine. He headed upstairs and walked over to the bride's room. A soft knock sounded through the rooms. The door opened and Gabrielle looked out. She pulled him inside.

Harry chuckled. "I'll have to change soon as well," he said. "You look lovely." He kissed Gabrielle on the forehead before looking up at the other two. He walked up to Fleur. "You are just beautiful. Bill won't be able to take his eyes off you. Nor will anyone else for that matter. Deep breath O.K. I have to smart up before the guests start arriving," he said.

He left the room and walked into the groom's room. He had a shower in the adjourning bathroom. His body and hair dried as he walked out of the bathroom. He walked up to his suit. He smirked. His was different from the other best men. He was dressing as Charlie entered. "It's good that Samuel is here. He can't stop talking. I don't know if Bill is actually listening to him, but I guess it does something," he said. "When do the guests start arriving again?"

"Three o'clock," Harry said.

"O.K. that means I have an hour to prepare. I doubt I need that much time," Charlie said. He headed into the shower before he got dressed slowly. Harry walked up to him and straightened his tie. "Don't you look dashing?" he said. He kissed his husband.

"We should probably do something about our hair. It is supposed to be a wedding after all," Harry said as he started running a brush through his hair. He was going to tie it back in a low ponytail. He hummed softly as he walked over to the door. He was going to check over the reception. He wanted everything to be perfect. He headed outside and walked down to the beach. He could see the mers in the distance.

The tent was set up and everything was in order inside. The altar was finished; the flower arrangements were just as beautiful as the day before when they had been placed out. They had gotten a florist from France to set all of the flowers up. Purple, white, and radiant orange climbed up along the altar.

The aisle was lined and the chairs placed out perfectly. Charlie came down and joined him before they headed over to the apparition spot. Pleasant smiles appeared on their faces as people started appearing. Men and women in brightly coloured dress robes appeared. The two of them easily guided each person to their seat.

Harry walked up to a French couple and greeted them. He was learning French slowly. It was just a side thing. He didn't really need to know the language, but he had chosen to learn anyway. It turned out to be Rosalie's parents and her little brother. It didn't take long before a procession of girls all obviously Veela showed up.

"Bonjour mesdames, serait t'il possible pour vous de venir par ici," Harry said as he walked up to them. "I would suggest toning down your allure. You are beautiful ladies you don't need the allure for today."

"'E is right girls," an older woman said. "Please calm down. Zis is Fleur's day."

"Oui mère," the girls said. They wandered over to their seats followed by their mother.

Charlie guided his paternal uncles over to their seats. Rosalie, Ronald and Molly made it down to the beach. They were taken to their seats as well. Kami and Remus arrived and Harry hugged them before he pointed them to their seats. There were too many people arriving for him to have time to talk to them then.

Hagrid arrived some time later and Harry made sure he sat down on the seat especially made for him. Not long after that he was standing face to face with a loopy blond. He smiled at the man learning that he was Xenophilius Lovegood. So Luna was his daughter. She was quite the special little girl.

Harry just smiled calmly at the man and guided him over to his seat as he started talking about creatures unseen.

Then Muriel arrived and the whole party knew it. She had opinions about everything. "If she doesn't shut up I'll silence her, love," Harry told Charlie as his husband rejoined him.

"Be my guest," Charlie said. "I don't understand why she is complaining about my hair. You go far enough back it was perfectly normal for men to have longer hair."

"Oh, she'll complain about much more than that before today is over," Harry said. He smirked as the twins arrived. "You're seated on the first row to the right - as far away from Muriel as we could manage," he said.

"Thanks mate," George said.

Angelina hugged him before she moved on with the other two.

Fleur's two best friends arrived. Renée and Adeline looked lovely. Harry quickly switched his colours in front of them so they would know it was him before he hugged them. Once they were seated he looked out over the seats. They were missing the father of both the bride and the groom as well as the mother of the bride. There was someone else missing though. He turned around at the popping sound of apparition. "Ah, Viktor and Hermione welcome," he said.

Hermione blushed. "Hello Harry," she said.

At the same time Charlie greeted Cedric who had a lovely brunette on his arm. It would seem like he'd broken up with Cho. Harry led Hermione and Viktor over to the nice white chairs that the party was seated on. He pointed them to their seats before he started heading back to the house. He walked up to the bride's room. "We're missing somezing," Apolline said.

Fleur looked into the mirror.

"Somezing old, somezing new, somezing borrowed, somezing blue," Gabrielle said. "You are supposed to 'ave all of zem. You don't."

Ginny rolled her eyes. She guessed they were alright. Fleur wasn't really the type of girl she wanted for a sister-in-law. "She's got the tiara so that's something old and something borrowed right?" she said. "So she needs something blue doesn't she?"

"I have what she needs," Harry said as he walked into the room. He walked up to the dresser and opened the box. He lifted a belt made out of dragon scales with strings of beads running down the leanght of it. He placed the belt around Fleur's waist. "There you go _**lokzii**_ ," he said.

"Zank you 'Arry," Fleur said.

"I'm going to help the other guys keep Bill in line," Harry said. "I'll see you at the altar, but I doubt you will see me." He walked out of the room and over to the groom's room. Charlie and Samuel were in there with Bill and his father. "I think we'll take it from here Mr Weasley," he said. "You should go down to join your wife."

Arthur nodded. "Of course," he said. He patted Bill on the shoulder before he left the room.

Harry smirked at Bill. "Come on now _**Sahqoam**_ ," he said. "We can't keep the bride waiting for too long." He headed the little procession down to the altar. Once they reached it Harry walked over to stand on the bride's side of the altar. He could hear Muriel muttering in the audience. He didn't care. Fleur wanted him there. He could hear the music starting up. He smiled softly. He knew Ginny and Gabrielle were supposed to come walking down the aisle in just a moment. He breathed in slowly. The two girls looked beautiful. Their dark-blue dresses looked lovely on them. Harry was glad that gold had been scraped early on. Gabrielle would have looked silly in gold even if Ginny would have been rather pretty. He wouldn't have liked the gold either. He was matching the girls after all.

They spread white petals in front of Fleur. The bride was gorgeous. Her allure was playing around she was so happy. Thankfully it wasn't affecting anyone. A silver glow spread from her. Next to her Marceau walked. He looked really happy; there was a skip to his steps. He left Fleur as she reached the marquee. She stepped up and gave Harry her bouquet of flowers before she turned to her soon to be husband. Bill's face lit up.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the small wizard proceeding over the ceremony said in a sing-song voice. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls."

Harry's eyes narrowed just a little as he heard murmuring going on down in the audience. " _ **Nahlon,"**_ he whispered softly as he focused on the people gathered. It was just a soft tickle of magic. He wanted to encourage people to be quiet. His attention turned back to the happy couple.

"Do you, William Arthur, take, Fleur Isabelle, to be your lawfully wedded wife in the eyes of magic? Do you promise to celebrate the good times and aid her through the bad?" the wizard said.

"I do," Bill said.

The man turned to Fleur. "Do you, Fleur Isabelle, take, William Arthur, to be your lawfully wedded husband in the eyes of magic? Do you promise to celebrate the good times and aid her through the bad?" he asked her.

"I do," Fleur answered.

Harry looked out over the people gathered as Bill and Fleur gave their vows. He could see many tear-filled eyes and several handkerchiefs. He smiled softly. He didn't understand why they were crying. It was a happy moment after all. He guessed they were so happy they were crying. He turned back.

"… then I declare you bonded for life," the small wizard said as he raised his wand over the heads of Bill and Fleur. A shower of silver stars fell upon the couple. The stars spiralled around them as they kissed.

Harry and Charlie walked forward. "If you would all rise," the raven said. Charlie made the chairs move as tents disappeared. Tables moved out a bit and the ground where the chairs had stood became a dance floor. Harry smiled as Charlie offered him his hand. He laughed as he moved into his husbands arms. They waited for a moment giving the newlywed the floor before they moved out. Mr Weasley offered his hand to Apolline as Marceau led Mrs Weasley up on the dance floor. In the distance they could hear the mers sing. Harry closed his eyes happily. Charlie guided him over the dance floor.

Harry walked over the floor over to a table after a while. Charlie was stopped by one of his uncles and said he'd catch up. The raven stopped as a hand grabbed onto his shoulder. "Harry." He turned around. "Hi Viktor," he said.

"Who is that man in the yellow?" Viktor asked concerned.

"Oh, that is Xenophilius Lovegood," Harry said. "Is something the matter?"

"Do you know him?" Viktor asked.

"Not very well. His daughter attends Hogwarts. His wife was something of an inspiration for Bill I think," Harry said. He wondered what was bothering the Seeker. "Why?"

"Because if he vos not a guest of Fleur's, I vould duel him, here and now, for veering that filthy sign upon his chest," Viktor said.

"The sign of the Deathly Hallows?" Harry asked. "It is a family sign."

"Vot do you mean?" Viktor asked.

"The triangle, the circle and the line represent three items made by the brothers Peverell. I descend from the youngest brother," Harry said. "You have seen the symbol before."

"Grindelvald carved it into a vall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there. Some idiots copied it on to their books and clothes, thinking to shock, make themselves impressive – until those of us who had lost family members to Grindelvald taught them better," Viktor said.

Harry nodded slowly. "The sign is older than that," he said. "I really mean that it represents three items made by ancestors of mine. An invisibility cloak, a resurrection stone and the elder wand. They were made by the brothers Peverell. The three brothers were necromancers. The symbol was created after their time by people who wanted to reunite the items. Some think it will make them Masters of Death. I find it quite ridiculous," he said. "Grindelvald did not come up with the symbol though. He might have been after the items, but he did not create the symbol."

Viktor had raised an eyebrow as he listened to Harry. He had never done any research into the symbol so he had never heard anything about it before. Could it really be older than Grindelvald? He smiled as Hermione walked up to them. "Vere did you disappear to?" he asked with a smile.

"I heard the mers and walked down to the water," Hermione said. She looked at Harry. "How did mers end up here?" she asked.

"Oh, I think they have been living in the lakes around here for a long time," Harry said. "The mers here live within the protection of the wards because I offered them."

"You offered them?" Hermione asked. "And what happened to you? You didn't look like this last week."

"This is Ennerdale Estate my home," Harry said. "And my looks that is a different story. I'll tell it to you, but not now. This is a wedding I don't want to make it about me. Most people don't seem to notice much. But then again most people haven't spent over six years with me." He smiled at her. "There is an explanation." He smiled at Charlie as the oranget joined them.

"Have a drink," Charlie said as he handed him a glass.

Harry sniffed it. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" he asked with a smirk. He sipped the drink.

"You just got of age," Hermione said. "Are you really going to drink that?"

"I have a pretty high alcohol tolerance," Harry said. "And I never drink much. I don't like not being in control." He chuckled as Charlie moved up behind him. A strong arm looped around his waist.

"You talk like you have experience," Hermione said.

"We'll talk later," Harry said. "I'll find you before you go back to Hogwarts."

"You aren't returning?" Hermione asked.

"No, and you'll understand that better after I have explained things as well," Harry said. He leaned back and kissed Charlie. "I want to see if I can steal the bride for a dance," he said. He wandered up to Bill and Fleur. They were sitting by a table resting for a moment. "Have you worn him out?" he asked Fleur.

"'E complains about 'is feet," Fleur said.

"He should have gotten better shoes then," Harry said as he held his hand out to her.

Fleur laughed. She took his hand. "It's a good zing my best man will dance wiz me zen," she said. Bill came and took his wife back a while later. As it got later in the day people settled down along the tables more. By half past five everyone was invited into a tent where dinner was served. The food was lovely and the cake amazing. Mrs Weasley really had outdone herself. The phoenixes that lifted from it as the cake was cut were beautiful.

Harry walked up to the couple as they stood before everyone and handed them his gift. He was basically the only one who would present his gift in front of people. Fleur opened the small box up. Her eyes widened and she lifted a key out. "'Arry?" she said.

"Your house is finished and ready for you to move into when you come back from the honeymoon," Harry said. He found himself with an armful of happy Veela. He could tell that her allure was going completely out of control. He felt Charlie moving up behind him and Bill moved closer as well. They had both noticed that the allure was affecting people now. " _ **Stiildus,"**_ Harry breathed. Hopefully it would help everyone around.

"Thank you Harry," Bill said. "I guess this is why you didn't mention it again. You just went and had it built behind our backs."

"I did yeah," Harry said. "It's beautiful. I created your own arrival area it is a bit smaller than ours, but you know how paranoid I am about safety. The same rules apply to your place as exist in mine. If you want to allow people to wander more than I do then we are going to have to create a field of containment later."

"No it's fine," Bill said. "We've gotten used to your rules."

Harry smiled down at Fleur and moved her away from him. "You should be clinging to Bill not me," he said with a smile.

The newlyweds would be leaving via a port-key soon. Then Harry and Charlie would make sure that everyone that wasn't supposed to be on the estate left. They even scanned the wards to make sure there were no stragglers. All in all it had been a good day and the wedding had gone perfectly.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading this story. Your comments and likes mean loads to me. I know the upload is slow right now... I blame work. Correcting this story takes time and energy I don't feel I have half the time. The story is complete unless you didn't know that already. All I have to do is go over it to correct it so I'll try to do that as soon as I can.

I hope you'll all continue to enjoy the story. There isn't much left to go now.


	88. Reunited and Going Home

**Reunited and Going Home**

 _6th of August, 1997. Wednesday_

Water crashed against the rock wall. The salty spray washed over two figures standing on a lonely rock. The sky above was grey. The figures moved from the rock slowly. They were walking on the water surface. If someone was to walk out and look down from the top of the cliff they would see nothing. The two figures would not be seen, and soon enough they had disappeared into a fissure. A light spread from one of them.

"What are you doing?"

"The seal needs blood in order for the door to open."

"So you have to cut yourself…" there was a disdained pause, "as long as I don't need to like it."

Blood spread over cold stone. A silver-white light appeared and the stone of the door vanished. A sword was draw and handed over. "Don't get bitten and please don't get dragged under water."

"I won't, don't worry."

"I'm either going to have to evaporate the water or freeze the lake."

"Which one is the easiest on you?"

"Both are just as bad." There was a pause. "But freezing it would probably be easier on us in the long run because then we don't have to kill them all."

"I guess we'll go with that then."

One of the shapes moved out towards the cursed lake. He walked out on the surface. " _ **Diin dil iiz krah,"**_ he whispered slowly as he gathered his magic. He released it as he said the final word. He closed his eyes. He was going to ware himself down. He needed to do this though.

Blue eyes moved over the darkness. The man could see the surface of the lake freezing. He wondered how long it would take before he could walk out on the ice. He knew Harry was powerful. He also knew there were limitations. Then again, he figured it was more difficult to freeze a dragon than it would be to freeze the lake. The lake was mostly water after all. An arm broke through the ice at the other end of the lake. It froze before anything else could happen.

Harry repeated his shout. He could probably do it once more before he was too tired to continue. He wasn't going to be able to freeze the entire lake in one go. He would need to return at a later date. He was glad that it was just him and Charlie in the house – well if you didn't count Frank and Alice who never moved from their room. The Delacours had left two days after the wedding. Thinking of it Draco was probably lurking around somewhere. He generally didn't move from his room though. The blond had calmed down his insults some. He was mostly brooding these days. Harry didn't care. The teen would have to grow up some day. Charlie was getting tired of him though. He figured the oranget would act soon enough. He would probably just let it happen. His husband was fair enough after all.

Charlie watched Harry as the raven shouted once more. He was pretty sure the ice was thick enough for him to walk on by now. He wandered over to his husband. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm tired but not too much so. I should be fine with some food as long as I don't do anything else," Harry said. "I want to go to Headquarters and talk to Kreacher if we can do that."

"If you let me take you to lunch first," Charlie said.

"Sure," Harry said with a laugh. He took Charlie's hand and let the oranget help him up on his feet. "We need to leave the cave before we can apparate away. There is a field around keeping people both in and out." He led the way out spreading blood over the stone once more.

Charlie apparated them once they had left the field stopping them. He brought them to a small restaurant. "Just let me handle things balaur meu," he said as he pulled a chair out for the raven.

Harry sat down. He watched Charlie as the oranget ordered their food. He was exhausted. Some food would do him good. He smiled as a warm hand landed on his. They were just two guys in the middle of nowhere. Well, he just didn't know where they were. He guessed that didn't mean that they were in the middle of nowhere.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Charlie asked. "You look really tired."

"I will be fine," Harry said. "We aren't going to do anything else that's strenuous. I just want to talk to Kreacher. I want to let him know what happened to Regulus."

Their food arrived and they focused on their meals for a while. It was good. Harry didn't really pay that much attention to what he ate, but it was still nice. He was glad that Charlie wasn't necessarily the talkative type. He reached out and he could feel as the oranget took his hands. He smiled softly. He liked contact. It made him feel safer.

They headed over to a hidden spot and apparated. After Dumbledore's death every person that knew about Headquarters became keepers of the secret keeping the house hidden. It meant that he could show it to Charlie no problem. They walked inside and headed to the drawing room.

"Kreacher," Harry called.

The old elf appeared. "Master Harry," he said. "Kreacher is happy Master Harry is back."

Harry nodded slowly. He pulled the locket Regulus had made out of his bag. "Master Regulus made this Kreacher. Master Regulus spirit can rest in peace now. I found the place where he was killed," he said calmly. He gave the locket to Kreacher. "I'm sure he would have wanted you to have this."

The old house-elf was crying. He sniffed.

Harry breathed in slowly. He was tired. He reached out and placed a hand on Kreacher's shoulder. He started singing a funeral hymn softly.

Charlie looked up as a person entered the room. His hand was halfway to his wand when he realised that it was Remus. He looked back to Harry so he could make the raven aware of the newly arrived person.

Harry looked up at Remus. "Good day Remus," he said softly.

"Harry, cub, Remus said. "You owe me an explanation."

"I do yes," Harry said. "I would like to speak to Sirius as well while I'm at it. He needs to hear this too."

"I guess that would be good. He has been muttering and raging ever since the wedding," Remus said.

"Sounds like fun," Harry said sarcastically. He stood up slowly. Charlie rose with him to make sure he didn't collapse. "As long as he doesn't attack me."

"He could try," Charlie growled.

"I know love," Harry said. He smiled down at Kreacher. "I'm going to ask Sirius if you can come work for me."

Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher would like that," he said.

"I'll see you soon," Harry said as he walked up to Remus. "I guess we're leaving here."

"Yes, I just came here to pick some things up," Remus said. "You know where the house is. The wards will let you through; they aren't the best."

"I'll come by and fix the security up for you some day," Harry said. He leaned back against Charlie as the oranget apparated them. Tonks was sitting outside when they arrived. She stood up and ran up to them. "Hey Kami," Harry said calmly. He looked her over and his eyes widened slowly. "Congratulations," he said with a bright smile. "You're not running around on Auror missions are you?"

"Oh, my not you too," Tonks said. "I can take care of myself."

"Please let me give you something that will add a bit of protection for the baby at least," Harry said.

"Oh, Leo," Tonks said. "I just said I can handle myself."

"Yes but this is in case something you can't do anything about happens," Harry said.

"If you continue like this we're going to have to make you the godfather," Tonks said. "You are worrying about the baby seconds after figuring out about him."

"I want to hear what he has to say before I'm even willing to consider making him godfather," Remus said.

"I know and I want him to be the godfather," Tonks said. Her eyes turned bright green to match Harry's.

Remus sighed. "Let's go inside. I'll go find Sirius," he said. He showed them to the kitchen before he disappeared off to find his friend. "Harry is here," he said as he found the dark haired man.

Sirius looked up at Remus. So Harry had finally showed up. Finally remembered that he had a godfather, had he? He stood up. He wanted to know what was going on. He glared at Charlie as he entered the kitchen. The Weasley probably knew what was going on. Maybe it was his fault even.

"I'll be frank," Harry said. "What I have to tell you now I did not share with you earlier because I believed that you two might go to Dumbledore with the information."

"Why would we do that?" Sirius asked sounding insulted.

"Before my fourth year you told Dumbledore about the dream I told you about," Harry said. "He knew about it. The information had to come from you. You were the only one I told." He leaned back. "I didn't trust you not to tell him. I saw no reason for him to know. Remus was too grateful and you too dependant. I care about the two of you a lot, but at the time I didn't trust you with this."

"But you will tell us now that he is gone?" Remus said.

"I was always going to tell you," Harry said. "It wasn't locked to his death. I wasn't sure when though. Right now if feel like I might as well tell you. I'm letting other people know. Most will not hear the whole tale. I will tell that to you."

Remus sat down by the table. "This will explain how you look older?" he asked.

"Yes," Harry said. He closed his eyes and ordered his thoughts. He started talking his tail ranging from Hogwarts to Skyrim and back again. He left the two friends staring at him. He brought them on a trip to Nirn in his mind. Charlie was hugging him as he opened his eyes again. He flashed his husband a smile.

"You went to another world," Sirius said. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"I told you before we started," Harry said. "I didn't trust you not to tell Dumbledore. Besides I came back nineteen years old. I was an adult when I got back. You guys mean a lot to me, but I don't need parents. I had Katla and Ra'shall."

"We should get you home Harry," Charlie said.

"Harry will be staying here," Sirius said angrily.

The raven rolled his eyes. "I'll be going home," he said. "Kami knows how to get there."

"You care more about this Weasel than you do about us," Sirius roared.

"Yes, Sirius I do," Harry said. "He's my husband." He was too tried to get upset. Showing things from memory wasn't easy, and when he was already exhausted it took a lot from him.

"Husband!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yes, we got married on the twenty-sixth of July," Harry said. "And don't get started on my age. I'm twenty-two and Charlie is twenty-four." He knew where Sirius was going. He didn't feel like listening. He turned to Remus.

"I need some time to think, cub," Remus said. "I don't fully understand why you didn't want Dumbledore to know, but I can sort of understand why you didn't tell me."

Harry nodded. "Thank you," he said. He smiled at Charlie as his husband helped him out of the house before apparating them away.

"Well that could have gone better," Charlie said.

"Yeah, it could have," Harry said with a sigh. "I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't care what they thought. This is my life. I'll live it like I want to." He smiled tiredly.

Charlie picked up a book and ran his fingers through Harry's hair slowly. The raven fell asleep eventually while the oranget kept on reading.

…

Remus looked over at his wife. She has said she knew already. He walked up to her and sat down. He needed someone to talk to. So much of what he'd heard bothered him. She didn't seem to be that bothered though. He was glad he had her. He wasn't as hurt as Sirius was. He wasn't Harry's godfather. But then again when had Sirius really been there for Harry? He could see why the young man hadn't told them. It didn't stop him from being hurt. It did, however, give him a bit of perspective.

"He can be godfather, right?" Tonks asked.

Remus nodded slowly. "Yes," he said. No matter what he trusted Harry. Even after all the new things he had learned. Sirius complained, but he was just glad that Harry had told them. To him it mattered more that the young man had always wanted to tell them then who he had told before them. "Should I take the teaching post?" he asked Tonks. "Minerva really could use my help."

Tonks smiled. "You want to do it right?" she asked.

"Yes, I do, but I can't just decide based on what I want," Remus said.

"I think you should do it," Tonks said.

Remus smiled at her before he leaned over and kissed her. He'd take the Transfiguration post and the Head of the Gryffindor House post. Minerva was Headmaster now. She could use any help they could offer her.

* * *

 _14th of August, 1997. Thursday_

About a week later Harry and Charlie were contacted by the goblins. They were asking the two of them to travel down to Dragon's Breath Cave. The crew down there head found several paths blocked off to them, and they needed to get Harry to open them up.

"Should we go?" Harry asked. "If something happens here while we are gone, there will be no way for us to know."

"So, the world has to function without us," Charlie said. "We can't deal with everything."

Harry snorted. "I was more worried about our friends but alright. I want to see Malqo again either way." He looked down at the message again. "We can leave whenever we'd like. The port-key is in here," he said.

"Then let's just pack and go," Charlie said. He stood up and placed his book down. He wanted something to do, and he'd love seeing the Crystalbacks again. Harry followed him into their bedroom. They packed quickly and let Winky know they would be gone for a while before they activated the port-key.

Harry looked down at the cave opening. There were ladders attached to the edge now. He waited for Charlie to join him. They climbed down together. Light feet ran out over the floating bridges. " _ **Malqo, dii malgein bo wah monah - my little one come to mother,"**_ Harry called.

"You shouldn't go out that way," a man told Charlie. The oranget smirked as he followed Harry. He figured they were afraid of the dragons. He didn't actually consider whether his husband had made him capable of walking on water or not before he stepped out. He was lucky Harry had. As he caught up to the raven a hyper blue-scaled dragon was curled around him. " _ **Ahnok Malqo,"**_ the oranget said.

The dragon turned his head towards the voice. " _ **Bormah, can speak now?"**_ Malqo asked.

" _ **Osos ahst jok - some at least,"**_ Charlie said. " _ **Harry is still, mindovaat, teaching me."**_ He reached out and scratched the little dragon behind the ears. He looked to Harry. "What does _**Bormah**_ mean?" he asked.

"Father," Harry said.

Charlie chuckled. He walked up closer to Harry and wrapped his arms around him. "Well I guess that is appropriate," he said. He looked up as other dragons joined them. There were several small individuals.

" _ **Drem yol lok pah - greetings everyone,"**_ Harry said. He looked down at Malqo. " _ **Who are your friends?"**_ he asked.

" _ **Nust los dii tah - they are my pack,"**_ Malqo said.

" _ **You lead them?"**_ Harry asked.

" _ **Nid monah hi dreh - no mother you do,"**_ Malqo said. " _ **Zu'u los nunon dahkriis - I am only the beta. Mother and father lead."**_

" _ **How did you manage that Malqo?"**_ Harry asked. " _ **I thought Sologaal led the pack around here."**_ He rubbed the little dragons head slowly.

" _ **He does monah,"**_ Malqo said. " _ **I lead the younglings who want to leave. We don't want to live in the dark."**_

Harry smiled. " _ **I guess you could come with us and live by the forest and lake by our house,"**_ he said.

" _ **I hoped you would say that monah,"**_ Malqo said. " _ **Is it beautiful? Lake and forest sounds nice."**_ Malqo left his monah to fly up to his friends.

" _ **I find it beautiful, but beauty isn't always the same to everyone**_ ," Harry said. He smiled. Malqo had grown up a lot. He was really proud of his little dragon. " _ **I need to make sure you can come with us,"**_ he said. " _ **We'll have to talk to some people, and I have a few things to do."**_

Malqo flew back up to his monah. He shrank down and wrapped around his neck. He liked it there. " _ **I'll just stay with you monah,"**_ he said. Another dragon curled up around Charlie's neck. The oranget chuckled. "Looks like I have a dragon friend now too," he said.

They started walking back toward the floating bridge. Harry could only keep them up for so long not that it was really straining him, but he wanted to save his energy. They wandered down the bridge until they reached camp. Charlie's eyes narrowed as he saw a cage. "Harry, love," he said as he pointed.

The raven walked straight up to the cage and kneeled down. He reached out and placed a hand on the cage. " _ **Kren oraan,"**_ he whispered. It broke apart. He was not going to keep something that would most likely be used to capture the Crystalbacks. He would have to make sure that they would be safe. He rose back to his feet. He needed to find the person in charge.

"You made it?"

Charlie turned towards the guy that had spoken to them. "Yeah, we made it. Why wouldn't we?" he said.

"There are dragons out there. They kill people. If you leave the light they come for you," the man said.

"Bullshit," Charlie said. "These dragons are some of the friendliest on Earth. I should know I spent months with them. And I'm a Dragon Handler. I know quite a lot of dragons."

" _ **Fos bo nau - what is going on,"**_ Malqo asked.

" _ **The, mun, human is afraid of the dovah. He says that dovah are killing munne,"**_ Harry said.

" _ **We haven't killed anyone. Monah asked us not to so we haven't hurt anyone**_ ," Malqo said.

" _ **Zu'u korah hi - I believe you,"**_ Harry said. He walked up next to Charlie. "Why do you think it is the dragons attacking people?" he asked the man. "They aren't aggressive unless you attack them."

"They are dragons. Dragons are by definition beasts."

Harry turned to the newly arrived man. "They are intelligent beings," he said. "They have their own language and laws – especially the packs around here. And a beast doesn't need to be dangerous or unintelligent. Both mers and centaurs are classed as beasts, but aren't necessarily dangerous and definitely not unintelligent. When it comes to dragons the different species are very different. The Crystalbacks is one of the species that won't attack unless provoked. Just because you cannot speak to them it doesn't mean that they are unintelligent."

"They are animals nothing else. We don't need another stupid dragon lover down here," the newly arrived man said.

A roar tore through the cave.

Harry turned towards it.

"I can't hear what they are saying," Charlie said.

"They are coming this way," Harry said. He looked up. "I think we need some light." He sent a Magelight to the ceiling. Colourful shapes were heading their way across the lake. They were roaring angrily.

"Are you still going to say that they aren't dangerous," the man said.

"I am yes," Harry said. "Someone must have done something to upset them. _**Malqo take your friend and make sure that no one leaves the cave. Be careful."**_

" _ **Geh, Monah,"**_ Malqo said. He took off together with the little green dragon.

Harry walked forward. He wandered out on the water.

"Is he insane?"

Charlie snorted. "Harry knows what he is doing," he said. He watched his husband as the dragons flew in.

" _ **Vuth,"**_ Harry roared. " _ **Sologaal speak to me."**_ He looked up at the dragons. He walked forward. He knew he was in danger standing on the water surface. A red dragon left the pack and flew down. " _ **Hi lost daal Dovahkiin - you have returned Dragonborn,"**_ the dragon said.

" _ **I have. What has happened? Why are you attacking?"**_ Harry asked.

" _ **They have taken our eggs,"**_ Sologaal said. " _ **We want them back."**_

Harry nodded slowly.

"Who stole the dragons' eggs?" Charlie asked the men around him.

"What are you talking about?"

"The dragons are attacking because someone stole their eggs," Charlie said. "Dragons care about their eggs very much. They will always fight to protect them."

"Well we didn't do it."

"Who owns the tent right there by the broken splinters of the cage?" Charlie asked.

"That's Franklyn. She's a dork but that's about it."

"Yeah sure," Charlie said. He started walking out towards Harry.

Sologaal's eyes narrowed. " _ **Who is that?"**_ he hissed.

Harry turned. " _ **My mate,"**_ he said. " _ **He might have found something out."**_ He cast a waterwalking spell on the oranget. " _ **What is it?"**_ he asked still speaking dovahzul.

" _ **They say the tent with the cage belonged to a Franklyn,"**_ Charlie said. " _ **She might be the one we are looking for."**_

Harry nodded. " _ **I'll look for her. You find the goblin in charge and make sure he or she learns what is going on,"**_ he said. " _ **Everyone is a suspect until they have been cleared."**_

" _ **I'm on it,"**_ Charlie said before he turned around.

" _ **Sologaal will you come with me,"**_ Harry said. He focused as he used Clairvoyance. A blue streak spread out from him. He started running. He cast out another light. His eyes narrowed as he saw a shape. "Are you alright?" he asked. The shape was shaking.

A scared looking woman looked up at him. "I… I… who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Harry," Harry said. He reached her and held out a hand for her to take. "You're O.K. now," he said. She took his hand and moved up closer to him. "Thank you," she said. "No problem dear. So your name is Franklyn?"

"Yes Janice Franklyn," she said.

Harry steadied her. He was glad that Sologaal had shrunk down and was lying around his neck. He figured the little dragons liked that. Slowly they made it back to camp. Charlie had gotten things going. The goblin in charge had to be efficient. All of the employees were being interrogated. Harry left Janice with a healer before he went to see Charlie. "I want to have a proper look around," he said. He took the oranget's hand.

…

Harry hummed as they made it back to camp. Charlie was smiling. "How are things going?" the raven asked Aldun as he reached the goblin. He was glad it was the same goblin that had given him the assignment to go to the cave in the first place that was now leading the site.

"We have been through everyone and I can't for the life of me figure out who upset the dragons. Everyone that is still alive has been accounted for," Aldun said.

"You have lost people?" Harry asked.

"We have yes," Aldun said.

Harry closed his eyes. "There has to be something going on," he said.

Charlie nodded slowly. He was pretty sure his husband was right. Then the raven took off, and he was following. They were headed back down into an old cave – one that Harry had already opened up.

Harry handed his sword over as they got further down. "I'm going to act bait. Don't worry about me," he said. "I'm going to turn you invisible," he said. He kissed Charlie before he made the oranget disappear. He started walking out into the room. He felt the trap close on him. He knew it was going to happen.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" "People are so easy to trick. Even the goblins can be tricked if you know how." "And here you are. So much magic. I never thought a human could hold that much." The voice was echoing around the cave-like room. "You're mine now though." "And you're not leaving," Janice said as she walked into the light. "Like I said it is so easy to trick people. Oh, no I have to help the poor little lady in need." She smirked. "It is so easy to lure men. You're all so stupid." She lit the room up. "Just look at them. They came down here just like you. They thought they could get some you know. I guess you were just trying to save the fair maiden. You're so noble."

Inside Harry was smirking.

"I'll take what I need from you," Janice said. "All that power all for myself." She reached out and ran her fingers down his cheek. "The potion should take affect any minute now," she whispered. "You'll be nothing more than a doll after that." She walked over to a table filled with instruments.

Harry breathed in slowly. The cage wasn't all that sophisticated. She relied on the potion to hold her victims. " _ **Feim zii gron,"**_ he breathed. He walked out of the cage and dropped the illusion surrounding him. He was wearing his armour. The needle that was supposed to inject the potion hadn't even touched him. "You aren't as good at tricking people as you think," he said as he appeared again. "Why don't you check your bags?" he said.

Janice narrowed her eyes and pulled her bags open. ' _No! no, where are my eggs?'_ she thought.

"I took them," Harry said. "While I guided you back to the camp. I took the eggs. The dragons are my friends. I won't have someone harming their young." He tilted his head to the side. "It isn't that easy to trick me. I have met people like you before. I only get fooled like that once. And you know, I have a husband so you aren't that interesting to me."

Charlie sheathed his sword before he moved up and grabbed Janice. "We aren't that easy to deal with," he said.

"No fuck you. Let go off me!" Janice exclaimed.

Harry reached out. " _ **Laag dil,"**_ he said. Her eyes closed, and her body went limp. "She'll sleep for a while," he said. "We need to get the right people down here." He looked around. Whatever it was she had been doing it was horrible. He was glad they had stopped her.

At least now people would know what had happened. The goblins were not happy with themselves. They wanted to figure out how she had slipped through their scans. That was all up to them. Harry and Charlie weren't bothering with that. They had a few doors to open and then they were going to take their dragon friends with them. The goblins were making sure they could transport everyone. They would also look into the permissions Harry and Charlie would need to keep the dragons. The little winged ones weren't going to be able to leave the wards.

The people Janice had caught were taken to Dragrimmas to hopefully get healed. The goblins weren't hopeful though. Harry had looked the people over, but there wasn't anything he could do for them. Janice had messed with their magic.

...

Harry and Charlie stayed for several more days mostly opening old passages up. Nothing much happened. It was quite nice to not have some monster or another apear for once.

* * *

 _17th of August, 1997. Sunday_

Malqo looked around. Monah lived here. It was wonderful. He loved it. He took off to the air with Iilahhil the little green dragon that had taken a liking to Charlie. They flew up over the trees as the other dragons moved around the area they had been taken to.

"I would like it if we could not run into insane people or dangerous beasts for once," Charlie said.

Harry shrugged. "I'm used to it," he said. "Though, I guess I'd prefer that it didn't happen." He leaned over and kissed Charlie.

Malqo flew out over the lake. He loved it.

" _ **Daar los tozeinvu - this is prefect,"**_ Iilahhil said. " _ **Zu'u lokaal daar - I love this. I'm glad I listened to you Malqo."**_ Her lilac eyes roamed over the landscape. Even with the restrictions this was still better than the cave. She was sure the human alpha would carry her with him like the alpha did with Malqo. She was happy.

…

 _19th of August, 1997. Tuesday_

Hermione sighed. She sat down by the kitchen table in her house. She didn't know what to think. Why hadn't he trusted her? He said it partly was because he feared her going to Dumbledore and partly because her mind was unprotected. He said he'd only told the Weasley twins after they had leaned how to protect their minds. But, she was his best friends right? He said he saw her like a little sister.

"What is wrong dear?"

Hermione looked up at her mother. "I don't know," she said with a sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it dear?"

Hermione bit her lip. "You know my friend at Hogwarts, Harry," she said. "He's been keeping a secret from me for the past two and a half years. He told me earlier today."

"Was it related to you?" Jean asked.

Hermione shook her head. "It was about his life," she said. "But I thought he trusted me. He told a girl he only just met but he didn't tell me. After everything we have been through together."

"So you are hurt he didn't come to you? Did he tell you why?"

"He did," Hermione said. "He thought I might have gone to the Headmaster if he'd told me."

"Would you have?" Jean asked.

"I…" Hermione paused. "I don't know mom. Maybe," she said. "To help him – protect him. He's been through so much."

"So you are angry with him and disappointed that he didn't tell you earlier?" Jean said.

"I guess," Hermione said.

"You still care about him though?"

"Yes, yes I still care about him. I can be angry with him though, right? Hermione asked.

"Of course you can dear. Just don't let that take over," Jean said.

"Thanks mom."

It would be alright eventually.


	89. Goodbye Kato

**Goodbye Kato**

 _12th of September, 1997. Friday_

Charlie narrowed his eyes at the blond. Malfoy was really getting on his nerves. The young man had been living with them for quite the while by then, and he had long since had enough. He grabbed onto the teens arm. "That's it," he hissed. "If you hate being in here so much then get out." He threw the teen out the door. Then he grabbed a backpack filed with equipment and food. "Have fun. Hopefully you'll learn something," he said as he threw the backpack out next to the teen. "It is time you learn to take care of yourself."

Harry came walking down the stairs. "What happened?" he asked.

"He pissed me off," Charlie said. "So I threw him out."

A sigh. "At least he can't get hurt out there. I'll ask the dragons to keep an eye on him," Harry said.

In the meantime Draco was moving. He was going to find the edge of the wards and leave. He wasn't staying. He had to at least try to save his mother from his father's madness. He tried to apparate. He had to have reached the edge of the wards. The property couldn't be that big.

When nothing happened he swore. He guessed the wards were larger than he'd thought. They couldn't keep him in though. He would leave. He was a Malfoy. He would find a way out.

…

 _25th of September, 1997. Thursday_

"The collapse of Brockdale Bridge continues to confound the experts. They say there was no reason for the bridge's collapse and are still searching for a reason why the only eleven year-old bridge fell, killing dozens of people in the process."

"Some believe it is a terrorist attack, but since no one has stepped forward, it is still unclear at this point. The police will not comment on the rumour."

"In Birmingham a …"

Click!

.

.

.

…

Moody apparated. They had a problem. They had lost half the Ministry. He knocked on the door. It opened not long after. Harry stood on the other side. "Please come in," he said as he moved aside. "Has something happened?"

They walked over and sat down by the table.

"Voldemort has taken the Ministry," Moody said. "His Death Eaters destroyed a bridge and killed dozens of muggles. They need to be dealt with."

Harry nodded. "I'll have to talk to the inside men I have. We'll work something out pronto though," he said. "I'll contact you after. I'll send Winky that is by far the safest way. Is there anything else I need to think about?"

"The faster we act the better," Moody said.

"How did they take the Ministry?" Harry asked.

"They haven't taken it all yet," Moody said. "But they must have fed something to Fudge and the Deputy Minister is a Death Eater. They have taken several head positions. Amelia is still in charge of the Aurors though."

"That's good," Harry said. "We'll just have to deal with things before the people who are not Death Eaters are taken out."

Moody nodded slowly. "How are they doing?" he asked as his magic eyes focused on Alice and Frank.

"They are healing," Harry said. "Alice still has a long way to go, but Frank is doing pretty good. He's worried about her though."

"Can't blame him," Moody said. He stood up slowly. "Make sure to get things moving," he said.

"I set the stone rolling months ago," Harry said. "We should be fine." He followed Moody back to the entrance hall. "I'll call right away. Then we'll see when I can get a hold of them." Moody left the house, and the raven sighed. He called Winky and asked her to deliver a message to Severus and Lucius. He would have to check in on Draco before the blond aristocrat showed up. He would want a status report.

Harry headed out of the house with the intent to find the young blond. He knew where the teen had been last. Thirteen days he'd been out there, and it showed on him. His normally pristine hair looked unkept and messy. His clothes had tears in them and they were dirty. He had been given everything he would need to take care of himself. It looked like he had yet to figure out how most of it worked. Harry leaned back against a tree. They would make sure he never ran out of food. They didn't want to starve him. They would make it kind of one sided and boring eventually though, since they still wanted to encourage the teen to learn certain survival skills – like catching food from the land.

He moved back to the house as his wards were triggered. "Lord Malfoy," he said with a bow.

"Master Potter," Lucius responded.

Harry led him through the house into the library and from there to his private study. "The Death Eaters have started attacking non-magicals," the raven said as he sat down.

"Yes, they have," Lucius confirmed.

"It is time to act," Harry said. "Do we have a way in?"

Lucius nodded slowly. "We do. Severus and I need to work it over a little bit more, but the Dark Lord should be asking for you," he said.

"I hope you are a good actor," Severus said as he entered the room. Winky had let him in.

"I'm fairly good," Harry said. "It depends on what you want me to appear as." He offered the dark-haired man a seat and called for refreshments.

"You need to play reverent, smart but incapable of reading character and weak," Severus said. "We have introduced Kato as mediocre with a big knowledge base. Lucius is the only Death Eater that has any idea just how strong you are so it worked out pretty well."

"So I should be slightly amazed then. You have made it sound like Kato would love nothing else than to help the Dark Lord?" Harry asked.

"Something along those lines. We haven't been quite that frank about it," Lucius said.

"I can work that," Harry said. "You will have trouble recognising Kato. How do we get the Aurors in?" he asked.

"I can't do that until after you have the Dark Lord alone," Lucius said. "And you have to manage that."

"I can play on his paranoia," Harry said. "I'm going to need another wand prop."

"You'll have to make this one feel real," Severus said.

"Can do." Harry leaned back. He looked up at the ceiling. "We'll manage," he said. He smirked. "The Order hasn't met since Dumbledore died. As far as he is concerned he has no resistance really. Some unorganised Aurors."

"He is very please about that," Severus said. He hesitated. "He is looking for Dumbledore's wand. It isn't with the Headmaster's body."

"I have it," Harry said. "It is the Elder Wand, and I am going to bury it on the property somewhere. It is a dangerous wand with a bloody history. It doesn't affect me though since I don't need a wand."

Severus nodded. "When do we do this?" he asked.

"You are going to have to arrange a meeting and that is the date. I'll make sure that the Aurors are where they are supposed to be. You get me in there," Harry said.

"How is Draco doing?" Lucius asked.

"He is learning how it is to live in the wilderness without magic since he can't keep his mouth shut," Harry said. "Charlie got tired of his nagging. We keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't run out of food. There is nothing out there that will harm him. The dragons keep their eyes on him as well in case some kind of dangerous animal shows up. I attached a charm to him that should keep anything like that away from him though. We have several layers of protection out there. He tried to get out through the wards at first. It didn't work out for him."

Lucius sighed. Draco was nowhere near prepared for something like that.

"We're going to let him stew for a while and then we'll go out there and actually teach him," Harry said. "One of the problems we are having is that he doesn't take us seriously at all. I'd ask to keep him even after the Dark Lord is gone. We can teach him quite a lot."

"We will see," Lucius said.

Severus straightened in his chair. "You should refrain from using the Dark Lord's name," he said. "He has put up a taboo on it. When you speak the name people are sent out to find you."

"I doubt they can make it through my wards," Harry said. "I guess that is part of the reason people started calling him You-Know-Who in the first war."

"It is yes," Severus said.

…

Days later Harry sent off a message to Moody. They had a date and a time. A meeting was called so they could plan.

* * *

 _6th of October, 1997. Monday_

Harry looked up at his reflection. He was looking the epitome of nerdy without alerting people like Nott that had seen him before. It was all a glamour of course. He checked for the last time if the last Horcrux was still with Voldemort. It was. Underneath the robes he seemed to wear his armour sat snugly around his body. His sword hung by his side. He made sure he looked like he had tried his very best to look presentable and failed.

Charlie grabbed him before he headed downstairs. "If you get yourself killed I'll murder you," he said.

Harry reached out and ran his thumb down the oranget's cheek slowly before he leaned in for a kiss. "I will be back," he said before he headed down to the entrance hall. He gutboed to Malfoy Manor. A hesitant smile spread over his lips. He knew he had a bit of a problem with Bellatrix, but he figured he could write that off as feeling safe under the Malfoy wards if he had to. "Good day Lord Malfoy," he said with a deep bow. There was a second Death Eater there as well. He wasn't sure who it was though.

"Good day Mr Peverell," Lucius said calmly but with just a hit of arrogance like he saw the brunet as far beneath him. He had to say that Harry was good though. He was impressed. He led the young man into the ballroom where the Dark Lord sat on a throne. "My Lord I bring you Kato Peverell," he said before he stepped to the side.

Harry walked forward hesitantly and bowed. "It is an honour to meet you sir," he said nervously. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Bellatrix smirk. Her arrogance might keep her from realising that he was acting strange.

Voldemort looked down at the young brunet. He didn't look like much. He had been assured that the man could create wards so strong no one but the people allowed would ever be able to enter. He would have assumed you needed power for that, but maybe that wasn't the case. He saw a gathering of gems hanging around the man's waist. There was magic in those. That could be how he did it. "So thisss iss Kato Peverell," he said slowly. "Lucius tells me you can create strong wards."

"Yes, sir. I can do that," Kato said.

"How?" Voldemort asked.

Kato glanced around. "I'm willing to teach you sir, but all of these people. You can do much more with the knowledge I have than just wards. What if they …" he hesitated, "what if they tried to use it against you sir?" he said almost stuttering over his own words.

"You believe me incapable of defending myself from my followers?" Voldemort hissed.

"No of course not sir," Kato said. "I just thought that maybe you would like to know what it is before sharing any of it." His fingers were tangling together nervously.

"Like you have the right to have a private audience with our Lord," Bellatrix shouted wand drawn.

"Isn't that for him to decide madam," Kato spat back before he looked like a deer caught in headlights and lowered his head back down to the floor. He felt the pain curse hit and forced his magic to not react. The amount of concentration he had to put on that had him collapsing to his knees. He probably looked really weak. A whimper escaped him. He let tears stream down over his face. As soon as the spell ended he stood back up though. If he looked too weak then Voldemort wouldn't want anything to do with him.

"Now, now Bella be nice to our guest," Voldemort said calmly. "He is of no use to us insane or dead for that matter."

"Of course my Lord," Bellatrix said. It felt so good to finally hurt the little wimp. Lucius' little dog. He would regret insulting her before this was over.

"So anyone can learn to use the method you are using?" Voldemort asked.

"Well yes sir," Kato said.

"Then why do I need you?" Voldemort asked.

"I am the only one who knows of this method. No one else uses it anymore. It is old - forgotten by most," Kato said.

"Ancient knowledge," Voldemort said. "Well worth learning, very well. We will adjourn and head upstairs to the study."

"But my Lord you can't go alone with him," Bellatrix said.

Voldemort turned towards her. His red eyes drilled into her. "Do you believe me incapable of dealing with this youth? He can barely handle a cruciatus curse for ten seconds," he said. His voice was clam and soft, but it was obvious that he disliked being questioned. "As you will his wand will be left behind," he said.

Kato bit his lip. He pulled the wand up slowly. A Death Eater moved forward and snatched it from him. He staggered back in shock.

"Come with me," Voldemort said.

Kato nodded. "Yes sir," he said. He followed the man a few steps behind his long strides. A serpent was curled around the man's shoulders. ' _Found you,'_ Harry thought. They walked into Lucius study. Kato placed a book down on the table. Outside wings flapped away. Ven had some people to fetch for her master.

The serpent slithered down on the desk as Voldemort sat down. "Tell me how this magic of yours works," Voldemort demanded.

Harry smirked. "I'd love to Tom," he said as he turned around an ice spear in his hand. He rammed it straight down through the serpent. The Illusion faded and he changed back to his own colours. "Surprised to see me," Harry said. He had already pulled his sword. Pain flashed through Voldemort's eyes as the blade cut through his chest.

"You cannot kill me," Voldemort hissed.

"No," Harry said. "To me it looks like you have a sword through your chest. From experience I know that is lethal. No locket, or goblet, or diadem, or ring is going to stop that. They are all gone. He could feel the man gathering power. " _ **Spaan jaaril dein mul,"**_ he hissed as he conjured a shield around himself. He tore the man's wand out of his hand. "I know what you are doing, and it won't save you," he said calmly. He sat down on top of the desk. He grabbed the sword's handle. "I think they deserve it though."

"Not so pure then," Voldemort said.

"I have killed plenty of people, but I don't do it because I want to or because I like it. I kill when there is no other way. I kill when it is needed. I pray for them all. But not for you. You will not simply disappear. No in a way you will live forever. No power, no way of getting out, you will be trapped forever." He pulled the Black Soul Gem out of his bag. "You can talk to serpents. I admire that. I hope there are others out there who can do it. Me I can not only speak to dragons. I can use magic they have long since forgotten. _**Rii vaaz sil kopraan**_ ," he said. He tore what remained of Voldemort's soul from his body. The soul gem in his hand glowed brighter. He pulled his sword out of the man's chest before he changed back to Kato's colours. He walked out of the study and headed back downstairs.

The Aurors Moody had brought with him were spread out in the ballroom. Kato walked in. "Moody," he said as he reached the retired Auror. "Voldemort's body is upstairs in Lord Malfoy's study," he informed the man quietly. "I suggest only bringing people that know about his return."

Moody nodded. He called Shacklebolt with him and they headed up.

"This one is dead," Tonks said.

Kato raised an eyebrow. He walked up next to her and kneeled down. She was right. The man was dead. He walked over to another Death Eater. It would seem like only a few of them had died.

"Back off."

Kato turned around. Bellatrix was pressing a knife to Kami's neck. He narrowed his eyes. "Please Lady of Fire help us," he said as he conjured a Flame Atronach behind her. Bellatrix screamed as the burning lady grabbed onto her. She dropped the knife and Kami moved away from her. "You can have her," Kato told the Atronach. The two women disappeared in a cloud of fire.

"What will happen to her?" Tonks asked.

"She has been taken to Oblivion," Kato said. "She'll live in the burning inferno of that world until the Lady is tired of her. After that who knows what will happen to her. She will never return though."

Tonks nodded slowly. She was a bit shaken. Harry really was powerful.

"This is Peter Pettigrew," a man said. "He's supposed to be dead."

"Well it looks like he isn't," Kato said.

"Who are you anyway?" a woman asked.

"Kato Peverell," Kato said. "Back away from them. I'm going to bind them all." He breathed in as he closed his eyes. " _ **Gron gevild sken,"**_ he hissed. Magic twisted around the men and occasional woman on the floor. He could sense it. They had all lost their magic. Voldemort had sucked them dry. He walked up to Severus and Lucius who were standing under wand point of two Aurors.

"These two are with me," Kato said. "They helped take the Death Eaters out. You wouldn't have gotten in if it wasn't for Lord Malfoy. Where are their wands?"

"We aren't giving them back. They need to be processed," one of the Aurors said.

Kato sighed. "Give me the wands. I'll hold on to them," he said. He was glad Lucius had asked Narcissa to leave the Mansion for a few days. She did not need to be caught up in the mess that was sure to follow. "Shacklebolt if you'd keep track of Peter Pettigrew. We don't want to lose him again," he said. Moody had to come over and order the Aurors standing guard over the Lucius and Severus to hand Kato the wands before they agreed to do it.

They headed to the Ministry where a good deal of officials had suddenly collapsed a little earlier that the day. Amelia had quickly taken charge when it happened. She had gathered them all together and called for Healers. The Healers soon informed her that the people that had collapsed had all lost their magic. They weren't non-magicals, no – they were squibs. Amelia had checked them out when they had first collapsed. They had been branded with the Dark Mark. It was gone now.

"What happened?" the stern gray-haired woman asked Moody as he appeared with even more people who had lost their magic. He brought her over to a covered body and lifted the sheet for her. Her eyes widened and she ordered him to lower it again. Her eyes travelled over to a young brown-haired man as Moody told her what had happened. "And Lord Malfoy and Master Snape?" she asked. "As far as I know they were both marked."

"He protected them," Moody said. "Stopped this from happening to them because they helped him to take snake-face down."

Amelia nodded. She understood. They had been spared because they had worked against their former Master.

…

Hours later a brown-haired, amber-eyed young man walked out of the Ministry never to return. Kato was a name whispered as the conqueror of the Dark Lord. The few who knew better didn't say anything to change it. They knew that the young man wanted nothing to do with that fame. Harry Potter took over after Kato Peverell. Many asked him where the other man had gone and he simply said that he had rejoined his family.

Most people didn't need to know the truth. Most people didn't even know that Voldemort had ever been back.

In Oblivion a woman cried in agony. There was no one there to save her. The Prince of that world liked her screams too much for the moment.

Red eyes opened in a dark world. One amongst many with no powers and no way out. He tried to assert himself only to be beaten down. "People claim such things all the time." The voice floated out of nowhere. "You are a slave no more." "Broken you aren't good for anything else." "You will never rise beyond that." "Here in the Soul Cain there is no magic for for slaves."

The voices never stopped haunting him.


	90. Alone Time

**Alone Time**

 _8th of October, 1997. Wednesday_

The weather was taking a turn for the worse. Taking pity on Draco, Harry sent him home to his parents. The blond had probably not learned his lesson, but it would hopefully be O.K. eventually. Harry didn't really want to make enemies with the next Lord Malfoy. Not that he would coddle the teen just keep on his good side either.

"Can we leave Britain?" Charlie asked. "Just for a bit." He wrapped his arms around Harry. "I want to go somewhere with just you. Just the two of us."

"Of course we can," Harry said. "Where do you want to go?"

"Oh, Merlin we can go anywhere?" Charlie asked.

"Anywhere you want to go," Harry said.

"What about Australia?" Charlie asked. "I've always wanted to go down under."

"Yeah, why not," Harry said. "We'll have to make sure we have some antidote with us though since like eight out of ten of the most poisonous snakes and spiders all live on that island. I don't want to rely only on my magic while we're there. I'll check with Severus while I deliver his ingredients."

"Sounds good. How do we get there?" Charlie asked.

"We go through the goblins unless you want to go the non-magical way," Harry said.

"That would be interesting," Charlie said. "We could do that. I have never done it before."

"Neither have I, but hopefully I can figure out how it works," Harry said. "I'll look into that after I have been to see Severus. It will take a while or cost us a lot. We'll see when we can leave that way."

"That's fine," Charlie said. "Magic does make you a bit stressed sometimes. Either way I want to try new stuff, and I have never flown non-magical style before."

Harry laughed. He had a feeling that Charlie would change his mind after trying, but he liked trying new stuff out too so he was all for it. He sat up properly. He turned around and kissed Charlie. "I'll be right back," he said. He got up and headed downstairs. He needed to gather the ingredients that Severus had wanted together. He packed it all down in his bag before he headed out to the entrance hall. He gutboed to Hogsmeade. Severus had promised to meet him in the Hog's Head. He had let the man know to look out for Slytherin colours. He had little Iilahhil with him. She was curled up around his neck. Neither he nor Charlie left home without one of the pack with them. It was both a safety precaution and a way to show the little dragons around.

He was wearing normal clothes. He wouldn't dress in robes just because he was heading into Hogwarts. He'd ordered a butterbeer and sat down. His eyes closed and he breathed in slowly. The pub was silent. There weren't many people there. His eyes opened as the other chair by his table was pulled out. Severus sat down. "I'll wait for you to finish," he said.

Harry nodded. "I brought what you wanted, but I'm assuming it would be simpler if I just walked with you up to the school," he said.

"That would be correct since I don't know exactly how much you brought with you," Severus said.

Harry finished his butterbeer before he rose from his chair. He headed out of the pub with Severus. He ran a hand through his shaggy green locks. He kept up with Severus' pace easily as they walked up towards the school. Iilahhil shifted and raised her head. " _ **Daar staad los dremsil - this place is nice,"**_ she said.

Severus looked over at the young man as he heard the hissing. He saw the little dragon. "This is not the same one you carried around before," he said.

"No her name is Iilahhil," Harry said. "She is a part of our pack. Don't ask me how Charlie and I became alphas of a dragon pack. It just happened. I think Malqo has something to do with it." He ran a finger down the little dragon's back.

"You are authorised to keep them?" Severus asked.

"Well we are and we aren't," Harry said. "The Ministry hasn't authorised it yet but the goblins have, and since I am a member of a goblin clan and Charlie is my husband we can bend the rules a little. We can't sell scales or anything without Ministry permission though. We are working on that, but you know… it takes time."

Severus nodded slowly. They walked in on Hogwarts' grounds. "Several of my Slytherins have calmed down since the Dark Lord's fall," he said. "Several of them feared having to join him once they left Hogwarts. Some of them have a lot of responsibilities now though."

"Lords that lost their magic and left their title to their sons," Harry said.

"Yes," Severus said.

"Lucius should keep an eye on that so the Ministry doesn't try to trick the kids," Harry said.

"He did say he would," Severus said.

Harry nodded. "I have secured most of those vaults so the Ministry can't just get to their money. I'll see if I can get their account managers to help them understand that part better," he said. He followed Severus in to the school. They headed down to the man's office and private lab. Harry unpacked the ingredients and placed them out. "You wouldn't happen to have a more universal type antidote?" he asked. "Charlie and I are going to Australia and well there are plenty of dangerous snakes and spiders around there. I can handle it with my magic really, but I hate not having a back-up."

Severus walked over to a drawer and picked a vial out. "It is still in the testing stage," he said. "You need to document usage of it."

"Thank you," Harry said. "I'll remember to do that." He packed the vial away.

There was a knock on the door. Severus walked over and opened it. He let a sandy-haired teen into the room. The boy looked around and saw the green-haired young man in there. He bit his lip. He had hoped that Professor Snape would be alone.

"What is bothering you Mr Nott," Severus asked.

"I…" Theodore looked back at the other man.

"I can leave," Harry offered.

"I think you will be able to help," Severus said. He turned back to the teen. "This is a monetary matter is it not?"

Theodore nodded slowly.

"He works at Gringotts," Severus said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "No I don't," he said. "I am however a member of the clan that runs the bank." He walked forward. "The Nott Family's vault is protected quite well. What bothers you?"

"Father left me a letter stating that I wouldn't be able to access the vault unless I became a Death Eater," Theodore said.

"Not true as far as I know," Harry said. "I can look into it. I doubt that is…"

"He said he'd had the security increased," Theodore said.

"Yes, I am aware of that. I replaced the man who did it. He left me his documents on it, but all those say is that the vault is locked to your line. The only way for that to change is for you to die with no heir," Harry said. "I can easily go down and take an extra look, but you shouldn't have any problems accessing the vault. The goblins wouldn't have sealed it like that, and they wouldn't have allowed for you father to make changes himself either."

Theodore seemed a bit relieved at hearing that. "Thank you sir," he said.

Harry smirked. "No problem, Lord Nott," he said. He turned to Severus. "Is there something else you need?" he asked. "You could always make a list of things you would like from Australia. And get yourself out of Hogwarts after this term. Use your skill for something else. If you don't want to leave then at the very least make sure you only teach like the sixth and seventh years or something."

"Will you leave today?" Severus asked.

"Nope we have decided to travel non-magical as insane as that sounds so it will take a while before we leave the country," Harry said.

"I'll send a list," Severus said.

"Sweet, well then I should probably get going. I have to figure out how to buy plane tickets," Harry said. Theodore followed him out of the room as he left. "How is your seventh year going so far?" Harry asked the teen.

"It is better now," Theodore answered. "You know easier to concentrate."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Harry said.

"So you know?"

"Know about snake-face, yeah. I'm well informed," Harry said. "It helps being close to people who actually know what is going on in the world. Most people like to just close their eyes and hide. It is so boring in the long run. Kato was a good friend."

"The one that killed him?" Theodore said.

"Yep," Harry confirmed. They reached the Entrance Hall. "Good luck young Lord," he said.

"What are you doing with him Theo?"

Harry sighed. He turned to Draco. "Manners Mr Malfoy," he said. He smiled as Iilahhil took off and flew over to the blond. "You know we would be happy to teach you if you could just swallow a bit of that pride of yours. Things didn't turn out they way you thought it would. It happens sometimes."

Draco had reached out and petted the dragon.

"Search for your own dream Draco," Harry said. "What would make you happy? What do you really want to do?"

" _ **Come on Iilahhil,"**_ he called as he reached the bottom of the stairs leading out on the lawn. The dragon flew down and joined him. He flashed Draco a smirk, and then they disappeared straight through the Hogwarts' wards.

"He just apparated through the wards," Theodore said in awe.

"He didn't apparate. It is something else," Draco said. Getting back to Hogwarts after being locked up at Ennerdale Estate had been an eye-opener. He had realised that comparing himself to Harry Potter was just foolish. As a matter of fact he had realised this as he saw Weasley for the first time. It had just hit him. He didn't want to turn out like the Weasel. He wanted to have an open future. It didn't matter how much he hated the things that Potter and his Weasel had done to him. He had learned from it. He had learned that he never wanted to end up in a position that forced him to live like that. He had also realised that he wanted something to do. He wasn't all that interested in politics. His father was good at dealing with people like that. He just found it boring. He had heard Potter talking about faraway places. He wanted to travel a bit. Not like Potter was doing though. He didn't want to have to live off the land. He would have to speak to his father.

…

Harry walked into the dining room. He dropped two tickets on the table. They were heading to Australia on the twenty second of October. It took a lot longer time to get a flight than to just grab a port-key. He didn't mind though. He had bought them first class tickets. They could afford it. He headed over to his study. He needed to fill up on magelight scrolls for the goblins. They went through those scrolls like crazy. The funny thing was that they weren't that difficult to make. He was making quite a lot of money on something quite easy. He had thought he would have made more on the vaults to be honest.

A couple of days later Severus actually came by with a list of things he hoped they would keep their eyes out for.

"I have something to show you," Harry said. He led the man out of the study and over to a shelf. He opened one of the books there. "These are my mother's journals. She left this in one of them. He held a letter out to the man. "It is addressed to you," he said. "I haven't read it. I have however been through these." He tapped the books. "I have asked Winky to allow you through to the library to read these while we are gone if you wish."

Severus was looking down at the letter his expression unreadable. She had written it before she died. Distantly he heard a door open and close. He was scared. What if she had written just how much she hated him? He had no idea how long he stood there just staring at the letter before he realised that he hadn't left Ennerdale Estate. He made his way over to the entrance hall and apparated out. He didn't want to talk to anyone.

 _Dear Severus,_

 _I want to start this letter by saying that I forgive you. I know_

 _you are not a bad person and I hope that you will see reason._

 _James and I have decided to go into hiding. The man you call_

 _Lord wants my baby dead. I can't see you backing that._

 _Harry is just a child._

 _I miss you Severus. I feel like there is someone around me I_

 _cannot trust, but I can't tell who it is. I wish you were here._

 _You always had a way of figuring things out. …_

Severus tore his eyes from the letter. He couldn't read more now. She hadn't hated him. He wondered if she would still have been so forgiving if she had known that it was he who had sent the Dark Lord after them. He placed the letter down. He would read it all through, but he needed to do something else in between.

* * *

 _22nd of October, 1997. Wednesday_

Harry went over his luggage. He was only taking his bag like always, but he wanted to make sure he had everything he wanted in it. Charlie had acquired a similar bag for himself. They had commissioned a sword from the goblins as well. Since Harry was a member of a goblin clan the sword would most likely be buried with Charlie after his death. That was unless they chose to be buried according to human tradition. It wasn't like they had made any kind of decisions on how they wanted to be buried yet.

Harry headed downstairs and grabbed their tickets. He headed outside. "Charlie we need to leave," he called. He smiled at his husband as the oranget joined him. Their hands intertwined before the raven gutboed. They landed in a hidden alcove on Heathrow Airport. Harry had been by and checked the place out earlier in the week. He had made sure they could fast travel there. He walked up to one of the desks and handed their tickets and passports over. They were checked in and told to wait.

"This place if so full of people," Charlie said.

Harry looked around. In the end he just used Clairvoyance to find the gate they needed to leave through. "We need to switch flight in Hong Kong," he said. "It shouldn't be too bad."

"I'm guessing you'll keep us from getting stressed," Charlie said.

"I'll do my best," Harry said.

"How much did this cost?" Charlie asked.

"Don't you worry about that," Harry said. "We have plenty of money." He wrapped his arms around the oranget's waist. "We're doing this because we want to," he said. "I'm not going to argue cost with you. It's our money. We can have some fun, can't we?"

Charlie chuckled. He tightened hold on the raven. Harry was right what was the point in arguing money? He knew they had plenty. He had seen Harry's latest bank statement, and well he had plenty of money himself too. He hadn't done anything but work for years at the reserve. A muffled voice talked overhead several times before Harry dragged them over to their gate. They lined up with everyone else.

Charlie breathed out in relief once they had reached their seats. He took Harry's hand and looked out the window. It was dark outside. A stewardess smiled at them until she saw their clasped hands. Her face fell. Neither of them cared.

"So we'll change flight tomorrow?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, we'll sleep here which is one of the reasons I wanted first class," Harry said.

"Plenty of leg space," Charlie said.

They were instructed to fasten their seat-belts before the plane took off.

"That feels weird," Charlie said.

"Yeah, I don't know what I think about this," Harry agreed. The pressure against his eardrums increased until he countered it and relaxed. His thumb was rubbing over Charlie's knuckles slowly. They were offered drinks as the belt signs went dark.

Charlie looked down at the liquor he had ordered. "This is strange," he said.

Harry snorted. He leaned over and kissed the oranget. "It's just alcohol," he said. "Don't get yourself drunk will you."

"Course balaur meu," Charlie said. "I just want something against the vertigo."

"I could fix that," Harry hummed. He moved up closer to the oranget and closed his eyes. "When do we tell your parents?" he asked. "We have to let them know we are married at some point."

"I know. We'll get there," Charlie said. "I think we should wait until next summer though. It will still create some commotion, but not as much as if we tell them now. Though, I guess dad might have figured it out already. He's much smarter than people give him credit for."

"Oh, I have never doubted that," Harry said. "Will you come with me over to Hogwarts next year when the Quidditch season starts back up? I want to see my team play. Ginny is the Captain now."

"Sounds like a good idea," Charlie said. He chuckled. "You know I used to play too. I was good, but you should have seen the rest of the team. I caught the Snitch often enough, but my team kept messing up so we basically never won a match. It is one of the reasons I didn't go into Quidditch. I didn't have a very good experience with it in school even though I loved flying."

"Well that is what's important as far as I'm concerned," Harry said. "I don't really care about the sport as such. Flying is nice though. It was one of the few things I really missed in Skyrim." He shifted to get more comfortable.

Charlie smiled as he realised that the raven had fallen asleep some time later. He couldn't blame him.

…

The next day Charlie really got to see what it was like to fly in a plane. The skies were clear and he looked down on the land below. They spent some time in Hong Kong before their next flight. The oranget realised that the jet-lag was as bad as port-key-lag if not worse. They would spend some time once they had arrived in Australia just sleeping. He was glad they were staying for a while.

* * *

 _26th of October, 1997. Sunday_

The sky was blue and the water warm. The waves rose high from the Tasman Sea. Harry and Charlie had swum out with surfboards and were doing their best to catch waves. They didn't actually know how to do it, but they had figured that they could manage. A fin broke through the water not far from them suddenly.

"White shark," Harry said. He whispered something under his breath. "We should be fine I specified shark so it is stronger than usual."

"What is shark in _**dovahzul**_?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, it is _**okravaaz**_ ," Harry said.

"Great they have tear in their name even in dragon-tongue," Charlie muttered. "Maybe we should be making it back to shore."

"Really Charlie," Harry said. "The sharks aren't going to hurt us. I'll keep an eye on them. You can go back if you want to. I'm sticking around."

"Adrenaline junkie," Charlie muttered.

"Maybe," Harry said. "It isn't like sharks are worse than mantricores and basilisks."

"You don't spend time around those though," Charlie said.

Harry shrugged and grinned. He knew Charlie had a point, but he still wasn't leaving. He was having way too much fun.

A young man watched them from the shore. He had noticed how the sharks seemed to leave the two alone. They had to hold magic. Powerful magic by the look of things. One of them easily disappeared under water for ten minutes at a time. There was a chance his father would like to speak to the two.

When Charlie finally managed to drag Harry out of the water it was late. They grabbed something to eat before they packed. They were going to hike for a bit. Their tickets back to London had them staying for months. Harry had to ensure that they weren't going to work there. He had even had to show bank statements showing that he had money enough to support them during their stay. Hand in hand they wandered north from Sydney. They weren't really heading anywhere special.

A couple of days into their hike they were picked up by some Aboriginals. That trip was interesting. Apparently one of the younger men had actually seen Harry ward of sharks down on the coast of Sydney and told his tribe about the two. The older inhabitants of Australia where all connected. They knew of magic. Much like on Nirn it was a part of everyone's lives even if they couldn't use it. Some saw Harry as a great danger others as a well of knowledge. It was the first time he met humans who could use the same kind of magic he could use. They didn't know spells the way he did though. He had actually taught them several spells. Most of the ones he taught them were non-violent like Candlelight and Waterbreathing. He kept to Alteration and Restoration mostly, but he did go into some easy Illusions. In return they were promised a guide that would be happy to show them inland.

They met crocodiles and wandered past emus. They had wanted to travel straight through all the different landscapes of the continent. Their guide had actually been surprised at their calm demeanour whenever they met an animal that was dangerous. They barely looked at snakes even though it was obvious by their behaviour that they knew the serpents were there.

"I'm an idiot," Charlie said suddenly one day.

Their guide turned to look at them as Harry walked up to his husband. Charlie moved his hand and a big copper-scaled snake clinging onto his arm with its teeth buried in him. Harry reached out slowly and placed a hand on the snake. He calmed it down and waited until it had retracted its fangs before he moved it from Charlie. He placed the snake down and sent it on its way before he pulled the vial Severus had given him out of his bag. He poured the liquid on the bite. He would have to keep an eye on Charlie, but he doubted that the oranget was in any real danger.

"You are quite calm for someone who just got bitten," the guide said. He wasn't one of the people that they had spent a lot of time with back at their village. He seemed to prefer travelling around.

"Have you ever seen a dragon bite?" Charlie asked. "This is nothing in comparison and I have gotten bitten several times."

"And I have been bitten by a basilisk. I'm slightly resistant to snake venom after that. We both know that panic doesn't help at all," Harry said. He shrugged. "It doesn't mean that we can't make mistakes obviously, but we don't go nuts when it happens."

…

They were well into December when they found traces of dragons around Uluru. "You have dragons here?" Charlie asked.

"There are great lizards. They don't often show themselves to people though. I'm not sure about dragons," the guide said.

"Well the easiest way to find out would be to find where they nest and have a talk with them," Harry said.

"You can speak to dragons?" the guide asked. It didn't sound like a normal thing. He wasn't much for meeting people especially outsiders, but as far as he knew it wasn't all that normal to be able to speak to beasts.

"I can yes," Harry said. "We both can actually. Though I taught Charlie." He looked around. The sun was blaring down at them and he was glad he had the sunglasses Fred and George had given him. He reached out and grabbed Charlie's hand so he could chill his husband down. He was more used to warming up than he was to cooling down. Not that it mattered; it was the same principle.

They had been having a great time travelling around. They had seen so much wildlife. Of course they would have to find dragons. As far as Charlie knew there weren't any know dragons in Australia though. So maybe their guide was right and it was just big lizards. They would see once they found them.

To an untrained eye the desert would have looked completely normal with falling dunes and hot red sand. Charlie could easily see the marks made by large scaled beasts. It took them days to find a hole though. It looked like the dragons buried underground.

"Want to go down?" Harry asked.

"I'll be staying up here," the guide said. "If you want to put yourself in danger by travelling down in their den you can go ahead."

"We'll be back soon," Harry said before he dropped down into the hole. He moved out of the way so Charlie could follow. "Are we crazy?" the oranget asked.

"Maybe," Harry said. "We can speak to them. It shouldn't be that dangerous as long as we keep calm." He conjured a candlelight orb before he started moving forward. The dragons or lizard had to be fairly big. They could almost walk straight as they travelled along the tunnel. If they were lizards they would get a bit of a problem. They couldn't talk to lizards.

" _ **Ahnok, los naangein hofkiin - hello, is anyone home?"**_ Harry asked. He could see shapes moving in the distance. The green lights wandered around. He did not want them to turn red.

They slowed down as Harry saw one of the shapes moving towards them. They would have to be careful. The drake turned around the corner into the tunnel they were in and roared. The earth around them shook.

" _ **Tarn stiildus,"**_ Harry roared back calming the stone around them. " _ **Drem yol lok,"**_ he said calmly. " _ **Mu dreh ni hind hi aax dovah - we do not wish you harm dragon."**_

" _ **Hi lost mul Thu'um mun - you have a strong voice human,"**_ the dragon said. " _ **This is our home what are you doing here?"**_

" _ **We travel around the world and learn the ways of different dovah. We didn't know that there were dragons here before we reached this place. Mu fund kos zin - we would be honoured to learn about your kind,"**_ Harry said.

The dragon tilted his head to the side and studied them. " _ **Hi fen ni aax un goraan - you will not harm our young?"**_ he asked.

" _ **Nid, do rahlo ni - no of course not,"**_ Harry said. " _ **We have no wish to harm any of you. We simply wish to mindos, to learn."**_

" _ **You will not bring other munne, other humans here,"**_ the drake said.

" _ **As you wish,"**_ Harry said. " _ **We need to let our guide know that we will be staying here for a while. We do not wish for him to worry."**_

" _ **Do as you see fit."**_

Charlie nodded and started heading back. He didn't think both of them needed to go back just to speak to the guy.

…

Over the coming weeks they learned as much as they could from the Australian Tunnelwalkers. They were about sixteen feet long and six feet high at the spikes on their backs. They lived in families and their young moved out when they were about five to start their own families. They would wander until they found someone to settle down with. They mated for life though something that wasn't common in most dragon species.

The dragon family they stayed with had fairly young hatchlings and they were really playful. Both Charlie and Harry took notes for their Master's essay. They focused on completely different things though. Together they would probably paint a pretty solid picture of just how dragons worked and how they had adapted to their habitats. Harry wondered if they could bring a pair of Tunnelwarlkers to their reserve later on. They would have to look into that once they had everything up and running.

When they eventually left the dragons, it was with a promise to return one day. Like most time when it came to Harry the dragons acctually liked him quite a lot. The couple still had a long way to go and many things to see, however, so they wished to continue their journey.

It was a fun relaxing time before they had to head back to Britain.


	91. Visiting Hogwarts - End 7

**Visiting Hogwarts**

 _7th of March, 1998. Saturday_

Charlie hummed softly as he walked with Harry up to the Quidditch pitch. The match was Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. They had returned home from Australia a week or so earlier. Neither of them had minded missing the British winter. Frank and Alice were doing alright. Bill and Fleur had been keeping them both company while Harry and Charlie were away.

The two of them made it up to the stands. The match was just starting. Harry smiled as he saw the teams take the air. An even brighter smile spread over his face as he watched them fly.

"Ginny is doing good," Charlie said.

"Yeah, she is," Harry agreed. He saw Tanya taking off after the Snitch. She was doing really well. The Hufflepuff Seeker blocked her, and she lost the Snitch. The raven was wearing his glamour amulet once again. He didn't want to have people staring at him. He could feel Charlie tensing and looked back up. A smirk spread over his lips as Tanya's finger closed around the Snitch. The Gryffindor stand roared. They had won the match.

Harry and Charlie made their way down on the pitch quickly. Harry ran up to Tanya and hugged her. "Well played Tanya," he said. She turned around and squealed as she threw her arms around him. "Captain you're here," she said happily.

"I thought Ginny was Captain now," Harry said.

"Not when you are here," Ginny said. "You trained us. I mean the others helped, but you made it enjoyable." She looked up at her big brother. "You're here too Charlie?" she said. "You keep following Harry around what's with that?"

"We're married," Harry said.

Ginny's eyes widened. "You're kidding," she said.

Charlie shook his head. "We got married on the twenty-sixth of July," he said.

"Oh, Merlin," Ginny said. "I didn't even know you were gay." She looked at Harry.

"I'm not," Harry said. "I don't care the least bit about gender."

"Well I guess that's why I didn't realise," Ginny said.

"You wouldn't happen to have a gaydar?" Harry asked,

"What is that?" Kyle asked.

Harry chuckled. "It means that she's good at telling if a guy or girl prefers their own gender," he said. He lifted Tanya up. "You guys should probably clean up," he said. He carried Tanya over to the locker room and dropped her down. "Don't worry we'll still be around," he said. They watched the team disappear into the locker room before they took off. They walked over towards Hagrids hut.

Harry sent Ven out to check the forest over. He wanted to make sure the spiders where gone. She could handle that on her own though. "We should have a chat with Hagrid. Let him know that we could bring some dragons in for his class," he said.

To say Hagrid was ecstatic was an understatement. He had been so happy to learn that they could bring dragons in for him. They had been lucky to get the documents they needed to keep the Crystabacks. The Ministry official that had come by had thankfully not been an idiot. She had been pretty impressed actually. She had told them that they would need more than the authorization they had if they wanted to bring more creatures in, however.

They planed in two meetings so they could meet with all the years. Since the dragons were so small, and Harry and Charlie could ensure everyone's safety they saw no reason not to show the little dragons to all years.

They headed up towards the school as they saw the Gryffindor team making their way up to the castle. They joined with the celebrating team. Together they went up to the Room of Requirements so they could have some fun. No one seemed to mind that Charlie was there despite him being much older than the rest of them. Tanya occupied Harry's lap, and Ginny seemed happy to mess with her brother. She wondered how long they had been together and when they had met. Like really met, she knew they had first met before the Quidditch World Cup, but she doubted that was when they had gotten together. And then there was that ittybitty thing about Harry's age, 'cause she was certain he'd looked older that summer. She would get to the bottom of it eventually.

"Can we play twister?" Demelza asked.

Harry chuckled. "Sure we can do that," he said as he stood up pulling Tanya with him. Ginny got up as well. Demelza handed the spinner to Charlie so he could tell them what to do. She gave him instructions before she joined the other four.

Chace started laughing as he looked over at the girls and Harry. They were twisted around each other.

"Right hand on green," Charlie said. He chuckled as his little sister collapsed.

"Hush you," Ginny said. She got off the matt. She wasn't surprised Demelza and Tanya were still going, but Harry was a surprise. He, as it turned out, was pretty nimble.

Demelza was actually the next one to collapse. "I don't think I've ever played with a guy that is this good before," she said. "Should have known Captain would be able to do it though."

Ginny chuckled.

The remaining two persons went on for quite some time before Tanya bumped Harry so he lost his balance.

"I think Harry won, Tanya," Demelza said. "You caused him to fall. That's cheating."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Tanya said.

Harry was pulled down into Charlie's lap. He raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at the oranget. " _ **Liin dostoz - sex fiend,"**_ he whispered.

Charlie smirked. " _ **Hi med nii - you like it,"**_ he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. He couldn't argue with the oranget though. He pulled Charlie's hands up in his lap. "We should probably leave the youngsters to themselves," he said after a while. He stood up and pulled Charlie with him. He hugged the girls before leaving. "I'll see you again soon," he said. He had some things he needed to do in concerns to school work even though he didn't attend Hogwarts anymore.

* * *

 _20th of April, 1998. Monday_

Iilahhil curled up around Charlie's neck. She together with her brother Kunvulon and Malqo were going with their alphas to Hogwarts. They were going to meet children. The trip there was quick. The weather was nice. It was a bit chill out but the sky was clear.

The three dragons jumped down on the ground and grew to their full size as they reached Hagrids hut. The half giant was really happy to see the dragons. "They don't go bigger?" he asked.

"No they don't these are fully grown," Harry said. "They don't breathe fire either. It was one of the reasons they were headed towards extinction. People caught them pretty easily and killed them for their scales."

Hagrid shook his head. "That's wrong," he said. "Killing such cute little things."

Harry nodded slowly. He looked over at the students coming their way. The whimsical blonde Luna was there together with Colin Creevey and a few Hufflepuffs. There was even a Slytherin.

"Good morning class," Harry said as he walked out towards the students. "As you might be able to guess today's lesson will be a bit different. Me and Charlie over there are going to head the class today."

Charlie smiled and waved over at them.

"Now dragons come in many different forms and sizes," Harry said. "Which one is the biggest one currently known to man?" He looked at the students. Several people raised their hands. "Mr Harper please," he said. He was glad he'd at least tried to pay attention to who they would be teaching before getting there.

"The Ukrainian Ironbelly is the largest at sixty-feet long," Harper said.

"That is correct," Harry said. "Now the smallest is the one I have right behind me here. They are called Size-Shifting Crystalbacks. The Crystalback was long thought extinct until a pack of them turned up in Namibia. Unlike most dragons who are loners, the Crystalbacks live in packs much like wolves, but they have quite a few differences from the mammals. They are quite peaceful in comparison to other dragons and lack a firebreath. Instead of breathing fire the Crystaback can shoot lightning from their wings."

"I've never heard of them before," one of the Hufflepuffs said.

"I can't say I'm surprised they only gained their English name to the records about a week ago," Charlie said as he moved forward. "While most dragons are loners, the Crystalbacks are not the only dragons that live in groups. There is the Amazonian Rainwing and the Australian Tunnelwalker neither of which uses firebreath. The Rainwing can summon rain and the Tunnelwalker can cause earthquakes. Both species are fairly new to knowledge and studies are still being made on them to find out how they live. The Rainwings gather when it is time to lay their eggs and they keep the little ones safe together while the Tunnelwalkers is the only know dragon species to mate for life. Their young stay with them for a good five years before leaving the nest to find their own mates."

"Contrary to popular belief dragons are highly intelligent and have their own language," Harry said.

"How do you know that?" Ernie asked. It was later in the day. They had held a class for the fourth yearers earlier. Most questions were the same throughout the day.

"Well Mr Macmillan, we know because we can speak to them," Charlie said. He turned to the dragons. " _ **Fund hi lig bo het - would you please come here, Iilahhil,"**_ he asked the green dragon. She moved forward. " _ **Daar los ofaal gelaag - this is getting tiring,"**_ she said.

" _ **Don't worry dear these ones are older they will behave, pruz, better,"**_ Harry said. He looked up at the students. "This is Iilahhil she the oldest of this bunch," he said. "As you can see the Crystalbacks don't have a set colour. Their scales range over the rainbow."

"You can speak to dragons?" Hannah said.

"Yes, Miss Abbot. I can speak to dragons," Harry said.

"You could do that while you went to Hogwarts?" Hannah asked.

"I could. I spoke to the four dragons that came here for the tournament," Harry said. "The four of them became rather attached to me. The fact that I can speak to them gives me an advantage." He smiled as Iilahhil walked up to Neville. " _ **Daar gein los pruzah - this one is good,"**_ she said.

"She likes you," Harry said. He walked forward. "They like being petted, but you need to let them come to you." He turned to the two boys. " _ **Fen hi bo ol pruzah - will you come as well,"**_ he said. The two males walked up to him. Malqo headed up to Hannah. "He will be the easiest to handle. He grew up with me. You don't have to worry about him attacking you at all. I'd prefer if none of you do anything to provoke them though." He watched as the three petted the dragons.

"Take note of their anatomy. I know that Hagrid has a bit of homework for you and you need to pay attention," Charlie said. He moved down next to them so he could start teaching them. He pulled Iilahhil's wings out and pointed out different aspects of the wings. He pointed out how they could shoot lightning too. The membrane of their wings picked up static electricity in the air and then they stored it along the bones until they needed to use it. He even got Kunvulon to demonstrate for them. The little dragon shrank afterwards and curled up around Harry's neck. He was joined by Malqo not much later. They wanted to go back home.

Harry smiled softly. He ran his fingers down the little dragons' backs slowly.

"This was really cool," Neville said as he came up to them. "I hope you continue doing this for the students."

"We are considering setting something up yearly latter on. Fifth and Seventh year gets to meet the dragons as a bit of a treat. Hopefully we can get a hold of more dragons. We don't want too many of them, but we are pushing for our own reserve," Harry said.

"Sounds cool," Neville said. "How are my parents?" he asked.

"They are doing O.K. nothing has changed really. Though, I think Alice is a bit more responsive," Harry said. "She recognises me properly now. Frank has started taking short walks outside. At least one of us is always there."

"Thank you," Neville said.

Harry shrugged. "No problem," he said. "I'll see you once the NEWT tests start up. I'm coming for several of them."

"Great," Neville said with a smile. "Could you let Hermione know so she stops nagging me about it?"

Harry chuckled. "I guess I can do that. If nothing else then to spare your ears," he said.

"I would appreciate it," Neville said.

"See you later," Harry said before he started heading off the grounds with Charlie.

They landed on the grounds back home. The dragons flew off happily. They didn't mind going with their alphas, but kids were kind of annoying. They headed inside only to be met by a rather ragged looking Sirius Black. After Peter Pettigrew had been caught it had taken a while to free the man of all charges, but it had happened and the Ministry had tried their best to grovel considering that Sirius was the Lord Black. It wasn't something he wanted to be, but he knew he could use it. "Tonks is at St Mungo's," he said.

"The baby is on the way?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded.

"How long have you been here?"

"An hour maybe," Sirius said. "It is quite inconvenient to not be able to leave again once you get here."

"That's just because you haven't been here before," Harry said. "I'll add you to the wards so you can jump in and out. We'll be right there, but we have to clean up. We've spent the day with Hagrid."

"You can find us?" Sirius asked.

"Of course I can," Harry said. "We'll see you there." He headed through the door to the dining room with Charlie not far behind him.

Sirius watched them leave. He still was a bit uncertain about everything that his godson had been through, but after he'd calmed down and Remus had talked to him, he had come to accept it. He couldn't change it. If he wanted to keep Harry, he would just have to accept how things were. He sighed and apparated away. He needed to make sure that Remus didn't go nuts. He was worse than James had been.

A quarter of an hour later Harry and Charlie joined them. The raven walked up to them and placed a hand on Remus shoulder. The man instantaneously relaxed.

Sirius flashed him a grin.

"What about Kami's parents?" Harry asked.

Sirius eyes widened. "Oh, shit I knew I forgot something," he said.

"I can take care of it," Charlie said. He stood up and kissed Harry before he walked back out. He didn't really need to be there.

"Why is it taking so long?" Remus asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Births are delicate. You don't want them to hurry and make mistakes," he said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"I have acted nurse for births yes," Harry said. "We lost two mothers, but the environment wasn't as clean as here." He looked off. "We lost a kid too once. It was a stupid mistake that could have been avoided. I never worked with that woman again."

"It was a part of your magic training?" Sirius asked.

"No, not at all I learned how to aid with births at a temple," Harry said. "I never headed it, but I know how to make sure everything goes right." He bit his lip and whispered under his breath. He wanted to know what was going on too.

Charlie returned with Andromeda and Ted eventually. The kind brown-haired woman berated Sirius and Remus for not telling her right away. It was obvious that she wasn't upset though. She sat down next to Remus and took his hand.

Harry had stood up as they entered the room and left the seat free. He knew this could take a long time.

…

 _21st of April, 1998. Tuesday_

It was past midnight when a Healer came out and asked for the father. Remus got up and disappeared with her. He was gone for a good half hour before he came out with a little bundle in his arms. He was smiling softly. Andromeda and Ted walked up to him first, but they soon headed in to see their daughter.

Remus came over to Harry with the little boy. "Here is your godfather little one," he said.

Harry smiled and chuckled. "I'm not the godfather yet," he said.

"Would you take him for a moment?" Remus asked.

Harry held his arms out and accepted the boy. "Daddy is a bit scared of holding you I think," he said calmly. His eyes widened as the boy's hair turned black. "Well, well I think we have a little Metamorphmagus here," he said. His hair turned purple and the boy switched with him. "I think we should bring you back to mommy," he said. He headed in to Tonks room with the little boy.

"Oh, my," Andromeda said. "It seems someone inherited Metamorphagi from their mother."

Tonks smiled brightly. She looked tired though. "You can keep holding him," she said as Harry tried to hand her son over. "What is his name?" Harry asked. "Remus didn't say."

"Edward Remus Lupin," Tonks said. "It will probably end up Teddy for short but who knows."

Harry smiled down at the boy. "Little Teddy huh? We are going to have our hands full, aren't we?" he said. Teddy's eyes changed from brow to bright green as he looked up at Harry.

"He is going to switch to match the people he likes the most at any given time," Andromeda said. "You'll be able to tell who he wants by the way he looks. You did it all the time dear." She was looking down at her daughter.

"So he likes Harry," Tonks said. "That is good."

The raven walked over to a crib and placed Teddy down. "You need to sleep now buddy," he said. He looked over to Remus and Kami. "We'll head home now. Just remember that we'll help whenever you need it," he said. He leaned down and kissed Kami on the forehead before he headed back out of the room. "He is healthy and I doubt it will take long before he becomes impossible to deal with," he told Charlie. "I need to sleep. Let's go home yeah?"

Charlie smirked and took his hand. They could both use some sleep.

* * *

 _16th of June, 1998. Tuesday_

Harry hummed as he made his way up to the school. The NEWT exam for Care of Magical Creatures was that day. He smiled at Neville and the others as he joined them. He had made it clear to the Ministry that he was going to take the NEWTs. The four of them were taken in two at a time. Neville and Hannah went first and then it was Ernie and Harry's turn.

The raven walked into the Great Hall and raised an eyebrow at the hippogriffs standing in there. He was pointed to one of them. He walked up to the half-bird half-horse and bowed without taking his eyes away from the creature. It bowed back in no time. Harry looked over to Ernie as he petted the hippogriff. The blond was doing just fine as well. They had both learned how to not approach a hippogriff back in their third year.

After that they were set on picking out a proper meal for dragon hatchlings at which point Harry asked what species because he knew fully well that they all required different food.

"Just pick the food out," the gentle witch that headed his exam said.

Harry sighed. He went over the food and created several different gatherings of food.

"You have to make up your mind young man," the witch said.

"Hungarian Horntail," Harry said and pointed at one pile. "Amazonian Rainwing." He was pointing at another. He went through every species he knew before he informed her that the best food for Crystalbacks and Tunnelwalkers didn't exist in the selection.

The poor witch looked both surprised and confused.

"My husband is a dragon handler and I have a pretty good connection to them myself," Harry said. "It isn't as simple as just saying dragons as a whole will eat this or they'll eat that." He smiled softly. "Unfortunately I'm one of the experts," he said.

"Well some of these we can look up," the examiner said. She hadn't been this thumped in a long time. It was always interesting to come across someone who knew a lot.

They went over a few more creatures before she sent him off. The written exam would be held an hour later.

"So, how did you handle that?" Neville asked. "I mean one of the main parts was dragons."

Harry snorted. "I might flunk it because they don't like my attitude but who knows," he said.

"They better not," Ernie said. "You know way more about any of this than we do."

"Doesn't necessarily mean that I'll end up with a better grade," Harry said. "I won't worry about it though. I have better things to think about. Like the fact that I have to pick my godson up after this so his parents can get a chance to breath."

Neville chuckled. "Babysitting huh?" he said.

"Yep," Harry said. He looked through a few notes he had made for the essay he and Charlie were writing. They had a long way to go still. It was getting pretty long though.

...

"Hey buddy," Harry said as he picked Teddy up. "Don't tell me they left you with only Sirius. He's hopeless." He walked out of Teddy's room and down the hall to the balcony. "Hey Remus," he said as he walked out there. He was one of the few people who could just enter the house. Remus and Kami trusted him and he had been the one to secure the house in the first place.

"Hello Harry," Remus said. He smiled at his son. "He was awake?" he asked.

"I think he woke up just before I arrived," Harry said.

"I'll be back in two hours," Remus said.

"Like always. I know how it works," Harry said. Between him and the boy's grandparents there was always someone there with the boy despite the fact that both his parents were working. Kami only worked two days a week so far though. They didn't want to leave their son to be raised by others. Tuesday was Harry's day.

Remus left to take care of his third year class. He enjoyed teaching quite a lot. He came home every evening after class but he was only a fire call away if anyone needed him. It wasn't the best solution for a Head of House, but he couldn't be away from his family.

Harry leaned back and chuckled as Teddy started gnawing on one of his fingers.

…

Two days later Harry alone sat the History of Magic exam. He was glad that he had worked on that on his own. The goblins were quite happy with his work so far. He was doing them more justice than most humans would. He had started working on putting something together for the war against Voldemort as well. Lucius had promised to help him with that.

The week after he would take both his Herbology and Study of Ancient Runes exams. He wouldn't have to bother with school again after that. It would be nice to finish.

* * *

 _26th of June, 1998. Friday_

Hermione sat down next to Harry. They had finished their last exam. "I was wondering if you would come back for the exams," she said. "I mean you work already don't you?"

"I do yeah," Harry said. "I wanted my grades though. I was pretty sure I could do the tests without actually attending lessons. I'm pretty good at self study." He looked out over the lake. It was a beautiful day. He wanted to go back home, but he wouldn't just up and leave Hermione. She had come over to him.

"Things are going to be a lot different now," Hermione said.

"Yeah, but we'll keep in contact," Harry said. "No matter how far apart we end up. We've got magic so we can always keep in contact."

Hermione chuckled. "I guess you're right," she said. It felt good to know that he wouldn't just disappear.

"As long as we can we should set something up that means we keep meeting," Harry said. "Like brunch every weekend or something." He moved his gaze over to the brunette. She was smiling brightly. He knew they would come to some kind of agreement. She wanted them to meet up as much as he did. He lay back and looked up at the sky. She was right things would change now. He didn't mind though. Change never really bothered him. He'd been through the most life changing change you could really imagine as he'd been pulled to and from Nirn. He had survived that, and he had kept living. Katla and Ra'shall would be proud of him if they could see him now.

Life was looking up.

They were going to do their best to get their reserve up and running.

Alice and Frank would get better. No matter how long time it took. Neville would have his parents back.

' _I should take a swim when I get home,'_ Harry thought.

 **~End of Book 7**


	92. Epilogue - Little Starlight

**Epilogue**

 **Little Starlight**

 _23rd of July, 1998. Thursday_

Frank smiled softly as he walked around on the beach. Alice was getting better. He could tell. She was looking at him like she knew him – properly knew him now. He knew it could still be a long way to go before she was fully recovered. He still had some way to go himself. He smiled over at his son as he came walking down.

"I saw mom before I came down. Harry said you were out here," Neville said.

"She is d…doing better," Frank said. His voice was horse and he stumbled a little, but he was speaking now.

"Dad," Neville said happily.

"Come here s…son," Frank said as he pulled his son into a hug. "I wish we could ha…have been here for you."

"It's alright," Neville said. "It isn't your fault."

"Harry says we s...should take a trip to Hogsmeade so I can walk around somewhere f...familiar. He thought Diagon Alley might be a bit much with all the people," Frank said. He had really gotten talking now.

Winky popped up with some water for him. He hadn't even asked. She was just amazing. The Longbottom elves weren't that good.

"I'm guessing I'll come with you then," Neville said.

"I would assume so," Frank said with a smile. He chuckled as a dragon dove into the lake. "They really are something special," he said.

"Harry and Charlie are the only people I know that can say they have dragons on their grounds," Neville said.

…

Their little trip outside did alert people to the fact that Frank was walking around and talking again. He had been happy to walk around away from the wards for a bit, but when the letters started arriving he was very glad to be safe behind strong wards. Too many old friends wanted to see him again.

Charlie and Harry were good men though. They easily kept track of everything so he didn't miss anything important, but he was never overwhelmed. It was nice to hear from some people he had known. It was nice to know they still remembered.

* * *

Months went by and word of what Harry and Bill had done spread. The news soon reached other countries and the two of them were called to Germany and to Chile to help with two different cases. Harry had demanded the case file after the first time. He saw no reason to drag Bill with him when the man wasn't really needed for the case.

Harry received another file late one November evening. It came from the magical branch of the District General Hospital in Matara on Sri Lanka. It looked like a mess to him. A man that hadn't woken up for three years and no one could say what was wrong with him. The notes were next to useless unfortunately. He guessed he and Charlie would have to get over there. He would have to let Bill know that he might call him though. He got up. He had some things to pack and a husband to talk to. It wouldn't do to decided that they should go without talking to his other half first.

 _11th of November, 1998. Wednesday_

Harry had long ago come to the conclusion that cities tended to look rather similar. Matara was quite beautiful though. They didn't have the high concrete buildings that plagued London in so many places. He actually liked Matara. Just like Vallenar back in Chile. He had liked that city too. He guessed it was because these cities reminded him of Skyrim. They were less developed if that now was the right word. The non-magicals were doing some rather nasty stuff to the planet.

He looked back at the bed where Charlie was still sleeping. He wouldn't wake the oranget up. He was just going to see the patient that day and make his own evaluation of the man's condition. He walked off the balcony and opened his bag up so he could get dressed.

Harry headed over to the hospital on foot. He'd left a note with Charlie. He really didn't want to wake him up. He stepped into the hospital and looked around. It was primitive next to St Mungo's. He walked over to a curtain that was filled with magic. He guessed it was the portal over to the magical part of the hospital. He headed over to it and slipped in behind it.

"Excuse me who are you?" a medi-witch asked.

"I am Harry Potter. I'm here for Jefferson…" he looked down at his notes.

"Ah, yes wonderful. We were hoping you would come. You are younger than I thought you would be," the medi-witch said. "It is this way." She started leading him down a corridor.

The magical part of the hospital was small. Harry passed half a dozen rooms as he followed the woman, and he was pretty sure there weren't all that much more.

"Here we are I will get the Healer," the medi-witch said before she left again.

Harry walked up to the man lying on the bed and sat down. He reached out and placed a hand against the patient's temple. The other hand moved down over his chest but didn't touch. ' _Patient is definitely affected by something connected to his mind,'_ he thought. He shifted before he slipped into the man's mind. It wasn't as bad as Alice or even Frank. The man's mind was just fine, but it was sealed away – locked up behind some very powerful magic.

~Help me.~

Harry's eyes narrowed. Something about that didn't sound sincere. He reached out with his mind. A hand flew up to his own temple suddenly. ' _Oh, that's bad,'_ he thought. The man was possessed. Or he had been until the possessing mind had moved. The shields might very well have been placed up by the man himself though Harry couldn't be sure. He sealed the mind away inside one of his Dwemer ruins.

Green eyes opened. A man was standing by the bed. "We have a problem," he said calmly. "He was possessed and the mind moved to me. I won't be able to help him until I have dealt with the secondary mind. I don't actually know how to do that so every second matters because if the mind takes me over this world is screwed."

"Nice and easy then," the Healer said.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, really nice and easy," he said. "I'm glad I asked my husband to come along. He'll be able to help me." He stood up. "Do you have a room that can contain me or do I have to send for help to create one?" he asked.

"No we have one," the Healer said.

"Then let's go," Harry said. They started walking and Harry gave the man explicit instructions. One of which was to not touch him once he settled down. He placed a hand against the side of the room. He pulled a piece of parchment out and wrote down several things in dovahzul before he spoke the words. He had strengthened the cell. "Only allow Charlie in here," he said. He walked inside and sat down. He moved into his own mind landing right outside the ruins he had sealed the invading mind inside. He opened the door and walked inside.

"It's not so easy, is it?" Harry said as he found the shade of a man. It soon became obvious to him that the person didn't really speak English. The call for aid had probably been all distorted because it had gone through a translator filter in the patient.

It wasn't a full person. Not a soul either. It was one thought. One thought so strong it kept going. It was infused with magic. The problem was – how did you kill a thought? Harry wasn't sure. He turned around as another mind appeared. He knew that bringing Charlie in there could be really dangerous for his husband. He had left instructions for Charlie though. The oranget knew what he was getting himself into if he came down there.

The shade moved past him as Charlie entered the ruin. He left his mind and took his husband's hands. When Charlie's eyes opened they were dead. He started speaking some form of native language. That didn't matter to Harry though. He still had to think quickly. He didn't want that thing in Charlie's mind. He needed to banish and catch it. If he just banished it, then it would latch on to someone else. So first he had to build a cage. He took his bag off and started rummaging through it while he kept an eye on Charlie. Frankly he would have been happier transferring that thought to someone he could have just killed.

" _ **Tul,"**_ he hissed at Charlie. He placed the items he needed down. He only needed a split second to deal with the magic holding the thought. He worked quickly using dragon scales and powering the whole thing with one of his gems. "Come on love let's get this over with," he said as he grabbed the oranget and pushed him down on the floor. " _ **Lor fustir hah,"**_ he whispered as he focused on the magic not belonging to his husband. He leaned down and kissed him. Lightning danced in his palm as the magic was caught by his trap. He sent the blue bolts through his construction building the power until the scales broke. There was a charge that was too much even for Crystalback scales.

"Wake up Charlie," Harry whispered. " _ **Vopraan vok lokaal - wake up love."**_ He buried his face in Charlie's shoulder. His breathing slowed.

Green eyes opened up and Harry sat up.

"Calm down balaur meu."

Harry breathed in slowly. He met his husband's eyes. "It isn't there anymore right?" he asked.

Charlie shook his head. "Nope," he said. "You can check if you want to, but I'm pretty sure you destroyed it."

Harry reached out and wrapped his arms around Charlie. He did do a scan of his husband's mind just to make sure that he was fine.

"You have been out for a while," Charlie said. "I don't know for how long I was out before then so it could be any time right now."

"We're both needed to get out of here," Harry said.

"You sealed the place off?" Charlie asked.

"I did. It is temporary though so I'll be taking it down when we leave," Harry said. "Password out is _**mal filkun**_." Charlie stood up and helped him to his feet. "Can we leave?" he asked. "Of course," the raven answered. They walked up to the door placed their palms against it and spoke the password before opening the door and leaving.

"I want to head outside," Charlie said. "Breathe some fresh air. Look around a bit. We will have some vacation as well, right?"

"As soon as I have helped the patient actually recover," Harry said.

Charlie nodded. They leaned back against the building outside. Neither of them felt very good. Sleep wasn't really something that was very appealing at this point though. They would have to build up quite the barrier to get any kind of good sleep.

* * *

 _16th of November, 1998. Monday_

Harry sighed. He had worked for days attempting to bring Jefferson back from within the confines of his mind. The guy was stubborn. Unlike Alice and Frank he didn't want help. It had soon become obvious it had something to do with his family.

Harry didn't care about that though. He had been brought in to wake the guy up and that's what he would do. Jefferson wasn't all that happy with him when he woke up. Harry wasn't affected. He honestly didn't care what the man had to say. He was on his way out of the hospital once more. He wasn't returning. Jefferson didn't want his help so he wouldn't help anymore. He had been brought in to wake the man up. He had done that so now he was going to leave.

"She is a squib hand her over to the muggles."  
"But we can't do that. She is just a child."

"We can't take care of every child that comes through here. We have to focus on the magical ones."

Harry walked up to the two medi-witches. There was a small girl resting on the arms of one of them. She was dirty and her hair was a black untamed mess. Eyes opened. Flaming orange orbs looked around. A shrill scream left the toddler. The medi-witches tried to calm her down and failed.

Harry walked up to them and held his arms out to take the girl. "Let me try," he said. He could tell that the older of the two didn't approve, but the younger one holding the girl quickly handed her over to him. "She's hungry," he said. He was calming the girl down. He was careful though. He could permanently mess her up if he used too much magic on her. "What happened?" he asked as he walked with the younger medi-witch. He rubbed the little girl's back.

"Her mother came by with her and just handed her over. She said she couldn't take care of her," the medi-witch said her accent heavy.

"Is this common. I mean I'd assume that babies are left from time to time, but she is … I don't know," Harry looked down at the girl.

"Two," the medi-witch said, "and we get older kids from time to time. Sometimes we get a chance to speak to the mother and sometimes the kids are just dumped off."

"How do you know that she's a squib?" Harry asked. He could feel magic in her. He knew she had magic, but they said she was a squib.

"We have a spell to test the children that come in," the medi-witch said. "We don't have the resources to take care of all the children that are left here. We hand the ones that has no future in the magical world over to the muggle part of the hospital."

"But she has magic," Harry said. He sat down in a chair. His fingers ran down the girl's cheek. "Hush sweetheart it will be alright," he said calmly.

"She does?" the medi-witch said confused. She pulled out her wand. "Praecantatio Examino," she cast a spell at the little girl. "She doesn't have magic," she said.

Harry studied the child. He could tell that the spell hadn't connected with her magic. ' _Maybe she doesn't have wizarding magic,'_ he thought. "How old are children when they start doing accidental magic normally?" he asked. He knew Teddy hadn't started yet apart from the colour switching he wasn't doing magic.

"Anywhere between six months to three years-old normally. Then there are late bloomers, but the spell works on them too," the medi-witch said.

Harry nodded slowly. He held his hand out in front of the girl and created a faint Candlelight. It was one of the simplest spells he knew. He handed the orb to her. "She still needs food," he told the woman who was staring at him. She pulled out of her stupor and walked over to a fridge.

Harry looked back down to the girl in his arms. "What will we do with you little one?" he asked softly. "If I just leave you here they will send you out into the non-magical world. He ran his hands down her back. She was thin. From what he could gather from her mind she had been fairly well taken care of. Her mother had loved her. He wished he could get a hold of the woman again. He could help her. A plate was placed down in front of him and he picked the spork up and helped the little girl. "Did her mother say what her name is?" he asked. She ate hungrily.

"No she didn't," the medi-witch said.

"Is there anyway we can track her down?" Harry asked. He had a way, but he wanted to hear from her what she had to say.

"No we can't," she said.

"So she will be sent to the non-magical world and no one here will care at all," Harry said. He sighed. "What if I want custody of her?" he asked.

The medi-witch bit her lip. "Well that might change things," she said. "I could probably push for that. It will still be a little tricky, but since you are magical we should be able to keep her here through the process. You are married are you not?"

"I am yes. I'll have to speak to my husband before I decide on anything. He has a say as well after all," Harry said. "We don't need more than a day to make a decision though."

"I can give you that," the medi-witch said.

Harry didn't give her the girl until she had fallen back to sleep. "I'll hopefully be back before nightfall," he said.

The medi-witch nodded. She would take the girl to a room. Maybe clean her up a bit.

Harry headed out of the hospital. He was going to find the girl's mother.

…

Charlie looked up as the door to the hotel room slammed shut. He was about to say something jokily when he saw Harry's face. "Hey love what's wrong?" he asked. He stood up and walked over to the raven.

"A girl was left at the hospital today. Her mother doesn't dare keeping her, and she won't accept help. I tracked her down and talked to her. It had something to do with the girl's father, but she wouldn't tell me what. The girl is two. She needs a family and they say she's a squib. I can tell she has magic though. I can feel it. I think that maybe she is like I am now. I don't know how that is possible. I left this world to learn the magic I know," Harry said. He wrapped his arms around Charlie.

"We should adopt her," the oranget said.

Harry looked at him.

"You say she is like you then we are the best for her. We can help her and you can find her mother again when she is old enough to want that," Charlie said. "We have been talking about this, and I know you. That's what you want isn't?" He placed his hands on either side of Harry's face before he kissed him. His hands travelled down over the raven's back. Harry smiled into the kiss. "You need to meet her first," he said as the broke apart.

"Can we go now?" Charlie asked.

Harry looked down at his watch. "Yeah, it should be fine," he said. "She is the cutest little thing." He took Charlie's hand and gutboed them to the hospital. It didn't take him long to find the girl. "Her mother wouldn't tell me her name," he said as they walked through the door. He walked up to the girl and sat down. He had used the food as a distraction earlier. Now she was looking at him. She spoke, but he couldn't understand. He reached out slowly and created his little ball of light. She reached out to it. She spoke again as he touched her hands. She was asking for her mom. "Mommy isn't coming," he said. He knew that taking over would be difficult. She was old enough to have a bond with her mother. It would take a lot of patience should they choose to adopt her.

The little girl threw the ball of light away and started shouting. Harry took a calming breath and leaned back in his chair. He wouldn't stop her. She had a right to be angry. He held out a hand to her as she went from angrily screaming to crying. He wouldn't push himself on her, but he would offer comfort. It took a little time before the little raven crawled up to him. He hugged her close.

"I have often dreamed of a far off place

Where a great warm welcome will be waiting for me

Where the crowds will cheer when they see my face

And a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be," Harry started singing. He looked up at Charlie. "I will find my way, I can go the distance

I'll be there someday if I can be strong

I know every mile will be worth my while

I would go most anywhere to feel like I belong." He raised an eyebrow at the medi-witch that entered the room.

It was the older woman from earlier – the one that had wanted to send the girl over to the non-magicals. "What is that child still doing here?" she asked. "She doesn't belong in our world."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Why don't you try using your fancy little spell on me," he said. "It would be interesting to see just what the reading would be. I wouldn't be surprise if it read no magic." He moved the girl over to Charlie. "Go ahead," he said. He wondered why they were using Latin spells on Sri Lanka. Come to think of it this was the first time he had heard anyone in the hospital use a Latin spell. He wondered who had created it. Probably some pure-blood nut. The spell hit him and it came back negative just like he had thought. "Would you say I do not have magic," he said.

"Not all squibs have magic," the medi-witch said.

"Of course not. But then again if they have magic they aren't squibs, are they?" Harry said. He reached out and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. He was showing that he wasn't leaving. "We want to adopt her," he said.

"The two of you, really," the woman said.

Harry hummed. He didn't care what she had to say. If he needed to he would push everything through the system. He knew that at this point being there for the child was important. She had been abandoned by her mother, and he had been the first person she had seen after that. He mattered at this point. He did not want her to think that he was abandoning her too. He lifted her back onto his lap. "She needs a steady home that will care for her. We will do that," he said. Flame orange eyes looked up at him. "What is your name?" he asked. He knew she didn't understand him. He would keep talking though. She would learn fairly easily at her age. They had to call her something though. She needed a name.

"Let me take care of things," Charlie said.

Harry nodded. "Thank you," he said. The oranget bent down and kissed him before he headed out of the room. Harry smiled down at the girl in his lap. They had a bumpy road ahead of them.

* * *

 _27th of November, 1998. Friday_

Charlie walked into the room at the hospital that little Raelynn stayed in. They had settled for a name for her. Raelynn Katla… it wasn't easy to make her a Potter though. They kept meeting resistance. Technically there was no logical reason for them not to be able to adopt her. They had actually considered going to the non-magical world to settle everything. That would take a lot of time though and little Raelynn would end up in a foster home while they did it. They couldn't let that happen.

He sat down in the chair next to the bed. Harry was sleeping next to the little raven. She was clinging to him. They would get custody. He didn't care what they had to do to manage it. Harry would have to get out there and put his foot down though. He doubted that his husband would put the little girl down to go see people. Not that Harry carried Raelynn around. He was always around though. If she hadn't been dependent on him that first day she definitely was now.

"How long have you been back?" Harry asked. A warm hand landed on the oranget's thigh.

"Half an hour maybe," Charlie said. "They are being difficult. I think you will have to throw some power around. They won't even let me get to the right person right now."

"You'll have to stay with her if I leave," Harry said.

"Yeah I know," Charlie said. "I'm going to go get some sleep. I miss you, you know."

"I miss you too," Harry said. He got up and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"This trip definitely didn't become what I thought it would," Charlie said. He kissed Harry. "I'll be back in the morning."

"Good night _**dii yol**_ ," Harry said.

"Good night balaur meu," Charlie said.

…

 _28th of November, 1998. Saturday_

The next morning Harry left the hospital as Charlie arrived. He was going to find whoever was in charge of magical child services or whatever. There had to be someone. Unlike Charlie he wasn't going to let them stop him with their foolish bureaucracy. He could get the information he needed from them even if they didn't want to give it.

Charlie had been nice about it. Now he was tried of their idiocies. He was getting to the source no matter what now. Well… he wouldn't hurt anyone. Maybe he and Charlie were just a tad bit impatient. It hadn't been that long since they started the process. Their biggest problem was that their request wasn't getting to the correct people. He would find those now.

An hour later he was finally on his way to the people that mattered. Charlie hadn't even gotten close to them. Harry hoped that it wasn't their idea. He walked into the office. "Excuse me I'm looking for Miss Jenkins," he said.

"She's not available," the young man sitting by the desk said.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I know she's in the building and I happen to know she requires funding. I can help with that, but I'm going to need something in return. I've been talking to meaningless paper pushers the past hour to find her, and I'm not so easy to get rid off," Harry said. He closed his eyes and gathered himself. Losing his temper didn't help at all. He knew his magic had flared though.

"What is going on?" a dark haired stern looking woman asked as she walked into the room.

"Are you Miss Sahana Jenkins?" Harry asked.

"Yes I am and who are you?" Miss Jenkins responded.

"My name is Harry Potter," Harry said. "My husband has been looking for the person in charge of adoption since the seventeenth of this month, but people kept blindsiding him. On the sixteenth a girl was brought into the magical part of the district hospital in Matara. Her mother left her there because she feared the girl's father. I never managed to find out why. I did offer her help –protection. She didn't accept the offer. Her daughter has been deemed a squib, but I can tell that she has magic; it just isn't wizarding magic. My husband and I wish to adopt her. She took to me the first day when she came in. We want children. Everyone we have been talking to so far has blindsided us."

"He thinks he can buy the kid," the young man said.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "That is far from what I meant," he said. "I'm an orphan. My parents were murdered when I was one. I've seen it because Dementors bring those memories back, oh so nicely, for me. I want to help this girl. I can teach her. Her magic is like mine. She won't find that anywhere else. She needs stability. I have spent every day since she was brought in with her. Both my husband and I either work from home or will bring her with us when we travel. We will always be there. I know what it is like to end up in a house where you're not wanted. I don't want that to happen to her. I am willing to offer money for your cause because you need it, and it will help more children. Alone I can't possibly help everyone. But I can help others help children that need it." He knew he would have to go through quite the scanning to even be considered for adoption. He didn't see why he wouldn't pass though.

…

Miss Jenkins followed the young man that had walked in to her office earlier that day over to a hospital room. "Is she hurt?" she asked.

"No, but they won't let us leave with her, and I won't let them move her," Harry said. He opened the door to Raelynn's room and walked inside. He walked over to her and sat down. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up," he said. He didn't move closer to her.

A broad shouldered redhead rose from a chair. "I told her you would be back, but her English isn't all that good," he said.

"She started learning last week. What do you expect love," Harry said a smile playing on his lips.

Jenkins watched the two of them for a moment. She could tell that they cared greatly for each other. "You said you were married," she said.

Harry turned around. "Yes, we got married July twenty-sixth last year," he said. "We married according to goblin law since I am a member of a goblin clan. It holds just fine everywhere else including the non-magical world. We want the adoption to be legal in the non-magical world as well since we most likely want her to have a chance at going to school in the non-magical world."

Jenkins nodded slowly. "I'll have to borrow your husband for a moment," she said.

Charlie chuckled. "I guess you can do that," he said. He walked out of the room with her.

Harry sighed. At least he had managed to find the person that could actually help them. He smiled as Raelynn stumbled over to him. "Hey sweetheart," he said. "Things will work out alright. We will make sure of that." She sat down in his lap and he chuckled. "Is that better?" he asked. He pulled her hair brush to him so he could brush her hair. He would be plating it for her. She seemed to like that. Maybe it was a bit crazy of them to get a girl. He wasn't sure. They would have help from a lot of women. Hermione would probably be the best choice for godmother though. She was the most comfortable with the non-magical world. They might end up giving her two godmothers though.

' _That's if we do get custody,'_ Harry thought. He summoned a ball of light again and coloured it purple.

…

It took weeks. The process was tedious, but at least they got to leave the hospital with Raelynn after three weeks. They wore a bracelet each that kept track of them so they couldn't disappear with the little raven. It was fine for them. They had nowhere they needed to be. Jenkins really was a blessing. She was amazingly good at dealing with the paperwork and other things that needed to be done so they could adopt the little girl.

It was a relief to finally get back home though. Little two year-old on his arm, Harry walked into the house with Charlie behind him. "This is home," he said.

"There you are. Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting here for you!"

Harry walked past the man completely ignoring him. He knew Charlie was going to deal with him. He passed through the entrance hall and walked into the dinning room and up to the living room. He would have to set up some sort of shield so she couldn't go tumbling down the stairs. He placed her down. She could do her own exploring. She was two; he had noticed that's he enjoyed wandering around. "Be careful dear," he said.

Downstairs Charlie was giving the Ministry official a harsh look. "We have specifically asked to be informed beforehand," he said. "You should have sent a letter. Our house-elf would have delivered it to us and one of us would have been here."

"You locked me up for days. I will have you arrested for it!" the man exclaimed.

"You basically broke into our house by appearing without informing us first. By goblin law I could kill you where you stand and the Ministry couldn't touch me," Charlie said. "You are better off leaving." He had no patience with officials of any kind. He'd spent way too long dealing with idiots recently. He just wanted to relax with his family. "You can leave now. I suggest you don't return," he said as he gave the man permission to travel out through the wards.

"I can't believe this. I will be taking it up with my superiors. You will not get away with…"

Charlie threw the man out. He had no patience, none whatsoever. He headed up to his husband.

"Is he gone?" Harry asked.

"He is," Charlie answered. He sat down next to his husband. "Can we lock the wards down for a few days?" he asked.

"Winky," Harry called. The little elf showed up. "Is Fleur and Bill home?" he asked her.

"No Master Harry they be in France over the Holidays," she answered.

"Will you please let them know that we are locking the wards. They will still be able to come back home, but they can't bring anyone," Harry said. "And I would like to introduce you to Raelynn Katla Potter."

Winky turned around and looked down at the little girl. "Master brought home little Miss," she said. She sounded happy. She hadn't had a child in the house since young Mister Barty. Never a little girl. "Winky will let Mrs Flower know," she said. She popped away to inform Bill and Fleur of the ward arrangements.

Harry chuckled as Raelynn grabbed one of the soft building blocks that they had bought for Teddy. The baby was too young to use them, but Raelynn could have loads of fun with them. She babbled. The healers had told them that she might regress. From time to time there was an English word in there.

Harry's head fell down to rest against Charlie's shoulder. "You realise we are the first to give your mother a grandchild right," he said.

"Oh, Merlin don't remind me," Charlie said. "We can have the Holidays to ourselves, can't we?"

"Of course love," Harry said.

They watched Raelynn as she started building with the blocks. They would have some down time – just the three of them together before they involved anyone else. Frank and Alice would be the first ones she would be introduced to. They lived in the house after all. It would be their first Yule in a long while. Alice wasn't well, but she was doing much better.


	93. Epilouge - Show's on the Road

**Show's on the Road**

 _9th of February, 1999. Tuesday_

"Oh, no you don't," Harry said. He lifted Raelynn up. "You are being a bad girl. You need to take a bath."

"Not," Raelynn said.

"Oh is that so," Harry said. "I'm not so sure we can have that. Little girls need to bathe."

"No papa," Raelynn said determined.

Harry chuckled. "I won't have that honey," he said. He set her down so he could pull her clothes off. "I think you are contradicting me just because you can," he said.

"Rae no bath," Raelynn said.

Harry hummed as he brought her into the bathroom. He wasn't going to listen on that ear. She really needed that bath.

Half an hour latter he came walking out of the bathroom with her in a towel.

"You look like a drowned rat."

"Thank you love," Harry said sarcastically. He walked up to the oranget as he dried up. They shared a kiss before he handed his husband their daughter. "Have fun," he said.

Charlie snorted. He looked down at the little girl. "Have you managed to get papa in a bad mood, huh?" he asked her. She just giggled and struggled out of the towel so she could run off as fast as her tiny legs would carry her. Charlie got up and followed her with the towel.

"Aunty Alice would like to see you Raelynn, but you need to get dressed first," Harry said as he walked out of their bedroom fully dressed. He held out a dress to her. She highly disliked clothes so they kept the amount she wore to a minimum. He pulled the dress over her head and lifted her up. Come summer he doubted he would bother. She could run around as she liked.

They headed downstairs and walked through the guest corridor down to the Longbottoms' room. He opened the door and walked inside. "How are you today?" he asked.

"The headache has passed," Frank said. He smiled at Raelynn. "Hello little one," he said.

Harry smiled as he walked up to Alice's bed. He placed Raelynn down. "Hey Alice," he said. He reached out and took her hand. "How are you doing dear?" he asked as he connected to her mind.

~Confused,~ Alice said. ~So much is missing.~

"I know dear," Harry said. "I'm sorry for that, but there wasn't much I could do about it. We wanted you back."

She smiled softly at him. ~I know,~ she said.

"We'll see what we can do to handle the confusion," Harry said. "Would you like to sit with Frank?" She nodded, and he helped her up and over to her husband. He would have to invite Neville again soon. They were still in lockdown. They had figured Raelynn could use some time with just them. Fleur and Bill were back though so she would meet them soon.

They would take it a few people at a time, and it would always be at their home for her sake.

…

 _13th of May, 1999. Thursday_

Charlie watched the goblins as they set things up. They were actually creating the reserve now. It had been a bit of a hassle to get the permissions they needed, but brining in Rosalie had helped a lot. Yet another person with years of experience was a really wise idea.

They were finally getting the show on the road. They had travelled over to Amazonas and talked to the Rainwings. Several of them had been happy to come with them. They had already planed their part of the reserve out. They wanted all of the different parts to match the dragons they were taking in. Rainwings, Tunnelwalkers, Crystalbacks and Frost-Tails they were all dragons that were fairly non aggressive. Rosalie had been the one to find the Frost-Tails. They lived in Antarctica. She had found them after she had quit her job at the reserve in Romania. It wasn't so bad anymore, but she had been more interested in exploring. And then she had been offered the job at Nirn Nesting Grounds.

Charlie was glad to have his best friend there with them. She had been ecstatic to be made Raelynn's godmother. Her quiet demeanour and calm behaviour was great for the little girl that didn't trust women. Hermione was over at the house now. She seemed to be working out alright as well. It would be some time before they left their daughter alone with anyone else though. He wandered over to the Frost-Tail pen. He was glad they had goblins on their side. Environmental enchantments were difficult to make. Harry had a hand in it as well. Dragon runes could do all kind of things it seemed.

The pens were coming along nicely. There were teams of goblins working on the different pens. They had enlarged them to be huge. The Crystalback one was connected to their personal wards so they could travel between. It was the only one that would be for their own safety.

"We need the rainforest in the one furthest back," Charlie said. "There should be a river running through all of the pens. Why isn't it up yet? You can't bring in vegetation before the river is up."

One of the goblins sneered at him and he raised an eyebrow. "Do you wish to challenge me?" he asked. The goblin smirked and pulled an axe. Charlie sighed. He summoned Harry's daedric sword and moved into a battle stance. It was short lived and the oranget won. Some goblins thought they were better just because they were goblins, and that didn't work with him or Harry. He wasn't going to have goblins who wouldn't respect them working on their property.

"They aren't the nicest of people," Rosalie said as she came walking up to her friend.

Charlie chuckled. "They don't particularly like people," he said.

"So we have all the documents and permits we need now?" Rosalie asked.

"We do. The rest of the paperwork came in today. We are clear to go. The Ministry is going to send someone from the MacFusty clan over to have a look at the reserve before we can bring the dragons in but that's all. Whoever they send will either hate us or want to learn. Knowing how to speak to the dragons is a great help."

Rosalie nodded. She looked out over the slowly forming reserve. "This place will be beautiful," she said. "One piece of desert, a small rainforest, icy spikes and snow, and then the craggy mountain landscape that you have designed for the Crystalbacks. It is all going to look lovely. We'll be able to see it past the fences right?"

"Yes but the dragons won't be able to move past the wards we'll have set up," Charlie said. "I'm hoping that we can bring the dragons from under Gringotts out here as well. Harry wants that to happen too. They have been locked up down there for a long time. We need to work things out with the goblins though because they want dragons to guard their vaults. We'll have to work something out maybe we can find a system where the dragon can spend a set amount of time in the bank and then spend double the amount of time out here before going back in."

"That sounds like a way better deal than what they have right now," Rosalie said. "We can actually treat them properly. Muggles treat their dogs better than some goblins treat their dragons."

"Yeah, I know," Charlie said. "It angers Harry just to think about it. Our biggest problem here is that bringing in the amount of dragons we are bringing means we need food for them. To take care of the food animals we need either people or house-elves. We have areas set aside for the cattle and whatnot we need."

"The goblins have promised us that they will keep their eyes open for elves that want work and a place to stay. We're building housing for both elves and humans. You can have a place in the housing or you can get somewhere else and apparate in. This place will be cheaper so our employees can use their money for other things than living here," Charlie said.

"Sounds good," Rosalie said.

"We have backing from the goblins, Lord Malfoy and Lady Longbottom right now. They will help until everything is going around on its own," Charlie said. "Hopefully we can make everything work out. Since we have a much easier time gathering ingredients from the dragons than most people we should be able to sell things that aren't that common. We'll need to get a hold of people who can head that business."

"We'll manage," Rosalie said. "We know quite a lot of people right?"

Charlie smirked. "It might be time to get a hold of some old friends," he said. He hugged her, and then he headed down towards the slowly freezing area they had. The Frost-Tails were the only dragons that were in danger right now. They needed to be moved as soon as possible. They would need a lake that stayed thawed though because the dragons fished for food. They were working that area out first.

Charlie smiled as he entered the house. Harry was placing a pot down on the table. "How is it going?" the raven asked.

"Quite well. They started planting jungle before they had arranged for the river and lakes," Charlie said. "I had to fight some goblin. His pride is wounded, but I didn't hurt him any other way." He bent down and kissed the top of Raelynn's head. "How did it work out with Hermione?"

"It went well. She was a bit surprised that we have a daughter all of a sudden. Raelynn didn't mind her. Thankfully Hermione is a pretty calm person. I'm more worried about meeting your mother next week. You are going to have to speak to her before she meets Raelynn. I know she will want to be all hands on, but it just won't work," Harry said.

"I know love," Charlie said.

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "She had a bit of an episode earlier. It wasn't Hermione's fault. She just went into one of her fits. I let her work through it, but Hermione wouldn't lay of my case afterwards. We're bound to end up with something similar when your mother gets here."

Charlie chuckled. He moved closer to the raven before kissing him. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll deal with mom." He'd make sure that the raven didn't have to worry. He knew that Harry wasn't getting the sleep he needed right now. Raelynn kept waking him up in the middle of the night. He wished he could take over, but he didn't want to leave Harry alone either which would be the only way to make sure that the raven didn't wake up. They would have to seal the bedroom from taking in sound from Raelynn's room.

He couldn't do that though. He didn't want to leave Harry alone and the raven woke up way before him when she started crying. They would work something out.

* * *

 _22nd of July, 1999. Thursday_

"Hello Hedwig," Harry said. "What do you have there?" He reached out and relieved her of the letter she had. "Thank you dear," he said. It was addressed to him, but it was just his name nothing else. He opened the envelope up and pulled the letter out. "Oh, my," he said. He looked to Hedwig. "You are one very smart owl, aren't you," he said. She hooted at him.

"Papa, papa."

Harry walked over to the stairs. "Yes Raelynn," he said. He headed up.

"Papa pwae," Raelynn said.

"Sure honey we can play," Harry said. He headed further into the living room with her. She had a whole collection of plushies that tended to go on all kinds of adventures.

…

 _23rd of July, 1999. Friday_

Dudley looked own at the table. He had hoped that Harry would come. When his cousin's owl had showed up he had been surprised. He had wanted to speak to Harry, and there was his opportunity. He guessed he had messed it up too bad for it to be fixed.

"Papa, papa, ice cwem."

Dudley looked up as he heard the kid. He smiled. A dark haired father with his little girl had walked into the restaurant. She was adorable with little rat tails keeping her hair up and mostly out of her face. The man turned around and looked his way. ' _No way,'_ he thought. That couldn't be Harry. Bright green eyes met his. The raven slowly made his way through the restaurant. "I'm sorry I'm late, but Raelynn wouldn't cooperate with me," Harry said.

Dudley looked his cousin up and down. "What happened?" he asked.

Harry smirked as he sat down. "That is a long story," he said. "I doubt that we could get through the whole of it now. I don't seem to be the only one that's changed though." He had noticed that Dudley had lost a lot of weight the past couple of years.

"Yeah, I sort of woke up one morning and decided I wanted to do things differently. I started boxing, but I wanted to get good not just be a fat lard that threw punches," Dudley said. "It was hard work and it still is." He looked down at the table as a waitress came over. "Are you ready to order now?" she asked.

Dudley chuckled as Harry asked for some ice cream. He ordered a salad. "You aren't eating?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "We ate recently. I didn't know that this would be a full out restaurant," he said.

"You figured that I would want to go to a…"

"I didn't assume anything Dudley," Harry interrupted him. "I try not to."

Dudley sighed. "I'm sorry. Mom and dad are a bit difficult. My old friends don't talk to me anymore, but strangely enough as long as I don't go back home I feel better than I ever have before," he said. Things had changed a lot for him. "I… I asked you to come so I could apologise for the things I did when I was younger. It was mean and stupid. I just… I didn't understand. I still don't."

"Apology accepted," Harry said.

"Really?" Dudley said relieved.

"You have changed. I can see that. It's good enough for me," Harry said. "I changed a lot too."

"You look older," Dudley said. "Like I mean older than…"

"I'm turning twenty-four in a little over a week," Harry said. "As I said it is a long story."

"And you found someone?" Dudley asked. He nodded to the girl in his cousin's lap.

"Oh, yeah but Raelynn is adopted," Harry said. "My husband is dealing with the family business. Or what will become the family business eventually."

Dudley blinked surprised. Harry was gay. He had never even considered… Then again they had been what fourteen last time he saw his cousin. The summer after he had learned that Harry had left never to come back, but he hadn't met his cousin. He chuckled as the little girl dropped ice cream down into her lap.

Harry tsked as he pulled a napkin and cleaned her up. "What a mess Raelynn," he said. "The ice cream is supposed to go in your mouth honey." He looked back up at Dudley. "I never want to deal with your parents again. If you have turned your life around though, I wouldn't mind trying."

"I'd like to know more," Dudley said.

Harry nodded slowly. "We'll I guess that should be alright since you already know," he said. "The International Statute of Secrecy says we can't reveal ourselves to non-magicals, but since you already know I don't see any harm in telling you more. You can't tell anyone though."

Dudley nodded. "I understand," he said. "I'm finished so if your daughter is done spreading ice cream everywhere I guess we can leave here."

Harry rolled his eyes. He cleaned Raelynn up before he rose from the chair. "You are a little mess monster," he said affectionately.

Dudley followed his cousin outside. They wandered over to an alleyway.

"Why don't we go home?" Harry said. "I can take you back here later. I don't want to talk about these things here."

"Sure," Dudley said. He didn't realise what that meant until Harry grabbed his shoulder and they moved. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were standing on a grass clad field outside of a big house. "How did we?" he stuttered.

"Instant travel," Harry said. "Magic folk know several ways of doing it."

"Like the fireplace?" Dudley asked.

"Yes, like the fireplace," Harry said. "This is Ennerdale Manor and the land is Ennerdale Estate."

"You own this place?" Dudley asked.

"I do yes," Harry said. "Letting you in here is a bit tricky. You don't have magic so you shouldn't be seeing any of this. I have to work around that to allow you in. I'll have to create some kind of item for you so you can stick around. Something I can lock to the wards that will recognise you."

Dudley nodded slowly.

"Dwagon," Raelynn said.

Harry chuckled. "Yes it is Malqo dear," he said. He placed her down.

Dudley looked around. His eyes widened as a small blue dragon landed next to the girl. "That's a dragon," he said. "Dragons are real." He turned to Harry as the raven chuckled. "You actually trust it with your daughter?" he asked.

"I raised Malqo. He would never hurt her," Harry said.

…

Dudley sat down in his room. He let his head fall down into his palms. Harry's world was so full of amazing things. He looked over at his bag. Harry had given him copies of his Aunt Lily's journals. He had told him that the journals would explain Hogwarts better than he could. He smiled softly. It felt good to know that Harry wanted him to read something written by his mother.

Harry had changed so much. He was a really tough guy. Dudley had seen the bow and the sword not to mention the armour that Harry had told him was his. They had dragons and merpeople on their grounds. Harry had assured him that it wasn't normal, but Harry had them. He wondered how things would have turned out if he had been nicer to the raven when they were younger. He had been welcomed back at least.

He had a second chance. He would do his best not to mess it up.

* * *

 _15th of September, 1999. Wednesday_

Charlie looked around. The reserve was finished. The four pens that they were going to use at first were all equipped according to the wellbeing of the dragons that would live in them. He was waiting for whoever would be arriving from the MacFusty clan.

They had been given the coordinates to the reserve wards. He hoped that the Ministry had given them the correct coordinates. They would end up in the house otherwise. At least Harry was home so he could send them over.

"Are you Mr Charles Potter?"

Charlie turned around. "That would be me yes," he said.

"The ministry wants me to overlook your wards here to see if they are fit to hold dragons," Mrs MacFusty said. She looked around.

"Please go ahead," Charlie said. He followed her as she started walking around.

"You have experience with dragons?" she asked.

"I have worked in the reserve in Romania for five years. Then I spent four years travelling around the world seeing several different kinds of dragons," Charlie said.

"You already have dragons in here?" Mrs MacFusty said as she entered a pen. She had heard a roar.

"Yes they are Crystalbacks. We are the only ones in the world with permission to keep a pack," Charlie said. He noticed that she pulled her wand. "You have no need for that here ma'am," he said. "The dragons won't attack you."

"I'm sorry but my family has taken care of dragons for centuries. I know how to deal with them," Mrs MacFusty said.

Charlie shrugged. He wasn't going to argue with her. He just hoped that she wouldn't attack the little dragons. They walked over a hill and down towards the river that ran through the reserve. Iilahhil jumped up and started flying towards them as she saw Charlie. The oranget moved up in front of the woman and held out an arm. Iilahhil shrank and landed on his arm. " _ **Drem yol lok Iilahhil,"**_ he said. He ran his free hand down her back as he turned around.

Mrs MacFusty looked both stunned and confused. "I have never seen a dragon act like that before," she said. "They are not pets."

"Oh, I know," Charlie said. "This pack is family though. Meet Iilahhil she is one of the older ones in this pack. She is beta dragon together with Malqo. He is the blue one that's heading this way."

"They live in a pack. Then who are the alphas if these two are beta?" Mrs MacFusty asked.

"My husband is alpha and I to a lesser degree," Charlie said.

"How can a human be alpha over dragons?"

"That is something you would only understand if you saw him with dragons," Charlie said. "I have never seen anyone handle dragons like he does. He turned the entire Romanian reserve upside-down when he was there."

"What are you telling her now _**dii yol**_?" Harry asked as he made his way up to the two.

"Where is Raelynn?" Charlie asked.

"On her way to the dragons," Harry said and pointed out to their daughter. "I have made sure she won't fall into the water."

"You let your daughter wander around near the dragons?" Mrs MacFusty asked horrified.

"She's our hatchling they would never harm her," Harry said. "They know how angry I would get if they did anything."

"And you trust them?"

"Yes I do," Harry said his tone final. He walked up to the dragons. His daughter was excitedly playing with the pack. He sat down next to her. " _ **Dovah,"**_ he said softly as he touched the dragon.

Raelynn looked up at her papa. "Doah," she said.

Harry chuckled. " _ **Dovah**_ that's right," he said.

"What is he saying?" Mrs MacFusty asked.

"Dovah, it means dragon," Charlie said.

"Means dragon in what language?"

"The language of the dragons."

She stared at him. "Dragons have a language?" she asked.

"Yes they do. It is old and long forgotten by most. There are old texts in the pyramids and in Dragon's Breath Cave written in _**dovahzul**_ or dragon-tongue. Harry can speak it though, and he taught me. His mother taught him. He has personally secured every pen we have himself on top of the security that the goblins placed," Charlie said.

"How did you get the goblins to do this?" Mrs MacFusty asked.

"Harry is a member of a goblin clan," Charlie said. "They would be insulted if he went anywhere else. It is one of the perks of being a member."

"That is highly uncommon," Mrs MacFusty said.

"Well yes but Harry doesn't do things the normal way," Charlie said.

Mrs MacFusty snorted. "I have seen this place and the security here is better than what we have back home. The magic involved is way beyond anything I have ever seen before," she said. "Would he be wiling to secure our reserve as well?"

"Possibly," Charlie said. "I'll have to talk to him. He isn't in the best of moods right now."

"You head this reserve though?"

"Oh yes I do. He does other work. Though, I'm sure that he will be helping me."

"If he is capable of speaking to them I would assume as much," Mrs MacFusty said. "I will give the Ministry my report."

"That is appreciated," Charlie said. "We have a threatened species that needs to be brought in as soon as possible."

"Bring them in. I doubt the Ministry will realise what is going on," Mrs MacFusty said.

Charlie nodded. He would do so. They had dragons to save.


	94. Epilouge - Growing Strong

**Growing Strong**

 _20th of January, 2001. Saturday_

Steady hands shifted dirt around. It was snowing outside, but the greenhouse was warm. Hands were washed before flowers were picked. He was invited over to Ennerdale and he wanted to bring some flowers for his mother. A smile spread over his lips. She had been getting better steadily. She wasn't talking yet, but last time he was over Harry had said it wasn't much longer.

Neville apparated straight from the greenhouse to Ennerdale. He smiled as Harry let him into the house. Little Raelynn was with him. The brunet chuckled as she walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Uncle Neville," she said.

"Hello Raelynn how are you doing?" Neville asked. He chuckled as the little raven started blabbing. Harry took the flowers he had with him and placed them in a vase for his mother as he listened to the little girl. Apparently her cousin Victorie had been staying with them for a few days. Raelynn seemed happy to have a little girl for a cousin. She wasn't half as exited when Teddy had been by even if he knew that they got along just fine.

"How is it going with the MacFustys," Neville asked Harry once Raelynn had taken off to do something more interesting.

"They are learning," Harry said. "They are a bit arrogant, but I can stand it."

"They are convinced that just because their family has been working with dragons for centuries, they are way better at handling them than you are," Neville said.

"Something along that line. I don't pretend to know more about Hebridean Blacks than they do. They try to tell me what to do when it comes to our dragons. Waving their wands around like morons. Irritating the dragons. I guess they will listen to me after they have seen what I can actually do. Our dragons won't mess with me," Harry said. He opened the door to Frank and Alice's room. "Good evening," he said.

"Good evening," Frank responded.

Alice looked up from her book. "Hello Neville dear," she said her voice breaking just a bit.

Neville smiled. "Hi mom," he said. He walked up to her and placed the flowers down on the table. "How are you doing?" he asked. He was so happy she was talking.

"It's still a little confusing… but Harry has helped me a lot. He thinks that maybe I need to figure the rest out myself," Alice said. "How are you doing sweetheart?"

Neville smiled softly. "I'm doing alright. I have started working with Madam Sprout. She is really happy that I'm pursuing Herbology. We have been trying to strengthen plants without ruining them for potions. It is tricky work. Professor Snape has been easier to work with now though. I'm guessing he's happier now that he's only teaching the NEWT students in potions," he said.

Frank smiled. "It never made sense to me that he was a teacher. He didn't seem like the type," he said. He leaned forward. "We will be coming home soon son," he said. "Your mother and I have been talking, and while we like it here at Ennerdale, we would like to return to Longbottom Manor."

Neville smiled. "That would be wonderful," he said.

"Harry has ensured us that he would be happy to secure a few rooms for us that only family can enter so we can have a place to retreat to when we need it," Frank said.

Neville looked up at the raven. "That would be great," he said. "You'll come over next week?" he asked the raven.

"I was thinking Tuesday," Harry said.

"Sounds good. I'll warn Gran in case I'm not home. Professor Sprout wants me over at the school. She has a greenhouse that hasn't been used in forever because the plants have completely taken it over," Neville said.

"It just happens to be dormant in the winter doesn't it?" Harry said with a smirk.

Neville laughed. "That's just right," he said.

Harry headed over to the door. "Dinner is in an hour," he said. "Winky has counted on all of you joining us at the table tonight. I'll see you then." He headed out leaving the family alone.

Neville smiled as Alice started playing with his hair. He didn't mind.

"So you are headed for a Mastery in Herbology?" Frank said. "Is anything else going on."

Neville smiled softly. "I'm seeing this girl. We were in the same year at Hogwarts and we got sort of closer towards the last few years. I asked her out last year," he said blushing faintly.

Frank slapped him on the shoulder. "That's they way to do it," he said. "Don't rush anything. There is no point in doing that." He took Alice's hand and kissed her temple. "Have fun son. Don't get so lost in your plants that you forget about her."

"I doubt she would let me forget about her," Neville said.

Alice shook her head. "You shouldn't let it get to that dear," she said.

"Oh, I know mom," Neville said.

They fell silent sitting together.

…

Some time later they left the room to join the Potter family in the dining room. Charlie looked tired. "Tough day?" Neville asked.

Charlie nodded. "We had some Ministry people over. A heard of unicorns showed up last week. We made room for them in one of the pens and the Ministry went crazy when we reported it," he said. "They are trying to say we can't keep them. It isn't like we caught them. The unicorns just showed up. They can leave if they please as well. Unlike the dragons we haven't sealed their pen."

Harry reached out and placed a hand on his husband's shoulder. "I'll have a talk with Lucius tomorrow. He will know who to talk to," he said.

Charlie smiled at Harry. "Thank you balaur meu," he said.

"What is a Unicorn?" Raelynn asked.

Charlie smiled. "I'll take you to see them tomorrow," he said.

Neville chuckled as the four year-old bounced excitedly in her seat. It was nice to have a family meal. In some ways Harry felt like a brother, and he was pretty sure the raven agreed. It wouldn't surprise him if his parents agreed as well. They had shared so much with him, and he had given back. Neville knew Harry hadn't told him everything back when he had learned about Nirn. So much had happened to the raven back then, but he probably knew more than most. He left Ennerdale after dinner. He had more things he needed to do before the day was over.

* * *

 _23rd of January, 2001. Tuesday_

Neville walked over to greenhouse number six. The Venomous Tentaculas were going nuts in there. He had to get the situation under control for the sixth year students. They couldn't possibly go in right now. He had made sure he would be protected while in there and the plants were dormant in the cold so he should manage just fine.

He opened the door. Quietly, he stepped inside, his wand at the ready. He severed several branches as he walked in. Something must have gone wrong. Things didn't usually get this out of hand. He pulled a vial out of a pocket. He would be feeding the plants a potion that would calm them down. He had worked it out at home with his own specimen. Learning how to make potions the Nirn way had really helped him. It was so much easier than potion making the way that Masters on Earth used. A thorny branch reached out for him lazily. He cut it off before it reached him. The spell he used was a modified severing spell. It was made for plants and wouldn't harm them. He fed the potion into the pots slowly. He would clean the greenhouse up so it could be used again.

' _We have to make sure that the students don't mess with the plants,'_ he thought. He did not want to have to clean things up every year. He was dirty and grimy by the time he was done. He headed home so he could clean up.

The wards chimed as he stood in the shower. ' _That feels familiar,'_ he thought. Harry had to be there. He got out and dressed before he went looking for the raven. "How are things going?" he asked as he found him.

"I'm almost done," Harry said. He stood up. "I have some easy things left, but it shouldn't take me long."

"So people won't be able to enter…"

"Not without permission like back home at Ennerdale Manor."

"Well that is practical," Neville said. "But we can just walk in right? Me, Gran, mom and dad, we can all just enter."

"Of course. Whoever you marry and any kids will be able to go straight in as well," Harry said.

Neville blushed and the raven chuckled.

…

The following few days were spent moving things from Ennerdale Manor to Longbottom Manor. Harry helped both Alice and Frank over one by one. It felt strange for the both of them. They had chosen to stay away from the manor all those years ago. If they hadn't then maybe they would never have been attacked. They had lost so many years. There was nothing they could do about that now. At least Harry had been able to bring them back from the verge of insanity.

The rooms Augusta had picked for them were nice. It would feel strange for a while the magic was different. They were both slightly sensitive to magic. The wards back at Ennerdale and the magic in the house had been soothing and it had been young.

The magic at Longbottom Manor was much older. Some places in the house weren't very nice. At least Harry had set things up for them so his magic was there protecting them. It was just enough familiarity to make them feel safe.

It would take them a while to settle down, but it would be alright eventually. Both of them could tell that Neville was very happy to have them home. It was nice. Most people his age wouldn't want their parents around all that much, but he had been without them for so long, he was happy to have them at all.

* * *

 _10th of August, 2001. Friday_

Flowers in red, orange and yellow were gathered into a bouquet. A box was pulled up. The golden band was safe in its bed of satin. A deep breath was pulled in. Neville was nervous. He was going to propose to Hannah. He was nervous. Everything was prepared. Harry had helped him get everything ready. He had wanted it all to be perfect.

The raven had laughed when he had come asking for his help. It wasn't his fault that the two men didn't have any knowledge of what women (on Earth) expected in concerns to a proposal. He doubted it worked the same on Nirn. At least Harry had helped. He took a deep breath. She wasn't likely to say no. Another reason Harry had been laughing at him. He had been second guessing himself, and Harry had listened to him until he just couldn't hold it anymore. He had burst out laughing like a maniac.

Neville lifted the bouquet up. ' _Time to go,'_ he thought. He couldn't be late that would just be awful. He closed his eye as he apparated. He had everything he needed. It was all planed out. It would be perfect. He landed in front of Hannah's house. He gathered himself before he walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.

…

He didn't have tor worry. Hannah had been overjoyed and everything had worked out perfectly for once. He guessed that the hidden hand Harry had added to several of the things he had wanted might have something to do with the outcome. He ran a finger down Hannah's cheek. She was sleeping. Her blonde hair spread out over the pillow she lay on. Neville relaxed. He would happily join her in sleep.


	95. Epilouge - A Fresh Start

**A Fresh Start**

 _11th of May, 2003. Sunday_

Raelynn giggled as she reached out to catch her familiar. The occamy started running; its long serpentine tail slithering after it. She had summoned her familiar for the first time a couple of months earlier. She had been so happy. They had occamy at her dad's reserve. She had seen them from a distance. Only her papa went close to them. He said she might be able to when she got older and could calm better.

"Raelynn what are you doing?"

The little raven turned to her godmother.

"Haze and I am playing catch," Raelynn said.

"Are playing."

"Yes Aunt Hermione," Raelynn said.

Hermione chuckled. She watched the girl as she went off after her familiar. She sighed. She was holding her latest letter from Viktor. They had gotten married a month earlier, and he had been making preparations for her to join him. Britain wasn't working out for her. There was so much she wanted to do, but the Ministry was so full of irritating morons. She had been working on several different research projects, but nothing had worked out. Viktor had played his last Quidditch match professionally the year before. He hadn't wanted to continue, and the team manager didn't want him anymore. There had been whispers about younger blood.

Hermione smiled as she recalled Harry's reaction to that. He had laughed. "I'd like to see them find better," he had said. It was nice to have friends that cared. It wasn't enough for her to stay in the country though. She wanted to make a difference, and it wasn't going to happen in Britain. Her parents were sad she was leaving, but she'd reminded them that she could easily travel back and forth. She wasn't going to change her mind. Neville and Harry were both supporting her in her decision. They were happy for her. Harry had even told Viktor his story. It had relaxed the Bulgarian some. Then again it could have been the dragons surrounding the raven when they walked so she could ask him to be her best man that had her then fiancé a bit nervous.

She paced the letter down and headed outside. Crookshanks followed her out. He yawned and looked around. Raelynn was still chasing her familiar. Harry and Charlie were in Romania. Something had happened in the reserve over there. They wouldn't be gone long though. They never were when they had left Raelynn behind. They travelled a lot though and could be gone for months at a time. When that happened they always brought Raelynn along with them. Sometimes they travelled with Bill and Fleur and little Victorie as well. It had been a while since that happened though since Bill and Fleur had added to their family with another daughter that January. Little Dominique was a strawberry blonde little angel.

"Come one Raelynn let's head inside," Hermione said. It was getting late, and she didn't want the girl outside while she cooked.

"Coming Aunt Hermione," Raelynn called. She made Haze disappear before she ran up to the bushy-haired brunette. She knew Hermione didn't want her familiar inside the apartment. "Papa says you are moving," she said as she settled down by the table with some pens and paper. "You are leaving us?"

Hermione smiled softly at the little raven as she turned away from the counter. "I'll just be moving. You will still see me, and we'll go with Rosalie for girl days and have fun. We'll just have to plan a little bit more. Don't worry Harry is an ace at making things work out," she said. She had known the question would come up. Over the years she had realised just how she had to handle questions like those. One had to be careful when it came to leaving. Raelynn would never handle abandonment well. Not after her mother left her.

Raelynn nodded slowly. "Promise?" she said.

"I promise Raelynn," Hermione said. She went back to making dinner while the little raven started drawing.

After dinner Hermione headed into her room. Raelynn was seated in front of the telly. The brunette hummed as she packed things down. She was leaving in a week. Harry and Charlie had promised her they would help her move. She lifted her latest study up from her dresser. She had tried to make people see that treating House-elves badly was wrong. No one had wanted to listen to her even after house-elves had started streaming in to Nirn Nesting grounds. She had met several elves that had been mistreated and others that had been forgotten. They had gathered at the Nesting grounds. It was a good thing for the reserve. Everything had gotten much easier to handle with the additional elves. They were hard working, but at the Nesting grounds they were treated just like any other employee. Their pay wasn't as high as the one for the humans only because they didn't want it. Some of them didn't want money at all. It had been Harry that had figured out other ways of paying them.

Hermione placed the study with the rest of her papers. She was hoping that things would change. She had learned a lot, but everyone knew her in Britain. She had managed to dig her self a hole early on. Now she knew how to avoid that. Hopefully she could manage better in Bulgaria. It was one of the reasons she wanted to move.

~"Stop it! From the very beginning, you lied! And I not only believed you, I actually..."~

~"Anya, listen, when you spoke about the hidden door in the wall, and about the little boy, listen to me, that was..."~

"It is time to brush your teeth. Raelynn," Hermione said.

"O.K." Raelynn said and paused the movie. She got up headed over to the bathroom.

Hermione smiled. She remembered back when Raelynn wouldn't listen. She had taken the little girl to see her parents. The little raven had never argued with her again – at least not when it came to teeth brushing. She walked up to the TV and noted down the elapsed time and the chapter so Raelynn could finish watching the movie the next day.

…

 _17th of May, 2003. Saturday_

Hermione opened the door for Harry. "Good morning Harry," she said.

"Good morning Hermione," Harry responded. "Is everything ready to go? I managed to get a transport port-key from the goblins so we only need to make one trip."

"That's nice," Hermione said in relief.

"Will Viktor meet us there?" Harry asked.

"Yes he will," Hermione said. It would be nice to see him again. She hoped that things would calm down for them a bit now that he wasn't travelling all around the world to play Quidditch.

They started gathering her things together. "Did Charlie get held up?" she asked.

"Ministry people again," Harry said. "They seem to think we owe them money. I don't know where they got that idea from. Charlie has less of a temper most of the time so he said he'd deal with them. I'm guessing I might have to talk to Lucius again. He always manages to figure out what they are up to.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Some new law must have been passed.

"The way they are going on the goblins might stop dealing with them," Harry said. "Unfortunately there are idiots among the goblins as well. They want wand rights. I can't understand why. Goblin magic doesn't need wands, and they can't learn wizarding magic. We are doing our best to make sure that people don't start fighting." He placed a box down. "They don't get over at the Minsistry that I do more work for wizarding kind with the goblins than the Goblin Liaison Office. Though Cresswell does acknowledge my work, I think he is the only one."

Hermione nodded. She knew that the Ministry had some serious problems. She would work her way towards fixing it, but she would have to work around to manage. Britain wasn't the only country that needed to change. She had actually worked with Lord Malfoy to figure out a way that would most likely work and wouldn't anger the pure-bloods. It had just been one big mess. She was glad he had agreed to help her though. "So how does this work now?" she asked as Harry placed the last box down.

"It creates a field. The port-key will bring everything within that field with it. Including us so you should probably come over here," Harry said. He held a hand out to her.

Hermione took the hand and Harry activated the port-key. "Oh, my that is disorientating," she said as they landed. She looked around. "How did you get the coordinates here?" she asked.

Harry smirked. "I have my ways," he said. "Viktor gave me the coordinates. I was through Bulgaria a few days ago and set it all up."

"You didn't mention that before," Hermione said.

"I didn't stay for long," Harry said. "Viktor and I spoke for three minutes tops."

"More like tvo," Viktor said as he walked into the room.

"Hey Viktor," Harry said while Hermione walked up to her husband and kissed him. His arms wrapped around her. "I've missed you," she said. "Let's not do that again."

Viktor laughed. "Seems like a good idea," he said.

"How much help do you guys want from me?" Harry asked.

Hermione turned towards him. "Well it would be nice to get everything into the right rooms," she said.

Harry chuckled. "Sure, you marked everything?" eh asked.

"I did yes," Hermione said. "You can just start heaving." She giggled as Harry made a face at her.

"How is the family doing?" Viktor asked.

"Raelynn is good. Charlie would be fine if it wasn't for the Ministry officials he is dealing with. I'm going to have an irritate husband when I get home," Harry said. "I have my ways of dealing with that though."

Hermione laughed. "I doubt Viktor wants to hear about your exploits Harry," Hermione said.

"You said it not me," Harry said before he left the room with his box.

Hermione turned back to Viktor. "I guess the faster we are done the better," she said.

* * *

 _19th of October, 2005. Wednesday_

Hermione smiled down at the little girl in her arms. "Uncle Harry and Uncle Neville should be here soon," she said. She looked up as the door opened and Viktor walked inside. He came up to them and bent down to kiss her.

The past two years had been great. For the first time since she left Hogwarts, Hermione had found people who listened to her. They were doing their very best to change things. Bulgaria wasn't that much work, but Hermione wanted to take the improvements world wide. They were setting up schools that would teach magical children born to non-magical parents about the magical world before they had to leave for the bigger schools. She was brought out of her thoughts by Viktor's voice. He was talking to their daughter. She was glad that his parents had accepted her so fully. Then again she had spent several years learning Bulgarian and not just the language but the customs too. It had been a bonus that she wasn't the least bit affected by his fame. Being Harry Potter's best friend sort of numbed you to fame.

She looked back down at little Ivy. Big brown eyes were looking back up at her. She wondered if their daughter would have brown or black hair. Would it be curly like hers or straight like Viktor's.

"Aunt Hermione?"

Hermione smiled as she lifted her gaze from her daughter and met Raelynn's fire-orange eyes. "Hello, dear," she said. The nine year old Sri Lankan girl had her dark hair in pigtails. She was holding a black plushie fox in her arms.

"It is for Ivy," Raelynn said. "Papa made it for her. He said it would make sense some day."

"What is Harry up to now?" Hermione asked as she shook her head.

"I'm not doing anything," Harry said. He walked in to the room with Neville following closely behind him.

"A fox, Harry?" Hermione said.

The raven shrugged. "It makes sense to me," he said. "We'll see if there is any proper connection later." He looked down at the little bundle. "Much later," he said. "She's cute. Bet she'll turn out as pretty as her mother. We need some boys now. All the kids born lately are girls."

Hermione chuckled. "You better talk to someone else," she said.

"Oh, I know that," Harry said. "Actually I think Hannah is the next one yeah?" He looked up at Neville.

"What?" Neville said.

Harry sighed. "I just keep doing this," he said. "I can tell way before anyone else."

"Do you think Hannah knows yet?" Neville asked.

"Have no clue, but I guess I better tell her now. Of course that is likely to be girl too," Harry said jokingly.

"I wouldn't mind," Neville said.

"Of course not," Harry said. He hugged his daughter. "Little girls are lovely."

"Stop it papa," Raelynn said.

Everyone laughed and the little raven pouted. "You're mean," she said.

"We're sorry sweetheart," Harry said. He petted her before kissing her temple.

Hermione sighed before she looked down at her daughter. ' _I hope you'll like our mismatched family,'_ she thought.


	96. Epilouge - Little Ones

**Little Ones**

 _5th of January, 2006. Thursday_

Draco was pacing. He'd been doing that a lot lately. His wife was pregnant. He looked out the window. Astoria was a great woman, but she wasn't built for childbirth. She complained a lot. When it wasn't her back it was her feet. He didn't know what to do. He was worried. The Healers said it might be a difficult birth. He didn't want anything to happen to either of them. The door opened behind him.

"You will wear the carpet thin. She will be fine. If we have to, we'll bring Harry in."

"Is he the solution to everything, father?" Draco asked as he turned around. "Potter this Potter that."

"He is a family friend with experience. Especially experience with difficulties," Lucius said. "He of course wouldn't be the only one."  
"Astoria wouldn't appreciate bringing him in," Draco said.

Lucius shook his head. He was well aware of the fact that Astoria looked down on Harry. Sometimes he wondered why his son had chosen her. He knew they cared for each other. He wouldn't get involved in his son's relationships. It bothered him a bit that his son disliked Harry so much. There was nothing he could do about that though.

"Draco where are you?"

Draco walked up to the door. "Here dear. Is there something you want," he asked. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"My feet hurt. I have been looking for you for ages," Astoria said.

"You could have called an elf dear," Draco said. He kissed her.

Astoria huffed. "You shouldn't hide away and leave me all alone," she said.

Draco smiled. He wouldn't point out that he had left because she had told him to. He walked back down to the drawing room with her. She wanted a foot massage.

…

 _20th of February, 2006. Monday_

Draco lifted the bottle and shifted his son. Astoria had outright refused to breastfeed. He didn't quite understand why, but that was the way it was. He didn't mind bottle feeding little Scorpius. They had returned home the day before. The Healers had been right and there had been some complications but nothing they couldn't handle.

"Where is our little one?" Astoria asked as she came walking into the room.

Draco turned around. "He was crying," he said. "He's quite the little wolf."

Astoria shook her head. "He needs to eat to grow big and strong," she said.

Draco chuckled. He rubbed the boy's back. A burped left the little baby. "Now isn't that a good boy," he said.

"Give him to me," Astoria said. She smiled down at her son. He was a beautiful little boy. She was glad it was over though.

* * *

 _24th of May, 2006. Wednesday_

"Harry! We need you in the reserve," Charlie called as he poked his head into the house.

"Papa isn't here!" Raelynn called back. "He went down to talk to the mers."

Charlie sighed. He turned around and walked down towards the lake.

"What's up dad?" Raelynn asked as she joined him.

"The Frost-Tails are having trouble with their hatchlings. Something is preventing their eggs from hatching. Their mothers are panicking," Charlie said. "I can't help them. They won't let me near. None of them would say no to Harry though."

"Papa said they had some trouble down in the village before he left," Raelynn said. "I guess everything is just happening at once right now." She reached out and took her dad's hand. They walked down to the lake.

Thankfully Harry was sitting on the shore.

"I need you back in the reserve," Charlie said. "We might get dead baby dragons otherwise."

Harry stood up. "What is going on?" he asked.

"The Frost-Tails' eggs aren't hatching," Charlie said.

Harry's brows furrowed. "I'll go straight there," he said.

Charlie nodded. "We'll be on your tail," he said. He looked down at their daughter. "You want to come right?" he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Course I want. How often do you get to see dragons hatch?" she said. Her dad wrapped his arms around her and they apparated.

"How was school today?" Charlie asked.

"It was O.K." Raelynn said. "This guy Jacob is being mean. He was calling me names." She grimaced. "I told the teachers."

"That's good honey," Charlie said. "The teachers are there to help you. Please tell us when things like that happen. It's great that you are handling things yourself, but Harry and I want to know."

"Sure dad," Raelynn said.

Harry was sitting amidst the dragons when they arrived in the frozen enclosure. His hands were lying on top of an egg. His fingers moved over the light green shell. Frost-Tails lived closer together than many other dragon kinds. Just like most of the species they had in the reserve they were friendlier than most dragons. It was one of the things that had been killing them.

"What is wrong?" Charlie asked.

The raven sighed. "The temperature," he answered.

"Do they need to be warmer?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know yet," Harry said. "I have to be so careful. I don't want to hurt them." He smiled at the mother. " _ **Zu'u fen siiv ven wah haalit daar - I will find a way to handle this,"**_ he told her. He was slowly and carefully changing the temperature surrounding the egg. He mad it warmer first. It didn't seem right though. The hatchling seemed uncomfortable. He switched and went colder. He was careful. His eyes narrowed. These were dragon eggs. It would make sense that it would be power connected to dragons that would help them hatch. When the Frost-Tails breathed ice he could hear the words: Fo krah diin. There was another shout that made ice though. " _ **Bo wah reid - move to the side**_ ," he said. " _ **Iiz slen nus."**_ The cloud of ice left him and surrounded the eggs. He could senesce the little dragons rejoicing. The eggs were cracking open.

Raelynn jumped up and down excitedly as a small silvery-white dragon poked its head out. It was really cute.

Harry gathered the shells as the little dragons made their way out of their eggs. He would take those to the store. Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein from his year back at Hogwarts were heading the store and potions lab. They made their own potions which were generally cheaper than what you could buy in other places.

"Hey Charlie!"

The oranget turned around as Dennis Creevey came running up to him. "There is some kind of problem in the Rainwing pen, boss. Rosalie sent me to get you," he said.

Charlie nodded. He turned to his husband. "Harry will you be alright here?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You leave Raelynn with me," Harry said. He held out an arm for their daughter. "You can come here. The dragons won't hurt you." He needed to help the other mothers with little ones as well. He guessed that it was the change in climate that had been the doom for the Frost-Tails. It was getting warmer so the eggs didn't hatch in the wild. This was the first time they had eggs in the frost pen. It would seem that they could save them.

Charlie chuckled as he walked off. He needed to take care of the Rainwings.

Raelynn sat down with the baby dragons. They were so cute. She was going to play with them when they got a bit bigger. " _ **Zu'u los Raelynn,"**_ she said.

…

 _26th of May, 2006. Friday_

"She's a cute girl. You take care of yourself and the others. I'm glad you found someone, Harry."

Harry pulled Raelynn closer. "You take care of yourself too," he said. He looked over at her companion. "You seem to have a way of attracting some pretty strange guys. Myself included."

Soft clinging laugher left her lips. "Thank you for helping," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said. He reached out and hugged her. "I'm glad we got a chance to meet again. You better make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid."

"I will… Oh and Harry. We probably won't be seeing each other again."

"I know," Harry said. "Goodbye." He leaned in and kissed her. "Take care." He backed off and gutboed.

"You knew her?" Raelynn asked. Her papa had tears in his eyes. She wondered who the woman was.

"What is going on?" Charlie asked. He had come down from upstairs as the arrived. They had been gone longer than he thought they would.

"We met a woman. She knew papa. She told him things that made him sad," Raelynn said.

Charlie walked up to his husband. He reached out and pulled the raven into a hug. "What happened today?" he asked. "I thought you met with Remus and Teddy?"

"We did," Harry said. "We met someone else too. An old friend."

"They kissed," Raelynn said.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah she kissed me I kissed her. I'll show you the memory, love," he said as he met Charlie's eyes. "She left again. She's travelling with this guy who can travel basically any- and everywhere. She is having fun. She told me some things though." He shook his head. "I'll show you," he said. "I don't know if I can talk about it."

Charlie nodded slowly. He was pretty sure he knew who his husband was talking about. He sighed. He knew Harry. It didn't really bother him that they kissed. Knowing what he knew about her she would have kissed him too. He led Harry upstairs. He wanted to know what had happened.

* * *

 _11th of June, 2006. Sunday_

Neville smiled down at Hannah. They were sitting together watching the stars. His hands were rubbing her stomach slowly. He chuckled as their daughter started kicking. "Oh, my, give your poor mother a break," he said calmly.

Hannah sighed. "As long as I get to sleep some tonight I'm happy," she said.

"At least once she's born we can switch out so I can be the one kept up," Neville said. He smiled as Hannah started singing along with the music playing in the background. They had been cuddling a lot lately. He didn't mind at all. He had been spending a lot of time at Hogwarts the past few weeks. It had made him feel bad leaving Hannah alone. She had been spending time with her friends though. Susan had been by a lot. She had been dragging Seamus with her as well sometimes.

"What are you thinking about love?" Hannah asked.

"How happy I am things turned out the way they did," Neville said. He shifted so he could kiss her properly. "Is Susan and Seamus ever going to get together?" he asked as he shifted back.

"I don't know," Hannah said. "We'll see I guess. She likes her job though and he is busy too."

"I guess there is no hurry," Neville said.

"That's what Susan says," Hannah said. She cuddled back against him and sighed. Their daughter had stopped kicking and she could finally get some much needed sleep.

…

 _29th of June, 2006. Thursday_

Faline screamed. Neville walked through to the nursery and lifted her up. "Hush sweetheart you will wake mommy up," he said calmly. He started rocking her.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word.

Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,

Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass," Neville sang softly. He might not have as good a voice as Harry, but he knew how to stay on tune. He wandered over to his parents' rooms slowly. Nanny always calmed her down.

"Is Hannah sleeping?" Alice asked as her son sat down next to her.

"Yes, she's been waking up at odd hours at night so I convinced her to take a nap," Neville said. "Hopefully she'll feel better after she's had some sleep." He moved Faline over to his mother. "She's a bit fussy right now. I was hoping you could figure something out."

Alice giggled. "It is good to have a mother to turn to, huh?" she said. She hugged him.

"Yeah, definitely," Neville said. He didn't want to consider not having his parents. It was reality for so long for him. He was glad his daughter would have both sets of grandparents. He watched his daughter calming down in her Nanny's arms.


	97. Epilouge - Young Sunlight

**Young Sunlight**

 _19th of April, 2007. Thursday_

It was early. Mist lay thick over the ground. Lights spilling from windows spread eerily. A street like any other was bathed in darkness. A scream cut through the silence. It had happened before. A woman headed over to her phone and made a call. Someone had to do something.

Sirens could be heard approaching the street eventually. The police were on their way. She knew she might have to talk to them. ' _I should get dressed,'_ she thought.

Two men stepped out of one of the cars. One of them was blond and burly while the other looked quite lanky. The blond one walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened to show a haggard looking man who had been well built and muscular once upon a time. "What do yah want?" the man growled.

The two officers introduced themselves and told the man why they were there.

"You get the hell away from my house," the man growled. "I won't have anythin' to do with filth like you."

"We are here to see that your son is alright. Your neighbours seem worried about him sir."

"You get out of here you fuckin' muggle," the man roared. He moved forward while doing his best to look intimidating.

Neither officer reacted until he took a swing at them, but once he did, he was down in seconds. They cuffed him and forced him into their car.

"Can you believe this guy?"

"Can't say I do."

"What is a muggle anyway?"

… "Let's go see if we can find that kid."

They made their way into the house. They went through room after room looking for the kid.

"He has to be here right?"

"Yeah, he should be…" There had to be something hiding the kid from them. "We should call it in and get the proper people here."

"Sure I'll do that."

Blue eyes watched as his partner left the house. "Winky," he whispered. He hopped she would show up.

"Mister Dudley called?" Winky said as she appeared.

"Could you get Harry here? I think there is a magic kid in this house," Dudley said.

Winky looked around. She could feel the magic. "Child is scared," she said. "I will get Master Harry." She disappeared.

Dudley sighed. He hoped that Harry could come up with some kind of excuse to be there. He couldn't think of any himself. He hadn't considered that. He just wanted the kid safe.

"Reinforcements are on their way. I think they sent us child services."

Dudley turned to his partner. "I guess that's good," he said.

"Still can't find the kid?"

"No, Mark I don't know where he is…" Dudley said. "I called someone who might be able to help. He'll be faster than the others."

"I guess that's me then," Harry said as he entered the house. "I see you have Thorfinn Rowle outside."

"You know who that man is?" Mark asked.

"He was a member of a terrorist organisation that wanted to overturn the government," Harry said. "They went dormant for years and never really got started this time around. First swing around they killed my parents. They killed a lot of people. They destroyed the Brockdale Bridge too."

"Shit that was this guy?" Mark said.

"His associates. I'm not sure he was there," Harry said.

"How do you know this?" Mark asked.

Harry chuckled. He had started walking as they talked. He knelled down next to a wall. "I know a lot of stuff," he said. "Do we know what the kids name is?" he asked.

"No," Dudley said.

Harry nodded. "You guys should probably back off. If he's been abused by his father then three guys isn't going to help him relax any," he said.

"He's here?" Mark asked. He couldn't see anyway for the kid to be around.

Harry placed his hands against the wall and pushed. He made sure that it looked like he was activating a hidden panel. It really was a door that was hidden and sealed by magic. He reached inside and pulled a boy out. Dirty light-brown hair fell limply over a set of terrified gray eyes. "Hush, buddy," he said. He ran his fingers through the boy's hair calmingly. "No one is going to hurt you now," he said calmly. "You're with me now." He lifted the boy up with him as he stood up. "Just hold on to me," he said. He made sure that his demeanour was calming.

"How?" Mark asked.

"I spent a good part of my childhood hiding from dear Uncle Vernon," Harry said. "I had a spot too." He walked down into the kitchen. "Is this alright?" he asked the boy. He connected to the child's mind carefully. He was really scared. He didn't seem quite as frightened of him as he was of Dudley though. Something about his cousin scared the kid. He guessed it could be that Dudley looked a bit like the kid's father. "He is scared of you," he told his cousin.

Dudley nodded. "We'll head outside and wait for the back up people," he said.

Harry smiled at him. "Thanks," he said.

"He means your father, doesn't he?" Mark said as they walked out of the house. "His Uncle."

"Yeah, he does," Dudley said.

"Your father abused him?" Mark asked.

"He did. I don't know if he still has the scars," Dudley said.

"Fuck that's messed up," Mark said. He looked around. "Excuse me sir would you please step back," he said.

Dudley looked up. "Hey Charlie," he said. He walked up to the oranget and took his hand.

"Hey Dudley. Harry is here?" Charlie asked.

"He's in the house," Dudley said.

"Can I go in?" Charlie asked.

"Sure go ahead," Dudley said. He hoped they could come up with something that would convince child services.

Charlie headed inside.

"And he is?" Mark asked.

"Harry's husband," Dudley said.

"You are going to leave the kid in there with two gays?" Mark asked. "Are you insane?"

"What is wrong with homosexuals?" Dudley asked. Harry was one of the greatest people he knew. He didn't see how his sexuality mattered at all.

Inside Harry had sat down with the boy. "What is your name?" he asked. He was carefully helping the boy to relax. The kid wasn't just scared of his father. He was scared of his magic too. He wasn't sure how to help with that. They had managed pretty well with Raelynn, but he was no expert or anything. Then again just being there and being reliable did a lot to help a kid.

"How is he?"

Harry looked up, and he noticed how the little boy in his lap moved closer to him. "He's frightened," he answered his husband. He looked down at the boy. "This is Charlie," he said. He turned his arm and touched the bonding bracelet he wore.

Charlie smiled as he realised what Harry was up to. He rolled his sleeves up so his own bracelet showed. He lowered himself down on the ground before he moved up to Harry. "See we're the same yeah," he said. He smiled softly as the kid reached out and touched the bracelets.

"Owl," the boys said. "And dragons." He covered his mouth.

"It's alright," Harry said. "You can talk to us. It's O.K. No one will hurt you." He was talking soothingly. "Charlie and I will protect you," he said. He started rocking slowly. There was so much fear. He could only do so much. The boy didn't seem to mind Charlie though. At least that was good. As far as he could tell the kid's mother had disappeared. He wondered if she was still alive. He could hear cars driving up to the house. He rubbed the boy's back. "What is your name buddy?" he asked. The boy looked up at him. He fished a name from his thoughts. He couldn't use it though. He didn't want to scare the boy more. "Don't worry _**mal shulkun**_ ," he said.

Dudley stood up as the child services arrived. He raised an eyebrow as a tall redhead stepped out of the car together with Marlene. "Hi Marlene," he said as he walked down towards her.

"Dudley how are things going? I was told there was a boy here," Marlene said. "This is Ronald Weasley."

"Mr Weasley," Dudley said as he reached out to shake the redhead's hand. "You don't have any of your brothers' candy with you, do you?"

Ron looked confused for a moment before the name clicked with him. "No I don't," he said.

"So where is the boy?" Marlene asked an eyebrow raised.

"Inside," Dudley said as Mark grumbled.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "That's just rude," he said. He looked around. "Rowle," he snorted. "Should have figured."

"Oh, don't tell me you know about the so called terrorists as well," Mark said.

Marlene narrowed her eyes at him. "Calm down Mr Tyson," she said. She turned to Ron. "Rowle?" she asked.

"Death Eater," Ron said. He looked back to Mark. "As well?" he asked. "Who else has been talking about that? It is classified information."

"My cousin is here," Dudley said.

"That would explain it," Ron said. "He's inside?"

"Yes," Dudley said.

"I'll go have a talk with him then," Ron said before he passed the two officers and walked inside. He had been surprised to find out that Harry was his brother-in-law. They had grown apart during Hogwarts and he hadn't realised why until he figured out that he wasn't going to get anywhere with his life. He had messed up his chances completely. He'd spent years fixing the damage. It was then that he had been glad for his connection to the raven. Harry had a full library and training from Moody himself, and he had helped. "Harry are you in here?" he asked. They hadn't become as close as they once were, but they were friends again and that was what mattered to him. He raised an eyebrow as Charlie walked out of a room. "This way but be careful," his second oldest brother said. He nodded.

"Hello Ron," Harry said. Frightened gray eyes looked up with him when they saw the orange hair they calmed somewhat. "This is Ron; he is Charlie's little brother," Harry told the boy. "He won't hurt you."

"What has happened here?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed. He shifted the boy in his lap a bit. " _ **Laag,"**_ he said softly. He didn't want the boy to hear him. "Do you have someone else with you that should hear this as well?" he asked.

"I do Marlene should probably hear this," Ron said.

"She knows?" Harry asked.

"She is a Squib," Ron said. "Grew up in a half magic half muggle home."

"We should probably make our way down to the station though. Mark doesn't know and he probably shouldn't. Dudley is no problem," Harry said as he stood up. "This little guy will sleep for a while now."

"Marlene will probably look through the house," Ron said.

Harry nodded. "That's fine we can wait some. We probably shouldn't be here though," he said.

"So what do we say that you are?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed. "Yeah right," he said. He pulled a wallet out of his ever present bag. He opened it up and held it out to the redhead.

"Fancy, you are a Doctor," Ron said. "That's equivalent Healer right?"

"Yes it is," Harry said.

"How did you get this?" Ron asked.

"I have been doing medical work all around the world. The goblins provided this for me when they sent me off into the middle of battle. The thought that I was a Doctor was supposed to protect me. The magical and non-magical areas were all mixed up and they had people there in danger. The sent me because I can fight in both worlds as well as Heal," harry said.

"Almost gave me and ulcer and Raelynn couldn't sleep for days," Charlie said.

"You know I have been through worse," Harry said.

"Yeah, but I wasn't around back then," Charlie said.

"You never told the rest of us," Ron said.

"No mom would have freaked and it was something Harry needed to do. He was literary the only one they could send," Charlie said. "I didn't see any point in worrying her."

They exited the house.

"Ah, there is the little one," Marlene said. She walked up to them, and Harry flashed her his credentials. They were official so she, who knew of the magical world, could tell that they weren't quite real and he was magical personnel not someone with the proper education in the non-magical world. "Well that's good," she said. "How is he?"

"Scared," Harry said. "He's got a couple of bruises and a broken rib. I have wrapped a supporting bandage around his ribcage. I want to do a proper job, but I need permission to do so. He'll be fine for now."

Marlene nodded. "I want to go through the house to build a proper report," she said. "You can wait in the car if you'd like." She looked up at Charlie. "The both of you. I'll want to talk to you afterwards."

"Sure we'll wait in the car," Harry said. They passed by the police car and Rowle launched at the window. The raven raised an eyebrow and moved his fringe to the side. A faint trace of the lightning bolt shaped scar was still there. He knew it would aggravate the man even more. He made sure the bastard wouldn't get out of the car. He sat down with Charlie and leaned his head against his husband's shoulder. "He's a disgusting man," he said.

"You haven't been this protective of a child since before we adopted Raelynn," Charlie said.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I guess," he said. He looked down at the dirty boy. "Once we get to the station could you pop home and get him some other clothes."

Charlie nodded. "I'll do that. Do you think you can get permission to heal him?" he asked.

"Yes, he is a magical kid and Ron is here to take over that part of the case. I might push for keeping Rowle in the non-magical system though. They don't like child abusers in prison," Harry said.

"I guess I should be glad that the police found him and not you," Charlie said.

"No one would have found his body," Harry said.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Charlie said. "I don't want to lose you to some prison." He'd wrapped his arms around Harry.

"I would never put our family in danger like that," Harry said. "I care too much about you and Raelynn to do that."

They saw more cars arriving. More cops joining up with Dudley and Mark. Eventually Ron and Marlene joined them and they made their way back to the station.

"Is he still sleeping?" Marlene asked.

"He is," Harry said.

"We found a skeleton in the basement," Marlene said.

Harry leaned back. "I can reach him from here," he told Charlie.

"You better come back unscratched," Charlie said.

"What are you doing?" Marlene asked.

"Harry is taking a look in Rowle's head. He wants to know if the skeleton is the boy's mother. She disappeared," Charlie said.

"You can't just go delving into people's heads," Marlene said. "It's inhumane."

"You'll have to have that talk with Harry. He doesn't like doing it for that very reason…" Charlie turned to his husband as Harry gasped. Green eyes opened in terror. "She isn't the only one," he said, "and he wasn't the only kid. There were girls too but… but Rowle killed them. He wanted an heir. A male heir." He turned to bury his face in Charlie's shoulder. "He's a fucking monster, and you better not leave me alone with him. I can do so much worse than kill him."

Charlie sighed. His fingers started cradling through raven locks. His husband relaxed slowly. His arms had tightened around the boy in his arms. He'd keep the kid away from his father. They arrived at the station and Harry waited in the car while Dudley and his partner forced Rowle into the station. He got up and walked with Marlene and Ron. Charlie followed closely behind him.

They were led to a room to wait for Dudley. "So what has happened?" the blond asked as he joined them.

"Well first off little Dan here is a wizard," Harry said. "He hid himself from his father using accidental magic. The skeleton they found was his mother. Rowle killed her I can't tell you why he did that. He hates the boy for having magic though. He wanted something from the boy, but it didn't work out."

"How come he doesn't have magic?" Dudley asked.

"He lost it with the rest of the Death Eaters. He wasn't there when their leader went down though so he wasn't caught then. We have been trying to catch them all but some of them have been tricky to find," Ron said.

"Lost it? Can that happen?" Marlene asked.

"Tom Riddle sucked them dry before he died," Harry said.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "That's not the official story," he said.

"No I know," Harry said. "Ask Moody to give you the clear for that night. Password is Dovahkiin."

Ron shook his head. "I should have known you had something to do with it," he said.

Harry shrugged. He sat down so he could place the boy in his lap. "He is a magical case now. Can I heal him up?" he asked.

"We need some pictures first," Marlene said. "Do you have the power to make a statement concerning his health?"

Harry nodded. "I can do that," he said. "Will you step back and sit down so everyone isn't circling him." He looked down at the boy. "Wake up _**mal shulkun**_ ," he said calmly. He rubbed the boy's back slowly. Grey eyes opened up slowly. They danced around the room before settling on the person holding him. It was the same man as earlier.

Together Marlene and Harry managed to get the pictures she needed. He wrote down just how much damage there was to the boy, and added a Doctor's notice that Dan couldn't handle x-rays. "If it turns out that you need his testimony then overturn it to the Aurors," he said.

"We shouldn't need it all things considered. Not with the skeleton in the basement and the information we have gathered." Marlene said her eyes had travelled down to the once again sleeping boy. She turned to Ron. "Can we step outside?"

"Of course," Ron said. He followed her out of the room.

"Harry and Charlie are safe people to leave this kid with, are they?" Marlene asked. "They seem very protective of him."

"Their daughter is adopted. They aren't in the foster system, but they are definitely people I would recommend for a kid like Dan," Ron said. "They care a lot about the kids in their care. They only have a daughter themselves, but there are enough nieces to go around."

Marlene nodded. "I can get them into the system, but it will be a bit complicated," she said. "You should stay here. I'll deal with that. I want to make sure this kid is safe, but I want to keep track of what's going on as well."

Ron nodded. "Just get the kid out of here," he said. "I'll stick around. Mr Dursley and I will get along just fine."

"Good, I'll get the boy's situation sorted out," Marlene said. She opened the door and called the Potters outside. "We'll go to the office and work things out. You are willing to take care of him, right?"

"Yes," Harry said. He looked down at the boy. "Ron will stay?" he asked.

"Yes, we want to keep track of this case," Marlene said. She led them back out to the car so they could head over to her office. She was going to bend the rules just a little, but she had a feeling it would be for the best.

"Marlene how did it go?"

"That depends on how you see it, Kathrine," Marlene said. She held the door open for Harry.

"And who is this?" Kathrine asked.

"Doctor Harry Potter and his husband," Marlene said.

Kathrine stated laughing gravely. "Oh, is that what this is about. I have always said you can't leave a child with men." She walked up to Harry and pulled the boy from him. The raven took a deep breath to calm himself. Dan had woken up. He looked terrified, and when he realised that he was no longer in Harry's arms, he let out a faint whimper. "They have no clue how to handle children."

"You are scaring him ma'am," Harry said calmly. "Please hand him back." He held his hands out for the boy.

"Oh, really after you ended up here with him. I don't think so," Kathrine said.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "He isn't blood related to either of us don't you have eyes in your…" he fell silent as Harry raised a hand. "It's alright love she obviously has decided to judge us without any proof of wrongdoing." He looked down at his watch. "Raelynn ends school now would you like to pick her up?" he asked.

Charlie nodded. "I'll pick her up," he said. "Do you want me to pick up clothes for the boy and bring her back here?" he asked.

"Sure but let her know what is going on first," Harry said.

Marlene sighed as the oranget walked out. She turned to her colleague. "Please give him to me. This is my case," she said. She took the little brow-haired boy from her colleague and gave him back to Mr Potter. "If you would please come with me," she said.

Harry wrapped his arms tightly around the boy. He knew it would take him awhile to calm the poor tyke back down. He knew getting angry wouldn't help at all. He didn't want to scare the boy. "I'm sorry I let her take you _**mal shulkun**_. I didn't want you to get hurt. I would never have let her leave with you. I promised that I would protect you, and I will no matter what," he said calmly.

"You can't from father."

Harry ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "I can," he said. "I can battle dragons and win. Your father can't do that. If you come with us home, your father can get anywhere near you." He looked up at Marlene. "We have some of the best wards in the country. I can allow you access and give you the location. There are roads you can get there on. Dudley comes to visit once in a while." Harry opened his bag. He pulled out a broche. "This will allow you to enter through the wards. Since you have magic traces you probably won't have any problems seeing the property. Even if that was a problem the broche will aid you."

Marlene nodded slowly as she turned the piece of jewellery around. It was quite pretty. "Some would think you are trying to bribe me," she said.

"Well, I'm not. I am just trying to give you a way of getting to us. Otherwise we could go home with this boy and you would never hear or see of any of us again," Harry said. "I'm offering you a way to check in on us because I would rather not have to deal with kidnapping charges."

Marlene chuckled. "Well that is good," she said.

"So can I heal him now?" Harry asked.

"Yes, yes of course," Marlene said. She watched as a golden light spread from the raven-haired man to the boy. Gray eyes looked up at the man in wonder.

"There you go little buddy, all better," Harry said. "Doesn't hurt anymore, does it?"

The boy shook his head. "How?" he asked.

"Magic," Harry answered.

Grey eyes widened. "Magic," he said in wonder.

Harry smiled softly. He held his hands out and conjured a ball of light. He made it green to match his eyes before handing it to the boy. "Here," he said. He lifted the little one off his lap. "I need to fill some paperwork in. You stay close O.K." He turned to Marlene as she placed down a whole bunch of papers in front of him. "Charlie needs to sign some of these as well? We had to go through quite the screening process to adopt our daughter. That was over on Sri Lanka though."

The door opened eventually. Raelynn walked in with her dad. Her eyes travelled over to the small boy. He was sitting in a corner with a ball of glowing green light. She smiled as she walked up to him. Remembering what her dad had said, she sat down before she reached him. "Hi," she said.

Gray eyes looked up at her. He bit his lip. She was a kid. "Hi," he said quietly.

"Papa used to make those for me too when I was little," Raelynn said. "That was before he taught me how to make them myself. Look." She held her hands out and conjured a ball of light. It shrank and turned orange like her eyes. "I can't make it stay for as long as papa can. Dad says you will come with us home. It is nice home. We have dragons and dad has unicorns," she said. "I'm Raelynn by the way. What is your name?"

"Mommy called me Dan," the boy said.

"Dan that is nice," Raelynn said. She looked up at her fathers. Harry had stood up and he walked up to them. "Come here little buddy," he said as he held his arms out to the boy.

Dan got up and walked over up to the black-haired man. He was lifted up and placed on the man's hip. "We're going home to Ennerdale," Harry said calmly. He rolled his eyes at his husband. Charlie had forgotten the clothes he was supposed to bring, but it was alright. They would go home so the boy could have a proper bath and clean up.

They walked out of the building together. Kathrine hissed something at them on their way out and it wasn't the men that responded but their daughter. She had given the older woman a dressing down. She seemed pretty proud of herself afterwards. They fast travelled home, and Harry had to calm Dan down. He headed straight up to the master bedroom. They walked into the bathroom. He helped the boy out of his clothes as the tub filled with water. He lifted the boy up and placed him in the water. "It alright the water won't hurt you," he said. "We won't fill it that much alright." He had noticed the panicked feeling that had overcome the boy as he heard the tub filling. As Dan sat down, that water reached just high enough to cover his legs.

The boy clamed down as Harry started rubbing water through his hair. "Let's get this clean shall we," the raven said. He helped the boy clean up. "It's nice to be clean isn't it?" he said as he lifted the boy up.

Dan nodded slowly. He looked up at the black-haired man as he was sat down on a big blue bed. A warm green towel was rubbed through his hair. It felt nice. He relaxed slowly. He was pulled up into a hug.

"Come here buddy," Harry said. He raised an eyebrow as Hedwig flew up to him. He relieved her of the letter she held. It was from Hermione. Her son was making a mess. Little Kade had been born a month earlier. "How are you two doing?" Charlie asked as he made it downstairs.

"I think we're doing quite well," Harry said. He looked down at the boy in his arms. He was relaxing on his own now without magic help.

It was going to be tough helping the little boy settle down, but they would manage eventually. Thorfinn Rowle was sent to prison so they didn't have to worry about him. It didn't stop little Dan's nightmares though. Some days Raelynn took to staying with him just so her fathers could get some sleep. She knew her papa was the first one up if something happened.

* * *

 _26th of September, 2007. Wednesday_

Dan was walking around. The Ennerdale Estate was amazing. They had dragons just like the girl had said. There was a huge lake and a forest. He loved the big open space. There was only one other house. The people that lived there were nice. There were two girls one of them was just a bit younger than him. Her hair looked like spun sunlight. She was really nice. All of the girls were nice. The dark-haired man was calming and the two men with burning hair were funny.

He walked up to Minnie. They were playing.

"Who's that?" Dominique asked.

Dan looked around. It was the woman from the office. The woman smiled at him. He swallowed thickly. Was he being sent away? He thought he had been good. They hadn't… he bit his lip.

"How are you two doing?"

Dan looked around. Harry was standing there. The raven's brows furrowed. "What is wrong buddy?" he asked concerned as he saw the hurt and confusion in the boy's eyes. He walked up to him. "Talk to me Dantae," he said.

"Why is she here?" Dominique asked.

Harry looked up at Marlene. "She is here to make sure we're taking good care of Dantae. And…" He kneeled down. "She is here with some papers so we can adopt you. Do you want to be our son Dantae?"

Gray eyes had gone huge. Dan didn't know what to say. He felt Harry's arms wrap around him. He couldn't stop himself as tears started falling down his face. They wanted him. They wanted him to stay.

Marlene walked up to them. She looked to Harry.

"I told him that we wanted to adopt him. I think he was afraid that we wanted to send him off when he saw you," Harry said. He rubbed the boy's back slowly. "Can we take this inside?" he asked. He placed the hand on Dominique's head. "Will you come with us sweetheart? I think Dantae would like that."

The little strawberry-blonde nodded happily. She took his hand and they headed towards the house. They settled down in the living room. Dominique dragged Dantae with her over to his room so they could play.

"It is nice to hear that you want to adopt him," Marlene said.

Harry smiled. "He's a great kid. He has a lot of healing to do and there are bad days, but everyone has bad days," he said. "Charlie should be back soon."

"Well you can start on the paperwork," Marlene said. Her eyes widened as a dragon flew by the window.

"They are harmless," Harry said. "The pack won't harm children nor will they harm those who are invited onto the grounds. They would protect us if the wards there broken and someone attacked us."

Marlene nodded. She handed him a set of papers. "You need to read through these," she said.

Harry accepted the papers and started going through them. He handed them over to Charlie as he finished. The oranget read through all the documents as well. They were very similar to the papers they had gone through for Raelynn.

"There we go," Marlene said. "You have a son now."

"Dantae Rasha Potter," Harry said. He smiled at the boy as he walked out to join them. "See you are our son now," he said as he showed the boy the papers. We are going to adopt you magically too so you can access the Potter vault."

Dantae smiled. He had a home.


	98. Epilogue - Lovely Redhead

**Lovely Redhead**

 _26th of July, 2008. Saturday_

Gray eyes moved over a busy street. People were moving back and forth between stands filled with wares. He could see fruits and little trinkets. He wasn't sure he wanted to buy anything. He closed his eyes and sighed. He had a few days off before Laurina wanted him back at work. She was a tough boss, but he got to travel all over the world.

His mother didn't like it. She wanted him to work with something safer. He could understand that. He wanted to do this though. He smiled. Laurina had been great the past couple of years. He was glad Kato and Charlie had introduced him to her. It was all thanks to Harry. A brown eyebrow rose as he saw a flash of fiery red hair. ' _Is that a Weasley?'_ he wondered. He was pretty sure they had a unique shade of red hair.

A fruit stand caught his eyes and he walked up to it. He asked for a bag of dark red fruits. He had heard they were similar to grapes and he had seen the trees they grew on. Honestly they looked sick. The berries grew all over the trunk and branches of the trees. They tasted good though.

"You know what piss off. I'm done with you!"

Cedric turned a corner. Long red hair fell down over tanned shoulders. Grey eyes widened as a wand was drawn. He moved forward. "Excuse me but what do you think you are doing?" he hissed.

"Piss off muggle," the guy said.

Cedric's eyes narrowed he reached into a pocket and grabbed on to a scroll. He activated it and cast the spell at the man. Laurina had found the scrolls. They were really practical. They had bought a stock of them. They were no where near as visible as wand magic.

"I could have handled him," the woman said.

"I know," Cedric said. He turned around. "You're Ginny, right?"

"Yes I am," Ginny said.

"Cedric Diggory," Cedric said as he held his hand out. "I'm sorry. I was more concerned with the law than whether you could handle him or not. He could have breached the secrecy."

Ginny chuckled. "Well in that case," she said. "I guess I can forgive you for stepping in then."

Cedric laughed. "I'm very grateful," he said. Ginny was a beautiful woman. He hadn't seen her as more than a kid and Fred and George's little sister back in Hogwarts. Now she was a lovely woman. He head heard she had a fiery temper back then. He had a feeling that it hadn't changed. "So what is Britain's best Chaser doing here?" he asked. He had kept up with Quidditch even if he didn't play himself anymore.

Ginny smiled. "Vacation," she said. "I wanted to go somewhere I wouldn't get overrun by fans. We were supposed to have a good time, but that asshole couldn't think of anything but bugging me. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm off work for a few days. This is the nearest town," Cedric said.

"You know the area around here?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, we been here for a while now," Cedric said.

"Could you show me around?"

Cedric smirked. He had nothing against showing her around. They travelled into the jungle and wandered around. Ginny got a chance to see monkeys and waves of colourful birds. In the distance they saw Rainwings in the wild. "You really know how to approach them," she said impressed with Cedric when he brought them closer to the big dragons.

"I spent some time learning from your brother actually," Cedric said. "Thanks to Harry I got a chance to got to Amazonas to work. I wouldn't have the employer I have now if I hadn't gotten that chance."

"I guess I should have figured that one out," Ginny said. "They have their hands in everything."

Cedric chuckled. "Yeah, they do," he said. "You'd think they would calm down after they adopted, but they just drag the kids along."

"Raelynn really likes it though," Ginny said. "And Dante seems to enjoy it as well." She tilted her head to the side. She couldn't blame the girl. If she had parents like Harry and Charlie, she would have been overjoyed. They seemed to be having a lot of fun.

They moved on from the dragons slowly. They had several days of wandering around.

…

"Thank you," Ginny said. "I have had a really good time."

Cedric chuckled. "I've had a good time too," he said. "I hope we can see each other again some day." She hugged him, and he hugged her back. "I would like that," she said. She was going to travel south, and he needed to get back to work.

* * *

 _11th of September, 2008. Thursday_

' _Now ain't I lucky,'_ Cedric thought as he caught sight of familiar red hair. He made his way down towards the bar. He hadn't been able to take his mind of her. He had been with a couple of different girls. Most of them couldn't stand the fact that he travelled as much as he did. She was a Quidditch star though. She had to travel around a lot as well. Maybe it was something they should try out. "Hey Ginny," he said as he reached her.

Ginny turned around and smiled. "Hi Cedric," she said. "Fancy meeting you here. How has life been?"

"It's been good. We found a couple of mummies a while back that started walking around," Cedric said. He leaned back against the bar.

"You look tired," Ginny said.

"Well there is this lovely redhead that keeps interrupting my dreams," Cedric said. He reached out and moved a lock of her hair.

Ginny chuckled. She grabbed his hand. "Now is that so. I might have to find her and curse her," she said.

"Eh, excuse me but who are you?"

Cedric turned to the man. "Cedric Diggory," he said.

"She is my girl, piss off."

"I'm sorry, Ginny doesn't seem to mind me," Cedric said. "I think how she's with is up to her. If she wants me to leave I will."

The guy reached out and grabbed Ginny's arm. The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Let go of me," she said. Her wand was out the moment his grip tightened. She had six brothers. She knew how to deal with morons. Her spell cast him back. It wouldn't hurt him, but she wanted him away from her. She turned to Cedric. "It's nice to know he's an idiot," she said.

"It is nice to be of service," the brunet said.

Ginny laughed and walked up closer to him. "Can we get out of here?" she asked.

"Sure," Cedric said. He offered her his arm and led her out of the bar. They found their way down to the shore slowly talking as they went. Ginny had gone home to meet her latest nephew. Fred and Angelina's son Zephir had been born on the sixth of August. He had been a cute little tyke who looked a lot like his mother. It was nice that some Weasleys wouldn't look exactly like the rest of the family.

They walked hand in hand. The sun was setting slowly. Ginny was glad Cedric had walked up to her that day and scared her ex off. He was a really nice guy.

"Quidditch season starts up again soon, doesn't it," Cedric said.

Ginny nodded. "Yes it does," she said.

"Will you have any time off?" he asked.

"A little. We can't train twenty-four seven," she said. "It is a bit tricky to plan around but not impossible."

Cedric smiled. "Oh, I don't mind," he said. He took her hands. "You are worth it," he said.

Ginny smiled softly. It was nice to hear knowing it had nothing to do with her fame. Cedric wasn't that kind of guy.

* * *

 _4th of October, 2008. Saturday_

Ginny looked around then her eyes turned to the silver watch on her wrist. He was late. She sighed. She had hoped that he would come. She turned to walk back in. He was way more than fashionably late now.

"Ginny?"

The redhead turned around. "Harry?" she said surprised.

"Well that makes things easier," Harry said. "Some idiots got Cedric hurt. He woke up and blabbered about a date here so I came to make sure that whoever he was meeting wasn't left hanging. If you want to I'll bring you back to him though."

"What happened?" Ginny asked as she walked down to her brother-in-law. She took his hand.

"A couple of rookies messed up, and he stepped in to save them. If we hadn't been around, I have no idea what would have happened to him," Harry said. He shook his head.

Ginny sighed. She guessed it was just the way he was. At least he hadn't forgotten about her. She would have preferred if he hadn't ended up in mortal danger though. She was led into a tent somewhere in Africa. She wasn't sure where Harry had taken her. She sat down next to Cedric's bed.

"He'll be fine. He just needs his rest," Harry said. "I'm making dinner feel free to join us. I'm sure Raelynn would be happy to see her aunt Ginny again." He kissed the top of her head before he walked out of the room. "This is not how a first date is supposed to turn out," she said softly. She reached out and took his hand.

…

It was the following morning before Cedric woke up. Ginny had stayed with the Potters that night. She was sitting by the bed when his eyes opened. "I thought you had stood me up," she said.

Cedric started laughing hoarsely. "I guess Harry figured out what I meant," he said actually remembering the unintelligible drivel he had spoken the night before.

"Well he is pretty good at deciphering things," Ginny said. She took his hands. "You owe me a date," she said. "It's alright though. I'm glad you aren't off worse than you are."

"Yeah, me too," Cedric said. "Laurina will give me a dressing down so bad it will probably be way worse than what happened yesterday." He moved up so he was sitting in bed. He was glad Ginny was there. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

* * *

As time passed, the two met when they had the time. It was slowly going and comfortable. Certain mothers were just a bit irritating all things considered. Ginny wished her mom would butt out. She had plenty of grandchildren as it was. She wasn't even sure she wanted kids, and she knew Cedric was fine with that.

She looked down at the golden band on her left ring finger. They weren't planning on settling down anytime soon. They were going to elope when they did though because she simply didn't have time for anything else. Thankfully she had a few people who would happily help them set everything up. Harry was pretty good at that kind of stuff.

…

 _22nd of May, 2011. Sunday_

Ginny looked out over the rainforest. They were in Amazonas. It was a beautiful lake. She had been told it was the nesting grounds for the Rainwings. She knew it was a bit insane to get married so far away from home, but she had loved the idea. He brother would give her away. Harry and their children were there. Cedric had his closest co-workers there.

"You are beautiful," Harry said. He walked up to her. "I've always thought women don't need extra stuff like make-up to look amazing."

Ginny smiled. Her mother would go nuts, and she didn't care. She was getting exactly what she wanted. It was so much easier to explain to Harry what it was she had really wanted. Her mother would never have thought it was enough. She didn't understand why. It was just silly. She didn't need a huge party or a costly ceremony. She loved him that was all that mattered. Everything else was just not important.


	99. Epilogue - Malfoy Magic Mysteries

**Malfoy Magic Mysteries**

 _7th of May, 2012. Monday_

She was such a lovely child. The beautiful little dark haired girl was playing with her toys. Her family was worried though. By her age her older brother had been doing accidental magic all over the place. She wasn't though. It was her third birthday. Little Azalea looked up as her mother walked into her room. The dark-haired woman pulled her wand out and sent a spell at the girl. The orange beam hit her and her mother's eyes narrowed.

"What wong mama?" Azalea asked.

Astoria folded her arms over her chest. Her daughter was a squib. She had ruined her figure for a squib - sure magic had brought it back but still. She sighed disappointedly and walked back out of the room leaving a rather confused little girl behind.

Lucius walked up to the east wing. He wanted to see his little granddaughter.

~"She's a bloody squib."~

~"Does that really matter?"~

~"A squib really Daph it's disgusting."~

~"Do the Malfoys care?"~

~"They don't know yet thank heavens…"~

The Malfoy Lord had just kept walking as he heard his daughter-in-law, but he couldn't help hearing what she had her sister had been talking about. He reached little Azalea's room. "How are you doing dear?" he asked as he sat down next to her. The girl smiled up at him. She liked her grandpa. "Play?" she asked.

Lucius chuckled. "Of course dear," he said. He had been happy when there had been a second Malfoy born. The first girl born to their family in ages. It was sad if she was a squib. He wouldn't turn his granddaughter away because of it though. They would help her as much as they could if it was true. He wasn't sure how Astoria had checked.

…

Azalea disappeared upstairs with her gifts. Her party had been wonderful. Her mom was a bit strange, but Aunty Daph had been nice. He daddy was walking with her holding most of her things. He had promised to read her a story.

Down in the drawing room Narcissa turned to her husband. "What is wrong with Astoria?" she asked.

Lucius turned to his wife. He had known she would notice. Astoria had always been a little cold with the kids, but it was worse with Azalea now. He told her what he had heard. Narcissa shook her head. They wouldn't abandon little Azalea because she didn't have magic. She couldn't understand how Astoria could act so cold towards her own daughter. She had seemed good enough around Scorpius. She knew their son wouldn't listen to them though. He loved his wife. They would keep their eyes on the kids. That was all they could do. She told Lucius as much, and he readily agreed.

They would keep their eyes on things.

* * *

 _10th of July, 2014. Thursday_

Lucius smiled down at his grandchildren. They were happily walking around and pointing at a myriad of different things. The next day was the Quidditch finals. Bulgaria was playing Brazil. Viktor Krum had returned to play that season. Scorpius was a big fan of the Bulgarian. Lucius had falied to point out that he had worked with Krum's wife on several occasions just to keep his ears intact. A little dark haired girl ran into him. She looked up at him. "Съжалявам," she said.

"I'm sorry I don't speak Bulgarian," Lucius said.

"Oh, you're Brittinsh," the girl said. "I'm Ivy Krum."

Lucius smiled. "Lucius Malfoy. It is nice to meet you," he said.

"Ivy what are you up to now?"

Lucius looked up at the familiar voice. Harry walked around a corner. "Good morning Harry," he said.

"Ah, Lucius at least she didn't run into someone dangerous. Come here Ivy. You can't just run off there are plenty of people around that would be happy to hurt Viktor's daughter," Harry said. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

Scorpius' eyes were wide. "You are Krum's daughter?" he asked.

"Scorpius," his grandpa said.

"I'm sorry," the little blond boy said.

Ivy shrugged. "It's O.K. it happens all the time," she said.

"Why don't you come back with us?" Harry asked. "I'd prefer getting away from the crowd before someone recognises this little one."

Lucius looked down at his grandchildren. "We would love to," he said.

"Great," Harry said with a smile. He led the Malfoys over to their tent. "Hermione and her kids have been staying with us while Viktor travelled all over the world. We thought it would be safer for them if we all stayed together once we got here as well. Raelynn is a blessing right now. She is running everything. I think she is channeling Winky," he told Lucius as they walked up to his tent.

"She's eighteen now isn't she?" Lucius said.

"She is yes. She wants to go to university and we're happy to send her off to that. I think she's staying at home through that though. I haven't asked how she wants to do it," Harry said. "I found some Malfoys out there," he told the occupants of the tent.

Hermione turned around and she looked down at her daughter. "Come here Ivy," she said.

The girl walked over to her mother her head handing low. She knew she had done something she shouldn't have. The two of them disappeared into a room.

"Can I go out?"

Harry turned to his godson. "Raelynn!" he called. The fiery-eyed girl came walking out of her room. "Will you go with Teddy?" he asked her.

"Oh, come on Harry," Teddy said.

The raven raised an eyebrow. "We are in the middle of nowhere you are not going out there alone. You are not of age yet," he said.

Raelynn chuckled. "I'll go with him," she said.

"Thank you dear," Harry said.

"The rest of the Weasley clan is here as well?" Lucius asked.

"Several of them yes," Harry said. "They are staying together further south though. This area is for family of the Bulgarian players. Charlie and I are here as extra security so they allowed us to stay with Hermione and her family. We had to do some smooth talking to get that to go through. They are insane around here. Their wards are useless." He walked over to a room and knocked on the door. A boy with light brown hair opened it up. "Yeah what is it papa?" he asked.

"Would you mind some company in there?" Harry asked. "I have a little girl here that could use a place to play."

Dantae shrugged. "Sure," he said.

Harry turned to the little dark-haired girl. "Lucius, I and Hermione, the lady that walked off with Ivy, are going to talk some. If you want to you can play in here," he said. "I can get you some toys. We'll be right out here by the sofas."

Azalea nodded slowly. She looked into the room. The boy in there was sitting by a desk writing something. It was nice to be away from all the people outside. She sat down on the plush carpet on the floor. The dark-haired man walked in with a box of toys. "Here you go sweetheart," he said as he placed the box down. "We'll be right out there, and Dantae over there doesn't bite."

Azalea smiled at him. "O.K." she said.

Scorpius watched as his sister started playing. The bushy-haired woman came walking back out of the room she had disappeared into.

"Can Ivy have a friend in there? I think Scorpius will get really bored out here," Harry said.

Hermione sighed. "Sure but only because we're out here," she said. She turned to Scorpius. "Ivy's room is the second one to the left."

Scorpius nodded. He wasn't sure he wanted to play with a girl, but it was better than listening to the adults.

"They are cute kids," Harry said. "Their parents aren't here?"

Lucius shook his head. "Draco is busy and Astoria isn't very interested in Quidditch," he said. "The kids wanted to see the match though so I decided to take them."

"Worlds greatest grandfather," Harry said with a smile.

Lucius chuckled.

Azalea played with the plushies the nice man had given her. The boy sat down with her and played with her a bit before they were called out for lunch.

"So how do you like Hogwarts?" Lucius asked Dantae as they ate.

"It's cool," Dantae said. "Nicky and I are in Ravenclaw. We have some crazy classmates they seemed to think they could read the whole library in a year. They didn't manage all that well. Nicky and I had fun and we still did better than most of them."

Raelynn rolled her eyes. "Most of them haven't been sent through school before Hogwarts unless they are born to non-magical families. Papa sent you off to school before you went to the castle and Nicky wanted to go with you," she said.

Dantae chuckled. "It is fun to mess with them though. They think I don't know anything just because I'm from a fully magical family," he said.

"Don't be mean to people Dantae," Harry said. He knew he had given the boy the Marauders map, but he had been very strict. If his grades fell or he got complaints from the teachers, he was taking the map away.

"I'm not," Dantae said. "I just show them up when they get on their high horses."

Raelynn chuckled. She might have something to do with her brother's attitude. Her eyes travelled over to the little girl. She was cute. She smiled at her. She wondered if she could get a chance to play with those silky black locks.

…

 _11th of July, 2014. Friday_

Harry smiled at his husband as the man entered the box they were seated in. Charlie had been off dealing with some things. He had worried the oranget might not make it back. He looked down at Azalea in his lap. Like so many other kids, she liked him quite a lot. "Raelynn make sure Teddy doesn't do anything stupid," he said. The Bulgaria's Veelas would be showing up soon. He didn't want the boy doing anything unnecessarily foolish.

Lucius had been able to join them with his grandkids which had been nice. Scorpius was sitting next to his grandpa. They were all spotting Bulgarian red.

Little Azalea giggled as the Curupiras entered the field. They created chaos for a while before everything settled down.

The two teams flew in and the crowd cheered.

"I always said that they were dumb to switch Viktor out. Though I can't say I don't appreciate him getting time off," Harry said. He had seen the snitch. "Got it yet love?" he asked Charlie.

The oranget shook his head as he watched the players zooming back and forth.

"I got it papa," Raelynn said with a smirk.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Dantae said. "It isn't fair."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "What is going on?" he asked.

"We have already seen the snitch," Harry informed him.

Lucius nodded in understanding.

By the time the commentator exclaimed that the snitch had been sighted, Harry and Raelynn had been keeping track of the little golden ball for well over an hour. The two Seekers lost the ball again. "Oh, come on Uncle Viktor," Raelynn said.

Harry chuckled. "It is tougher being out there," he told his daughter.

"Yeah, I know," Raelynn said. She enjoyed playing Seekers' Games with her fathers quite a lot and was pretty good at it too.

Scorpius was bouncing in his seat. Kade was doing the same. He wouldn't look away from his father. His sister wasn't quite as interested where she sat next to her mother. She cared about her father of course, but Quidditch wasn't really her thing.

Then the crowd was cheering. The Seekers had seen the Snitch again. This time Viktor was tight on the Brazilian Seeker Silva's tail. Then the Snitch took a turn upwards and Viktor was on it. The crowd burst out in hollering roars. Viktor Krum had caught the Snicth.

His family was laughing and cheering happily.

Harry leaned back and laughed. He could tell that Viktor was happy. He had gotten his third win. He shifted and placed Azalea down on the ground. He had a job to do. "I'll be back with Viktor," he said. He met Raelynn's eyes. "You are in charge," he said.

"Sure papa," Raelynn said.

Charlie laughed. "What am I incapable?" he asked smiling. He knew Harry was messing with him.

The raven headed down to the field. He knew that the fans got wild after the game. His broom was in his hand and he was up in the air. He caught up with Viktor at the end of the team's glory lap. "Good game Viktor," he said.

"Yeah," Viktor said. "Hov early did you see the darn Snitch?" he asked.

"Less than an hour in," Harry said. "Raelynn caught sight of it too."

"Damn you tvo," Viktor said with a smile.

Harry chuckled. "I'm supposed to make sure you don't get assaulted on your way back to the shity wards they have set up for the team," he said.

"My family is safe though," Viktor said.

"Of course what do you take us for," Harry said. "I'll meet you out on the other side. I doubt you need company in the shower."

Viktor rolled his eyes.

Harry saw the team to the changing rooms before he made his way around.

"Harry!"

The raven turned around. A beautiful curvy chocolate-skinned woman was standing some way away. There was a rather fierce looking man behind her. "Tanya," he said as he connected the dots

"Yeah it's me," she said. She walked up to him and hugged him.

Harry laughed. "You haven't mellowed at all, have you?" he said. "You looked great."

"Thanks you seem to be doing alright as well," Tanya said. The man behind her walked up to them he whispered something in her ear. "Oh, don't worry Harry is married," she said. "Your husband is here as well?"

"And the kids," Harry said with a nod.

"Kids?" Tanya said surprised.

"A daughter and a son," Harry said.

They talked until Viktor came walking out of the change rooms.

"We'll have to meet up later," Harry said.

"Sure," Tanya said. "See you later."

Harry responded before he walked off with Viktor. They entered the tent and the other man was assaulted by his children. The raven laughed. He walked over to his husband and kissed him.

"Can I go out papa?" Raelynn said.

"Sure, just be careful," Harry said.

"Will do papa," Raelynn said. She headed outside. She would find someone out there to party with.

Charlie shook his head. "You sure about that?" he asked.

"She knows how to take care of herself," Harry said.

* * *

 _16th of June, 2015. Thursday_

Lucius looked up as Harry walked into his office. They had some dealings to handle. The history book Harry had been writing over the past couple of years was done and had been published. It was the best one out there. Unlike other books that had been written it took both sides of the coin into account.

They were going over some items that the Malfoy Apothecary wanted to buy from the Nesting grounds.

"Master Malfoy could you please come downstairs."

They turned to an elf that had showed up next to Lucius desk. "What is going on?" the blond aristocrat asked.

"Mrs Astoria is hurting Miss Azalea," the elf said.

Lucius stood up. He knew Harry would follow him without him asking for it. He started making his way downstairs checking the wards on the way to find out where they were. He knew it couldn't be that bad since the wards hadn't been tripped. "What is going on in here?" he asked as he entered Azalea's bedroom. "The elves called for me."

Draco looked up at his father. "Astoria lost her temper. It is fine now," he said. He smirked wryly. "Azalea is a Squib father. What are we going to do?"

"Heal her first off," Harry said. He kneeled down and held his arms out to the girl. "Come here dear," he said.

Azalea looked up at her grandpa. "You can go to Harry," Lucius said. If Harry wanted to see her, then she had to be hurt. She moved over to the raven slowly. A golden glow spread around them and the pain in her arm disappeared.

"I know Astoria seems convinced she is a Squib," Lucius said. "I'm not sure how she knows that."

"There is a spell," Harry said. "I encountered it back on Sri Lanka."

The Malfoy Lord's eyes widened just a tad. "A spell that can tell if a child is a Squib," he said.

"She doesn't have any magic," Astoria said.

"Yes she does," Harry said.

Draco looked from his wife to Harry. He didn't know what to think anymore. His eyes turned to his daughter. Did it really matter to him? ' _No, she is my daughter,'_ he decided.

"What do you mean Harry?" Lucius asked.

Harry turned to Draco. "You used the spell on Azalea?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," Draco said.

"Use it on me," Harry said. He saw the orange beam hitting him and Draco's eyes widening as he got the result back. "But how?" the younger Malfoy asked.

"It doesn't work on the type of magic I use. It is like my magic moves away from the spell," Harry said. "Like Raelynn, Azalea is a Mage not a witch. She can learn magic just fine, but she won't go to Hogwarts." He kneeled back down. He held his hand out and made a ball of light appear. He handed it to the girl. He knew that as a Mage she would learn how to make it by allowing her magic to get used to it. "My daughter and I would be glad to teach her," he said. "There are some demands that we have in connection to teaching her though."

"Like what?" Astoria asked.

"Like the fact that she still needs to go to school. Raelynn has attended school in the non-magical world since she was five," Harry said. "We demand that she goes through at least ten years of school. There is so much to learn out there that the magical world completely overlook. I will not teach someone who knows nothing about those things."

"You want our daughter to leave to that world?" Astoria spat.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I don't have either the time or patience to teach her everything she needs to know. I'm still teaching Raelynn and she is nineteen. She is an expert now, but she hasn't taken her Masteries yet," he said.

"But you can teach her all the way to Mastery level?" Draco asked.

"Yes I can," Harry said. "Only another Master can teach you to Mastery level. I mastered all the different branches of magic. What little I don't know my daughter knows."

"How does that work?" Astoria asked.

"We met another master who taught her," Harry said.

"There are others?" Astoria asked.

"No," Harry said. "She didn't stay here. I am the only sane Master on Earth."

"Will you teach her how to speak to dragons as well?" Draco asked.

"If I find that she can learn," Harry said. "I may teach her Thu'um as well, but I will limit that as I see fit."

"That is dragon magic?" Lucius asked.

"It is yes," Harry said. "I have taught my daughter some. I will most likely continue that for years. She is not a Dragonborn so she cannot learn like I did. I want to make sure that the knowledge isn't lost though. I would teach her things that won't harm people while she is young and then go from there."

"Forget it," Astoria said.

Lucius' eyes narrowed. He knew that he would overrule that type of decision as Lord Malfoy if he had to.

"I will leave for now," Harry said. "I need to speak to my daughter. In some way she is a better teacher than I am."

"Thank you," Lucius said.

"No problem," Harry said before he headed out of the manor.

.

.

.

.

 _16th of June, 2024. Thursday_

Nine years later Azalea was standing on the schoolyard watching her non-magcial friends. She was glad her father and grandparents had wanted her to learn from the Potters. They were really nice people. She was learning so much. She had long ago stopped caring about her mother. Astoria was nice enough, but she wasn't worth the effort it took to actually care about her. She had tried for so many years before she had just given up. She smiled at Raelynn as the older girl came walking up to her.

"Had a good day?" Raelynn asked.

"Yes, it was pretty good. Some of the boys are acting like idiots," Azalea said.

"Teenagers," Raelynn said. "Just ignore them."

Azalea giggled. She took Raelynn's hand and the two of them left to go back to Ennerdale Manor. They studied there since all the books they needed were there.

"Mama!"

Raelynn chuckled. Her son seemed to have opinions. "Is granddad impossible?" she asked.

Charlie looked over at his daughter. "I raised both you and your brother," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Raelynn said.

Laughter spread as Harry came walking down the stairs. Wrinkles had gathered in the corners of his eyes over the years. "I didn't do it all on my own dear," he said.

"Sure whatever," Raelynn said.

Azalea laughed. She loved the Potter family. They were so carefree. Sometimes she wished her own family could be the same.


	100. Epilogue - Dragonborn Out

**Dragonborn Out**

Time passed as time does. The Potter family grew slowly. Their knowledge on dragons spread through the generations. They were soon the most prominent family in the field. Many members of the family were adopted in. There was always at least one person per generation that chose to adopt rather than having their own kids. Most of those children were Mages not witches or wizards, and the few times a mage was born to the families they associated with they would reach out and teach them as well. They were very careful though. A lot of the things they knew could cause mass destruction in the wrong hands. Often they only taught a few branches of magic outside of the family. It wasn't often that they made Masters outside of the family especially after Harry stopped teaching.

Bill Weasley became the Headmaster of Hogwarts eventually, after teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts for a few years. His wife took up the position as the Charms teachers as he became the Headmaster. The school flourished under their kind but firm management with teachers like Neville Longbottom and Dennis Creevy who took over after Hagrid. His years at Nirn Nesting Grounds made him one of the best for the job. While Remus left the school while his son went there, he quickly returned to continue teaching Transfiguration once his son was done. He loved teaching.

Hermione became a member of the International Confederation of Wizards, and under her guidance things changed to be safer and better for not only witches and wizards but many other magical beings and creatures as well.

In the end Draco and Astoria became one of the few Malfoy couples to divorce. Draco cared more about his children then his wife. Once they had grown up though he, to everyone's surprise, started teaching at Hogwarts as the Potions Master. He took over after his godfather, but he actually managed to be liked by his students for a change.

The Mad years came and went while the Potters sat back and watched. They knew what was happening. They would leave Luna and the Mad God to have their fun. They would keep track of things and make sure it didn't go completely out of hand.

And well Harry.

The Boy-Who-Lived to grow up with magic hating people. Who went to Hogwarts and had so much dangerous shit happen to him that it was a wonder he survived. The boy who went to Nirn and learned how to fight using magic and blades. Harry continued down his own path. Many rumours flew around about the raven-haired man. There were those who had noticed the way he had changed over the course of no time at all. So many different theories were out there. The only ones who really knew what had happened was his family. He had written his story down for the later generations. Together with the journals his mother had written during her time at Hogwarts there was a pretty decent recollection of the past.

Outside of the wards of Ennerdale Estate the rumours went wild as Harry and Charlie disappeared one day. Some said that they simply died and were buried on the grounds. They had lived a long and fruitful life together. The only thing their daughter would say after they disappeared was that they would always be together.

Others said that one day as the leaves were turning red and golden two great dragons left the estate: one midnight black and the other sunfire orange. Since no one saw either Harry or Charlie after that some believed the dragons to be the two.

Only their family knew what had really happened. They didn't share their secrets. The Dragon Clan. The Potter Family. In many ways they were harder to learn from than the goblins.

The Mage from Nirn changed everything he wasn't even involved in most of the changes himself.

It is a miracle how things can turn out.

 _ **The End**_


End file.
